In any given period the debt stock grows by the existing debt stock (d) multiplied by r-g, less the primary budget balance (p).

ECONOMIST: Daily chart

But if bankrupt borrowers had to pay taxes on all their forgiven debt, they'd never get back on their feet.

FORBES: Windfall

D-marks to bail out a debt-ridden construction company, Philipp Holzmann, which had been sliding to bankruptcy, appalled the more radical reformers.

ECONOMIST: Are Germany and its leader bouncing back?

You'd pay for some of the trees with the debt you owned.

FORBES: Dow Jones Interactive

As you'd expect, spreads usually widen for companies with litigation problems, heavy debt loads or weak operating results.

FORBES: Magazine Article

"We need to make sure that everybody participates in getting us to a budget that deals with our debt and our deficit responsibly, " Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray, D-Wash.

NPR: Senate Democrats Prepare Government Funding Bill

But, in theory, Barclays, Standard Chartered and HSBC have the option of paying a lower amount by moving their respective domiciles, their homes, offshore (to be clear, they'd still have to pay a fair whack, because they would still have taxable debt in the UK).

BBC: Autumn Statement: Bankers hit by third levy increase

R. 4646, referred to as the Debt Free America Act, is a bill introduced by Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) in 2010 ( read the full text here).

FORBES: Social Security Direct Deposit Tax Email A Fraud

By another gauge, though, U.K. REITs aren't as pricey as you'd think: the stock price versus net asset value, which is the worth of a property portfolio after debt is taken out.

FORBES: The U.K. has joined the REIT revolution. Buy sparingly.