A promissory note is a promise in writing made by one or more persons to another, signed by the maker, promising to pay at a definite time a sum of money to a specific person or to "bearer." The maker is the person who writes out and creates the note. A guaranty is a contract under which one person agrees to pay a debt or perform a duty if the other person who is bound to pay the debt or perform the duty fails to do so. Joint and several liability refers to a shared responsibility for a debt or a judgment for negligence, in which each debtor or each judgment defendant is responsible for the entire amount of the debt or judgment. The person owed money can collect the entire amount from any of the debtors or defendants and not be limited to a share from each debtor.