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Definition of Leverage. action of a lever; mechanical power supplied by a lever; influence, ability to affect or alter people or circumstances; use of borrowed money to increase the return on an investment. use one's influence to affect people or circumstances; increase the return on an investment by using borrowed money.
The most intimate relationship most of us have with leverage is our home mortgage. In the vast majority of cases, over many decades, this structure has been positive and transformative to the buyer. However, there are two conditions necessary for financial leverage to actually become power. The first is that the borrower must be able to make his payments, or he risks repossession. The second is that the asset underlying the leverage holds its value. As leverage accentuates the profit when asset values rise, it decimates return when values fall. Without these conditions, the music stops, and the benefit of leverage becomes a huge liability. Leverage went through a gilded period in the mid- to late-1980s when buyout king Mike Milken heralded the use of debt for companies trying to grow quickly.