Rarelamb, read a dictionary sometime. Here, let me help you:

From the Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary:

de•fer
Pronunciation: di-'fur
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Form(s): de•ferred; de•fer•ring
Etymology: Middle English deferren, differren, from Middle French differer, from Latin differre to postpone, be different -- more at DIFFER
1 : PUT OFF, DELAY
2 : to POSTPONE induction of (a person) into military service
synonyms DEFER, POSTPONE, SUSPEND, STAY mean to delay an action or proceeding. DEFER implies a deliberate putting off to a later time (deferred buying a car until spring). POSTPONE implies an intentional deferring usually to a definite time (the game is postponed until Saturday). SUSPEND implies temporary stoppage with an added suggestion of waiting until some condition is satisfied (business will be suspended while repairs are under way).   STAY often suggests the stopping or checking by an intervening agency or authority (the governor stayed the execution).

What this means, rarelamb, is that Vice President Cheney does not get the profit right now, but he does get it when he is no longer Vice President. It is held in trust for him until he resumes his status as a private citizen, and if the profit increases during the time he is Vice President, he also receives the increase.   

This is clearly a conflict of interest. There is no way anybody can whitewash this.

Don Firth