So, here’s the thing about 400-year bonds: they’re weird. Most sovereign entities don’t even last 200 years, so issuing one feels less like a financial plan and more like performance art. But sometimes these things actually make sense. Take Elsken Jorisdochter: she bought a bond for 1,200 guilders, got 75 guilders annually (tax-free, mind you), and after 16 years, it was repaid. Not bad.

But this wasn’t just finance for finance’s sake. The bond funded flood protections for the dangerous, waterlogged land where she and her family lived. It kept her community safe. Yet all people talk about is, “Wow, she bought a really old bond!” No, she made a real investment in her family and neighbors’ future. The 400-year part? That’s just the headline.