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When a bond is secured, it means it's protected, i.e. there are assets that would be forfeited if repayment is not made. When it's unsecured... it'...

What do you need to retire? Retirement - think: 401k, pension fund, IRA, roth IRA, etc. All of these savings socked away while you worked hard are...

What is Contingent Liability? Contingent liability refers to a possible liability in the future contingent upon some other event being the trigger....

A redemption charge is a charge applied when you redeem shares of a mutual fund in a deferred commission purchase structure.

What was the Tax Reform Act of 1986? Hit play to find out.

What are Passive Investing and Passive Investors? Passive investing and passive investors are ones who opt to ride the market out over the long ter...

The Investment Company Act of 1940 regulated and ensured fair dealings in the mutual fund industry.

What is Arbitrage? Arbitrage is a trading strategy used to make risk-free money. The investor buys a security in one market and sells it in another...

What are T-Notes, T-Bonds, and TIPS? T-Notes are debt securities (like bonds) that are issued by the government and mature within one to 10 years....

Investment objectives and styles vary from investor to investor. Some are in it for the long haul. Others, um... don't look at "Ponzi" as a dirty w...

What is liquidity? Think: water. It's liquid. It can be squeezed into little, tiny spaces and infused into large spaces. A defining trait of liquid...

What is AMBAC? AMBAC stands for American Municipal Bond Assurance Corporation. It provides insurance for municipalities that sell muni bonds, such...

What is the Federal Funds Rate? The federal funds rate is the interest rate used for overnight lending between banks. The amount banks are able to...

The Federal Open Market Committee's purpose is to manage financial outcomes through monetary policy.

A trust deed lays out the rights and obligations of the bank underwriting the purchase of inventory/assets. That said, it won't catch you in a trus...

PERLS is a bond that pays interest twice a year, but whose yield is linked to a given foreign exchange rate. It also doesn't string very well on a...

"Golden handcuffs" refers to someone vesting into their stock options by sticking it out at their company. It won't go on their permanent record.

What is ordinary income versus long-term gain income? Hit play to find out.

What is real return? Real return is the actual return made from an investment after inflation is factored in. Return is expressed as a percentage c...

What is asset allocation? Asset allocation is the process of executing an investment strategy that is tailored to a particular investor’s risk to...