We know that the world of money and finance can be really confusing with all its special words and phrases. So, we've put together a big list (alphabetically, of course!) of these terms to help you understand them better. This list covers everything from taxes to investing to insurance. Whether you're already good with money or just learning about it, this glossary is a great tool for you. It'll help you learn more and make smart choices with your money. Check it out and start getting to know the world of finance better!
- Annuity: A financial product that pays out a fixed stream of payments to an individual, typically used as an income stream for retirees.
- Asset Allocation: The process of dividing an investment portfolio among different asset categories, like stocks, bonds, and cash.
- Basis Point: A unit of measure used in finance to describe the percentage change in the value or rate of a financial instrument. One basis point is equivalent to 0.01%.
- Beneficiary: A person designated to receive benefits from an insurance policy or retirement plan.
- Bond: A fixed income instrument representing a loan made by an investor to a borrower (typically corporate or governmental) with the promise to pay back the principal amount at a specified maturity date along with periodic interest payments.
- Capital Gain: The profit from the sale of a property or an investment.
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP): A professional designation for financial planners, conferred by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.
- Charitable Contribution Deduction: A tax deduction allowed for donations to qualifying charitable organizations.
- Commodities: Basic goods used in commerce that are interchangeable with other goods of the same type.
- Compound Interest: The interest calculated on the initial principal of a deposit or loan, which also includes all of the accumulated interest from previous periods on a loan or deposit.
- Credit Score: A numerical expression representing the creditworthiness of a person, based on a level analysis of their credit files.
- Deductible: The amount an insured person must pay before an insurance company pays a claim.
- Diversification: The practice of spreading money among different investments to reduce risk.
- Dividend: A distribution of a portion of a company's earnings to its shareholders.
- Estate Planning: The preparation of tasks that serve to manage an individual's asset base in the event of their incapacitation or death.
- Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF): An investment fund traded on stock exchanges, much like stocks, holding assets such as stocks, commodities, or bonds.
- Fiduciary: A person or organization that acts on behalf of another person or persons, putting their clients' interest ahead of their own.
- Fixed Income: Investments that pay a return on a fixed schedule, like bonds or CDs.
- Health Savings Account (HSA): A tax-advantaged medical savings account available to taxpayers in the United States who are enrolled in a high-deductible health plan.
- Income Tax: Tax levied by a government directly on income, especially an annual tax on personal income.
- Index Fund: A type of mutual fund or ETF with a portfolio constructed to match or track the components of a financial market index.
- Individual Retirement Account (IRA): A form of retirement plan that provides tax advantages for retirement savings in the United States.
- Inflation: The rate at which the general level of prices for goods and services is rising, and subsequently, purchasing power is falling.
- Insurance Premium: The amount of money an individual or business pays for an insurance policy.
- Joint Tenancy: A form of legal co-ownership of property (also known as survivorship). At the death of one co-owner, the surviving co-owner becomes sole owner of the property.
- Keogh Plan: A tax-deferred pension plan available to self-employed individuals or unincorporated businesses for retirement purposes.
- Liability Insurance: Insurance that provides protection against claims resulting from injuries and damage to people and/or property.
- Life Insurance: A contract between an insurance policy holder and an insurer, where the insurer promises to pay a designated beneficiary a sum of money upon the death of the insured person.
- Liquidity: The ease with which an asset can be converted into cash without affecting its market price.
- Margin: Borrowing money from a broker to purchase stock, using the investment as collateral.
- Mortgage: A loan used by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate.
- Mutual Fund: An investment program funded by shareholders that trades in diversified holdings and is professionally managed.
- Net Worth: The total assets minus total outside liabilities of an individual or a company.
- Options: Financial derivatives that give the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell an asset at a specified price on or before a certain date.
- Pension Plan: A type of retirement plan that requires an employer to make contributions to a pool of funds set aside for a worker's future benefit.
- Portfolio: A range of investments held by a person or organization.
- Premium: The amount paid for an insurance policy.
- Qualified Retirement Plan: A retirement plan that meets the requirements of the Internal Revenue Code and is thus eligible for tax benefits.
- Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT): A company that owns, operates, or finances income-producing real estate.
- Risk Tolerance: An individual investor's capacity to endure the potential financial loss of their investments.
- Roth IRA: An individual retirement account allowing a person to set aside after-tax income up to a specified amount each year. Contributions are from after-tax income, grow tax deferred and can be withdrawn tax free after age 59.5.
- Securities: A financial instrument that represents an ownership position in a publicly-traded corporation (stock), a creditor relationship with a governmental body or a corporation (bond), or rights to ownership as represented by an option.
- Social Security: A government program that provides financial assistance to people with an inadequate or no income.
- Stocks: Shares of ownership in a company, which represent a claim on the company's earnings and assets.
- Tax Deduction: An expense that can be subtracted from gross income to reduce the taxable income.
- Underwriting: The process by which insurers assess the risk of insuring a home, car, or individual’s health or life, and determine the premium to be charged for insurance coverage.
- Variable Annuity: A type of annuity that can provide a variable rate of return based on the performance of the underlying investment options.
- Wealth Management: The high-level professional service that combines financial and investment advice, accounting and tax services, retirement planning, and legal or estate planning for one fee.
- Yield: The income return on an investment, such as the interest or dividends received from holding a particular security.
- Zero-Coupon Bond: A debt security that doesn't pay interest (a coupon) but is traded at a deep discount, rendering profit at maturity when the bond is redeemed for its full face value.