A globally-recognized academic institution that issues a variety of financial credentials for various types of financial professionals. Its students include…

A non-partisan research organization that educates its members, Congress and the public on bankruptcy issues. Founded in 1982 and based in Alexandria…

A bond that can be redeemed by the issuer at any time prior to its maturity. Usually a premium is paid to the bondholder when the bond is called. The…

1. The paying off of debt in regular installments over a period of time. 2. The deduction of capital expenses over a specific period of time (usually…

A complete schedule of periodic blended loan payments, showing the amount of principal and the amount of interest that comprise each payment so that the…

A loan with scheduled periodic payments of both principal and interest. This is opposed to loans with interest-only payment features, balloon payment…

An investor who provides financial backing for small startups or entrepreneurs. Angel investors are usually found among an entrepreneur’s family and friends…

An annual report sent to a mortgagor by the mortgagee's servicer detailing the amount of interest and points paid during the preceding year and the remaining…

A form of term life insurance that offers a guarantee of future insurability for a set period of years, although premiums are paid every year on the basis…

The percentage rate at which a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund replaces its investment holdings on an annual basis. Turnover is meant to adjust for…

The process of converting an annuity investment into a series of periodic income payments. Annuities may be annuitized regularly, over a long or short…

A type of annuity distribution structure that gives the annuitant periodic income payments for the rest of his or her life, or a specified period of time…

A financial product sold by financial institutions that is designed to accept and grow funds from an individual and then, upon annuitization, pay out…

The written agreement between an insurance company and a customer outlining each party's obligations in an annuity coverage agreement. This document will…

An annuity whose payment is to be made immediately, rather than at the end of the period. An annuity due requires payments to be made at the beginning…

A calculation method to determine the amount of eligible withdrawals that an investor can make from their IRA without incurring penalties. The calculation…

An accumulation unit for which the annuitant has annuitized their contract. This is a sub-account of the retiree's total accumulated annuity. These units…

A system of position sizing that correlates the levels of investment with the risk and portfolio size.Contrary to the Martingale system, the anti-Martingale…

The interest rate published by the U.S. Treasury to calculate imputed interest charges. The taxman will always get you! This is the rate used by the…

A valuation of property (ie. real estate, a business, an antique) by the estimate of an authorized person. In order to be a valid appraisal, the authorized…

An evaluation of a property's value based on a given point in time that is performed by a professional appraiser during the mortgage origination process…

A savings account that earns tax deductible interest for medical expenses. Archer MSAs are often used by small business or self-employed individuals as…

An index of securities that uses an arithmetic sum to determine changes in the index without taking the relative size of the securities into account…

The benchmark interest rate to which an adjustable rate mortgage is tied. An adjustable rate mortgage's interest rate consists of an index value plus…

A fixed percentage rate that is added to an index value to determine the fully indexed interest rate of an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM). The margin…

Dollar value assigned to property for purposes of assessing taxes. You may be familiar with assessed valuation because it is used to determine the value…

A local government official who determines the value of a property for taxation purposes. Assessors are trained to determine the fair market value of…

A group of securities that exhibit similar characteristics, behave similarly in the marketplace, and are subject to the same laws and regulations. The…

The relative percentages of core asset classes such as equities, fixed income and cash, along with real estate and international holdings, found within…

1. The management of a client's investments by a financial services company, usually an investment bank. The company will invest on behalf of its clients…

The total market value of the securities in a mutual fund's portfolio. Total assets or total net assets are also used to describe a fund's size. When…

1. The transfer of an individual's rights or property to another person or business. 2. A notice received by an option writer stating that the option…

A document transferring all or part of the proceeds from a letter of credit to a third party beneficiary. To receive an assignment of proceeds, the beneficiary…

A type of financing arrangement in which the outstanding mortgage and its terms can be transfered from the current owner to a buyer. By assuming the previous…

A provision in a mortgage contract that allows the seller of a home to pass responsibility to the buyer of the home for the existing mortgage. In other…

A person who is authorized to perform business-related transactions on behalf of someone else (the principal). In order to become someone's attorney in…

A set of rules created by Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) that prevents investors from transferring assets between family members with the intention of avoiding…

A policy purchased by vehicle owners to mitigate costs associated with getting into an auto accident. Instead of paying out of pocket for auto accidents…

Routine, automated payments made from a banking, brokerage or mutual fund account to vendors. The automated function can be initiated either with the…

An investment program that allows investors to contribute small amounts of money, such as $20 a month in regular intervals. Funds are automatically deducted…

An investment program in which capital gains or other income received from investments are automatically used for reinvestment purposes. In the case of…

A type of personal savings system in which the plan contributor automatically deposits a fixed amount of funds at specified intervals into their investment…

A standing banking arrangement whereby transfers from a customer's account are made on a regular, periodic basis without further instruction or action…

The minimum level of consumption that would still exist even if a consumer had absolutely no income. This contrasts with discretionary consumption, which…

A macroeconomic term used to describe the components of an economy's aggregate expenditure that are not impacted by that same economy's real level of…

A trading strategy where buy and sell orders are placed automatically based on an underlying system or program. The buy or sell orders are sent out to…

Funds that have been deposited by third-party check into a customer's bank account. These funds are typically not usable by the customer until the check…

The number of days it takes for a third-party check deposited into a customer's checking account to become available to the customer. While the funds…

Balances in checking or on-demand accounts where there is a delay in crediting funds to an account.  If a check deposit has not been cleared by the issuing…

The unused portion of an open line of credit, such as a credit card or a revolving loan (such as a home-equity line of credit). Available credit is the…