Business / Taxes Glossary

10-K: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that all publicly traded companies file a Form 10-k every year. The filing date, ranging from 60 to 90 days after the end of a company’s . . . View Full Definition

12b-1 Fee: A number of load and no-load mutual funds levy 12b-1 fees on the value of your mutual fund account to offset the fund's promotional and marketing expenses. These asset-based fees, which get . . . View Full Definition

401(K): You participate in a 401(k) retirement savings plan by deferring part of your salary into an account set up in your name. Any earnings in the account are federal income tax deferred. If you . . . View Full Definition

403(B): A 403(b) plan, sometimes known as a tax-sheltered annuity (TSA) or a tax-deferred annuity (TDA), is an employer sponsored retirement savings plan for employees of not-for-profit organization . . . View Full Definition

457: These tax-deferred retirement savings plans are available to state and municipal employees. Like 401(k) and 403(b) plans, the money you contribute and any earnings that accumulate in your na . . . View Full Definition

529 College Savings Plan: Each 529 college savings plan is sponsored by a particular state or group of states, and while each plan is a little different, they share many basic elements. When you invest in a 529 savin . . . View Full Definition

529 Prepaid Tuition Plan: With a prepaid tuition plan, you purchase tuition credits at current rates to be used at some point in the future when your beneficiary attends one of the colleges or universities participat . . . View Full Definition

8-K: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that all publicly traded companies use Form 8-k to report anything that could have a significant effect on the financial position of the . . . View Full Definition

Accelerated Death Benefit: If your life insurance policy has an accelerated death benefit (ADB), you may qualify to use a portion of the death benefit to pay for certain healthcare expenses, such as the costs of a ter . . . View Full Definition

Account Balance: Your account balance is the amount of money you have in one of your financial accounts. For example, your bank account balance refers to the amount of money in your bank accounts. Your accou . . . View Full Definition

Accredited Investor: An accredited investor is a person or institution that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) defines as being qualified to invest in unregistered securities, such as privately held co . . . View Full Definition

Accrued Interest: Accrued interest is the interest that accumulates on a fixed-income security between one interest payment and the next. The amount is calculated by multiplying the coupon rate, also called t . . . View Full Definition

Accumulation Period: The accumulation period refers to the time during which your retirement savings accumulate in a deferred annuity. Because annuities are federal income tax deferred, all earnings are reinvest . . . View Full Definition

Accumulation Unit: Accumulation units are the shares you own in the separate account funds of a variable annuity during the period you're putting money into your annuity. If you own the annuity in a 401(k) pla . . . View Full Definition

Acquisition: If a company buys another company outright, or accumulates enough shares to take a controlling interest, the deal is described as an acquisition. The acquiring company's motive may be to exp . . . View Full Definition

Actively Managed Fund: Managers of actively managed mutual funds buy and sell investments to achieve a particular goal, such as providing a certain level of return or beating a relevant benchmark. As a result, the . . . View Full Definition

Activities Of Daily Living: To live independently, you must be able to handle certain essential functions, called activities of daily living (ADLs). These standard activities include eating, dressing, bathing, moving f . . . View Full Definition

Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM): An adjustable rate mortgage is a long-term loan you use to finance a real estate purchase, typically a home. Unlike a fixed-rate mortgage, where the interest rate remains the same for the te . . . View Full Definition

Adjusted Gross Income (AGI): Your AGI is your gross, or total, income from taxable sources minus certain deductions. Income includes salary and other employment income, interest and dividends, and long- and short-term c . . . View Full Definition

Advance-Decline (A-D) Line: The advance-decline line graphs the ratio of stocks that have risen in value — the advancers — to stocks that have fallen in value — the decliners — over a particular trading period. The dir . . . View Full Definition

Advancer: Stocks that have gained, or increased, in value over a particular period are described as advancers. If more stocks advance than decline — or lose value — over the course of a trading day, t . . . View Full Definition

Affinity Fraud: Affinity fraud occurs when a dishonest person plays on your affiliation with a group — such as a house of worship, social club, support group, charity, or veterans’ group — as a way to win y . . . View Full Definition

After-Hours Market: Securities, such as stocks and bonds, may change hands on organized markets and exchanges after regular business hours, in what is known as the after-hours market. These electronic transacti . . . View Full Definition

After-Tax Contribution: An after-tax contribution, or excess deferral, is money you put into your 401(k) or other employer sponsored retirement savings plan in addition to your pretax contribution. You might make a . . . View Full Definition

After-Tax Income: After-tax income, sometimes called post-tax dollars, is the amount of income you have left after federal income taxes (plus state and local income taxes, if they apply) have been withheld. I . . . View Full Definition

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