Glossary
Quick definitions for terms used in this guide.
- 401k
- An employer-sponsored retirement savings plan with tax advantages. Traditional 401k contributions are pre-tax; Roth 401k contributions are after-tax. More →
- Asset allocation
- How your portfolio is divided among different asset classes (stocks, bonds, cash). The primary driver of your portfolio's risk and return. More →
- Asset location
- Placing specific investments in the most tax-efficient account type. Different from asset allocation.
- Bear market
- A stock market decline of 20% or more from a recent peak. Historically occurs every 4-6 years. More →
- Beneficiary
- The person designated to receive account assets after the owner's death. Beneficiary designations override wills. More →
- Bond
- A loan you make to a government or corporation. Bonds pay interest and are generally less volatile than stocks. More →
- Compound interest
- Earning returns on your returns. $10,000 growing at 8% becomes $10,800 after year one, then $11,664 after year two (8% of $10,800, not $10,000).
- Debt-to-income ratio (DTI)
- Total monthly debt payments divided by gross monthly income. Used by lenders to evaluate borrowing capacity. More →
- Diversification
- Spreading investments across many assets to reduce risk. A fund holding 3,000+ stocks is highly diversified; a portfolio of 5 tech stocks is not.
- ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund)
- A fund that trades on a stock exchange. Most ETFs are index funds. More →
- Expense ratio (ER)
- The annual fee charged by a fund, expressed as a percentage. A 0.03% ER on $100,000 costs $30/year. More →
- Fiduciary
- A professional legally obligated to act in your best interest, not their own. Always hire a fiduciary financial advisor. More →
- HYSA (High-Yield Savings Account)
- An online savings account paying significantly more interest than a traditional one. More →
- HSA (Health Savings Account)
- Triple tax advantage: deductible contributions, tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawals for medical expenses. More →
- Index fund
- A fund that tracks a market index by owning all or most stocks in that index. Low cost, broadly diversified, consistently outperforms most active funds. More →
- IRA (Individual Retirement Account)
- A retirement account you open yourself. Traditional may be tax-deductible; Roth contributions are after-tax but withdrawals are tax-free. More →
- Rebalancing
- Periodically buying and selling to return your portfolio to its target allocation. More →
- Roth
- A tax treatment where you pay taxes now but all growth and qualified withdrawals are tax-free. Available for 401k and IRA. More →
- Savings rate
- The percentage of gross income directed toward building wealth. A key metric for financial progress. More →
- Target date fund
- A single fund that holds stocks and bonds and automatically adjusts over time, becoming more conservative as the target date approaches. More →
- Treasury bill (T-bill)
- A short-term U.S. government bond (4 weeks to 1 year). Considered risk-free. Often used for the conservative tier of an emergency fund. More →