A resistive element, a circuit board, and a circuit package, as well as a method of adding a resistive element to a circuit board are described. The resistive element includes a first contact point connected to a capacitor terminal, a second contact point connected to a circuit board plane, and resistive material connected to the first and second contact points. The invention may also include a circuit board with one or more resistive elements, as well as a circuit package, such as an integrated circuit or a discrete bypass capacitor, including one or more resistive elements, applied to an outside surface. The value of resistance for the resistive element can be selected by design to have a predetermined relationship with the equivalent resistance of an associated circuit board and connecting circuitry.