A perpetuity is an annuity that has no efinite end, or a stream of cash payments that continues forever. There are few actual perpetuities in existence (although the British government has issued them in the past, and they are known and still trade as consols). A number of types of investments are effectively perpetuities, such as real estate and common stock, and techniques for valuing a perpetuity can be applied to establish price. Perpetuities are but one of the time value of money methods for valuing financial assets.