D defs.my
Entry 3 senses Webster, 1913

Vested interest

· Vest·ed interest · IPA
01 a special personal interest, usually financial, in an existing system, law, or institution, which hinders a person from making objective de…
  1. 1.
    a special personal interest, usually financial, in an existing system, law, or institution, which hinders a person from making objective decisions regarding that system, law, or institution. A vested interest may be one which benefits a relative, or, in an extended sense, one which defends a person's own reputation or previously expressed views.
  2. 2.
    a right given to an employee by a pension plan, which cannot be taken away.
  3. 3.
    the persons, corporations, or other groups which benefit most (usually financially) from the existing system of institutions, laws, and customs.