Companies pay rating agencies such as Moody's and SP to rate their bonds, and the costs can be substantial.

. Companies pay rating agencies such as Moody’s and S&P to rate their bonds, and the costs can be substantial. However, companies are not required to have their bonds rated; doing so is strictly voluntary. Why do you think they do it?The 100-year bonds we discussed in the chapter have something in common with junk bonds. Critics charge that, in both cases, the issuers are really selling equity in disguise. What are the issues here? Why would a company want to sell “equity in disguise”?