The lion's share of the bailout for Indonesia came in the form of loans, with maturities, conditions and compounding interest.

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One of the biggest potential losses is the gift of compounding interest.

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Those pesky greenhouse gas emissions that we spew to power our businesses, drive our cars and heat and cool our homes are accumulating in the atmosphere like an unpaid bill with compounding interest.

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The accounts won't rival 401(k)s in size, but for many people they will become a significant asset, thanks to the miracle of compounding interest. (After a certain high threshold, some people may opt to put a piece of this money into bonds or even stocks.) HSAs will make insurance more affordable for small businesses, which will be a boon for many of today's uninsured.

FORBES: Fact and Comment

Like compound interest, compounding these sorts of lost opportunities can make the difference between scraping along and financial independence.

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That iced O'Reilly's interest in a deal, compounding an already frustrating year.

FORBES: On The Cover/Top Stories

Many students and recent grads are familiar with the power of compounding, but usually in a negative context with the interest that accumulates on their student loans and credit cards.

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