12 Financial Terms You Should Know

 1. Broker
     Someone who's mastered all the math and financial jargon so you don't have to. Work with them to create a portfolio that matches your goals.

2. Capital
    What you're worth. Right now, that might just be $500 in your bank account, but it also includes other wealth (like investments, stocks, bonds...)

3. Capital Appreciation:
    When you sell stocks at a profit, you're money-literally. Appreciate the appreciation.

4. Certificate of Deposit (CD):
    A fancy alternative to your savings account that pays interest-except you can't take the money out until a set maturity date.

5. Dividends:
    As companies grow, some share their profits with stockholders in the form of money or more stock.
Dividends aren't always included though (so read the fine print).

6. Investment Risk:
    Every product, whether it's stocks in Apple or a carefully invested IRA, could lose you money. It's about weighing how risky you want to be an accepting the consequences.

7. IRA:
    AKA the "Individual Retirement Account". You invest in a portfolio during your working years, then live large and travel off of the account in your retirement.

8. Maturity Date:
    Investment jargon for "this is the day you get your investment back with interest".

9. Mutual Fund:
    Like splitting the tab at dinner with your BBFs, except instead, you're splitting up an investment (recommended and managed by a savvy broker of course).

10. Portfolio:
      The grand sum of all your investments from CDs to stocks a diverse portfolio is key so mix it up. 

11. Treasury Bills (T-Bills):
      Like stock investments in a company, except that company is your country. How patriotic.

12. Stocks AKA Shares:
      Think of a company like a giant apple pie at your local diner. You can buy a slice (or two, or twenty) depending on your dessert goals. The better the pie, the better the slice. The better the company the better the payoff.