Perjury is considered a serious offense as it can be used to usurp the power of the courts, resulting in miscarriages of justice. In the United States, for example, the general perjury statute under Federal law classifies perjury as a felony and provides for a prison sentence of up to five years.
Effective interest rate for t periods, i t = (1 + i) t - 1 or as one equation i t = (1 + (r / m)) mt - 1. The rate per compounding period P = R / m, in percent.
However, since interest is compounded monthly, the actual or effective interest rate is higher because interest in the current month compounds against interest in the previous month. As it turns out, a 12% APR (nominal) interest loan has an effective (APY) interest rate of about 12.68%. On a loan with a life of only one year, the difference between 12% and 12.68% is minimal. On a long-term loan such as a mortgage, the difference can be significant.