1939 Trust Indenture Act

This federal law was created as part of the Securities Act of 1939 and was meant to protect investors who sunk their money into corporate bonds.

What you need to know:

The law meant that if you bought any bond over $5 million, you'd have to get information about the bond and an agreement signed by you and the bond issuer (the corporation selling the bond). It also meant that issuers offering bonds over $5 million had to appoint a trustee not connected with the company to make sure there were no conflicts of interest. This trustee would take a look at the signed documents and would mediate if needed.

Basically, if you were throwing around $5 million like nobody's business (and back in 1939, $5 mil was a lot of dough), this law was meant to protect your cash from any shady dealings a corporation might try to pull.