Coupon Bond Calculator

Governmental entities (cities or states, etc.) and companies normally issue Coupon Bonds to raise funds for projects, such as building a new school or expanding a business. Bonds represent a specific amount of borrowed money that the entity owes the bearer of the bond. The Coupon Bond is a debt security that entitles the bond holder to interest payments owed by the bond issuer. Therefore, for the investor to make an informed decision concerning which bonds to buy, he should learn the terms that are used on bonds.

Several terms are listed on the face of the bond: Maturity date when the bond matures; Coupon rate which is listed as a percentage and is the interest rate paid each year; and Frequency of interest payments, either annually or semiannually. Additionally, if the bond is convertible, it can be exchanged for stock and the face of the bond will show its conversion rate. Another feature, par value, will also be listed on the bond's face which is the total amount the company will pay when the bond is redeemed. However, par value is not always the amount which was paid for the bond.

The Coupon Bond Calculator will help the investor to choose the best Coupon Bonds in which to invest. The Calculator is a useful tool to Price Bonds and to determine the Yield-to-Maturity. Just as any calculator, the Bond Calculator has various fields which are used for calculations: Bond Price Field (the bond's price goes into this field); Coupon Field (the coupon payment is shown in this field); and Face Value Field (the Principal of the bond is entered here). Also included are the Yield Field (the Bond Yield will be displayed in this field); Periods Field (the number of Periods until maturity); and the Compounding Field (the value which is selected in this pop-up feature is for the frequency of the Bond Yield and the number of Coupon Payments--whether semiannual or annual). The remaining features on the Coupon Bond Calculator are the Buttons, which are pressed to calculate the corresponding values: Price Button for Bond Price calculation, Coupon Button for Coupon Payment calculation, Face Value button which is pressed to calculate the Face Value, and Yield Button which is pressed to calculate the Bond Yield. In learning how to use the Coupon Bond Calculator, the investor has a remarkable tool in deciding which Coupon Bonds to purchase.