"In a time before bonds, treasury notes, or central banks, there were tontines. These were schemes in which a group of investors lent money to a government, corporation, or king, similar to a modern-day loan syndicate. But unlike conventional debt, periodic interest payments were distributed...

PART ONE: A BLESSED OLD AGE -- Chapter 1: DO YOU BELIEVE IN PENSIONS? -- Chapter 2: LONGEVITY RISK AND RELIGION -- Chapter 3: THE BENEFITS OF POOLING -- PART TWO: CHURCH & UNIVERSITY -- Chapter 4: AN ENLIGHTENED FINANCIAL INNOVATION -- Chapter 5: A PRESBYTERIAN SCHEME FOR MINISTERS -- Chapter 6:...