Disbursement float is sometimes used by firms to fund short-term investments even though such use is ethically questionable.

Disbursement float refers to the time lag between when a check is issued by a firm and when the funds are actually withdrawn from the firm's bank account. During this period, firms might use the funds that have not yet been deducted for short-term investments, which can be seen as ethically questionable because it involves using funds that are technically no longer the firm's to use.