The Jargon Buster Directory is your central resource for locating
an explanation to typical terms found for within all industries , professions
and governments.
Use our directory to locate and decipher jargon that you would like an
explanation for.
Keeping our directory up to date and to include all the spheres where jargon
is used is a never ending task for us. We have started with what we can locate
but but it is a vast subject and can be very niche specific.
Are you in a profession or industry that uses jargon that is NOT included
here? Then why not send us your own jargon buster text and we will include
it within our database. to say thank you we will provide you with a return
link back to your web site.
Personal finance is a minefield of products and services all with their own
attitude to risk and reward. Personal finance jargon tries to describe
some of these financial products and many are now commonly known about.
Your attitude to risk in gaining growth or income from these financial products
will usually determine which part of the personal finance jargon
scale you will be encountering.
Some terms or phrases within this personal finance jargon directory
are like old uncles - all very familiar and cosey sounding while
others are more niche oriented to the risk taking person seeking greater
reward in exchange for potential greater loss.
Personal Finance Jargon.
Bonds
Usually a loan to a company or organisation that pays a fixed rate of interest
for a certain period. Bonds are bought and sold on the stockmarket, just
like shares.
Bond fund
A fund that invests in a range of bonds.
Equities
Another name for shares in companies listed on the stock exchange.
Fund
For example, a unit trust or a with-profits fund consisting of shares or
a range of different types of investments.
Growth
Usually, this describes shares or funds that are expected to grow in value
through increases in share prices over a period of time. They might not produce
much income through dividends.
Income
Two meanings here - the first is the one you would expect - money paid regularly
to you. The second meaning is used by funds as a way of describing investments
that produce income through share dividends or interest payments.
Performance
Basically, how well a share or a fund does financially over a period.
Portfolio
A collection of different investments held by an individual or a fund.
Product
Financial services companies call almost everything they sell to consumers,
'products'. A product could be a pension scheme, an ISA, an insurance policy,
etc.
Return
This is a very flexible word and can mean a lot of things. We use it to mean
what you get back from an investment as income or a lump sum.
Securities
Bonds and certain types of shares.
Stock exchange
A place where stocks and shares are bought and sold (traded). There are many
stock exchanges and the most famous are probably the London Stock Exchange
and the New York Stock Exchange.
Stockmarket
A general word for stock exchanges.
Volatility
When the price of a particular share swings up and down fairly often it's
described as 'volatile'.
Yield
Usually the rate of income from an investment given as a percentage. For
example, an investment costing £100 producing an income of £5 a
year would have a 'yield' of 5%. Gross yield is the yield before tax is deducted
and net yield is income after tax. Not to be confused with 'redemption yield'
which we look at in the bonds section.