A lump sum is a single payment of money, as opposed to a series of payments made over time (such as an annuity).[1][2][3][4]The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development distinguishes between price analysis and cost analysis by whether the decision maker compares lump sum amounts, or subjects contract prices to an itemized cost breakdown.[5]In 1911, American union leaders including Samuel Gompers of the American Federation of Labor expressed opposition to lump sums being awarded their members pursuant to a new workers compensation law, saying that when they received lump sums rather than periodic payments the risk of them squandering the money was greater.[6]