Business / Taxes Glossary

Amortization: Amortization is the gradual repayment of a debt over a period of time, such as monthly payments on a mortgage loan or credit card balance. To amortize a loan, your payments must be large eno . . . View Full Definition

Analyst: A financial analyst tracks the performance of companies and industries, evaluates their potential value as investments, and makes recommendations on specific securities. When the most highly . . . View Full Definition

Annual Percentage Rate (APR): A loan's annual percentage rate, or APR, is what credit costs you each year, expressed as a percentage of the loan amount. The APR, which is usually higher than the nominal, or named, rate y . . . View Full Definition

Annual Percentage Yield (APY): Annual percentage yield is the amount you earn on an interest-bearing investment in a year, expressed as a percentage. For example, if you earn $60 on a $1,000 certificate of deposit (CD) be . . . View Full Definition

Annual Renewable Term Insurance: If your term life insurance is an annual renewable policy, you can renew your coverage each year without filling out a new application or passing a physical exam. However, the premium, or th . . . View Full Definition

Annual Report: By law, each publicly held corporation must provide its shareholders with an annual report showing its income and balance sheet. In most cases, it contains not only financial details but als . . . View Full Definition

Annuitant: An annuitant is a person who receives income from an annuity. If you receive a distribution from an annuity that you or your employer buys with your 401(k) assets, you're the annuitant. Simi . . . View Full Definition

Annuitization: Annuitization means that you convert part or all of the money in a qualified retirement plan or nonqualified annuity contract into a stream of regular income payments, either for your lifeti . . . View Full Definition

Annuitize: When you annuitize, you choose to convert the assets in your deferred annuity or other retirement savings account into a stream of regular income payments that are guaranteed to last for you . . . View Full Definition

Annuity: Originally, an annuity simply meant an annual payment. That’s why the retirement income you receive from a defined benefit plan each year, usually in monthly installments, is called a pensio . . . View Full Definition

Annuity Principal: The annuity principal is the sum of money you use to buy an annuity and the base on which annuity earnings accumulate. If you’re buying a deferred annuity, you may make a one-time — or singl . . . View Full Definition

Annuity Unit: Annuity units are the shares you own in variable annuity subaccounts, also called annuity funds or separate account funds, during the period you're receiving income from the annuity. The num . . . View Full Definition

Appreciation: When an asset such as stock, real estate, or personal property increases in value without any improvements or modification having been made to it, that’s called appreciation. Some personal a . . . View Full Definition

Approved Charge: With traditional fee-for-service health insurance, the insurance company sets an approved or allowable amount for each medical procedure or office visit. If your bill exceeds the approved ch . . . View Full Definition

Arbitrage: Arbitrage is the technique of simultaneously buying at a lower price in one market and selling at a higher price in another market to make a profit on the spread between the prices. Although . . . View Full Definition

Arbitration: Arbitration is a way to resolve conflicts between parties or individuals, and may be considered middle ground between the more cooperative, informal nature of mediation and the more expensiv . . . View Full Definition

Arithmetic Index: An arithmetic index gives equal weight to the percentage price change of each stock that's included in the index. In computing the index, the percentage changes of all the stocks are added, . . . View Full Definition

Ask: The ask price (a shortening of asked price) is the price at which a market maker or broker offers to sell a security or commodity. The price another market maker or broker is willing to pay . . . View Full Definition

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