Clear Answers for Common Questions

Finance and Investing

Answers to your questions about personal finance and investing.

What is ROI? What is Bail? What is APY? What is FICA? What is a Bid? What is a PIN? What is Fraud? What is Barter? What is FSBO? What is MACD? What is a Tariff? What is a Loan? What is Bullion? What is an IPO? What is an LLC? What is an EFT? What is Escrow? What is Inflation? What is an APR? What is Probate? What is the AAII? What are Coffers? What is Bid Size? What are Arrears? What is the SIPC? What is Fiduciary? What is Bad Debt? What is the X Tax? What is a HELOC? What is the FDIC? What is Arbitrage? What is Tax Relief? What is a Bequest? What is Micro Cap? What is the FOMC? What is Insolvency? What is an Allonge? What is a 529 Plan? What is Commerce? What is a SEP-IRA? What is a BD Form? What are Adjusters? What is Chapter 11? What is 1099-MISC? What is Binge Debt? What is a Mortgage? What is Accounting? What is Loan Stock? What is a List Price? What is Income Tax? What is VC Funding? What is Bank Credit? What is a Bear Raid? What is Stochastics? What is a Solo 401k? What is a Brokerage? What is a Jumbo CD? What is a Tax Haven? What is a Pay Scale? What are Franchises? What is a Bank Note? What is a Junk Bond? What is a Deductible? What is a Fellowship? What are War Bonds? What is a 1099 Form? What is a Put Option? What is Tax Deferred? What is an Appraiser? What is a Blind Trust? What is a Spendthrift? What is a Lump Sum? What is Check Fraud? What is a Stop Order? What is Market Price? What is Property Tax? What is Bookkeeping? What is a Luxury Tax? What is a Limit Order? What is a Tax Refund? What is a Margin Call? What is a Credit Card? What is a Bond Swap? What are Back Taxes? What is a Slush Fund? What is a Tax Shelter? What is a Land Lease? What is a Bull Spread? What is Child Support? What are Pork Bellies? What is a FICO Score? What is a Brady Bond? What is the Big Board? What is a Foreclosure? What is Pet Insurance? What is Loan to Value? What is a Bridge Loan? What is a Profit Model? What is a Hedge Fund? What is a Remortgage? What is a Bond Crowd? What is a Deposit Slip? What is a Margin Loan? What is a Base Period? What Exactly is Stock? What is a Grant Writer? What are Book Shares? What is Bracket Creep? What is a Mutual Fund? What is Elastic Money? What is a Bearer Bond? What is Online Trading? What is a Blanket Lien? What is a Billing Cycle? What is a Bond Ladder? What is a Stock Ticker? What is Title Insurance? What is a Blank Check? What is a Balloon Note? What is an Endowment? What is a Money Order? What is a Forex Broker? What is a Balloon Loan? What is a Credit Check? What are Surety Bonds? What are Covered Calls? What is a Market Order? What is a Stafford Loan? What is a Line of Credit? What are Time Spreads? What is Equity Release? What is Gambler's Ruin? How are Options Priced? What is a Wire Transfer? What is an IRA Rollover? What is a Bull Market? What is Workers' Comp? What is a Blanket Bond? What is Debt Reduction? What is an Online Bank? What is a Bond Circular? What is a Benefit Offset? What is a Neg Am Loan? What is an ALTA Policy? What is a Joint Account? What is Back Testing? What are Stock Options? What is a Fixed Annuity? What are Credit Reports? What is Check Washing? What is a Land Contract? What is Estate Planning? What is an Interest Rate? What is Double Taxation? What is the Spot Market? What are Bill Organizers? What is a Tax Deduction? What is Asset Financing? What is an Affinity Fraud? What is Debt Counseling? What is an Internet Bank? What are Fringe Benefits? What is a Bear Market? What are No-Load Funds? What is a Breakup Value? What is a Balance Sheet? What is the Bond Market? What is a Letter of Credit? What is a Loan Schedule? What is a Defaulted Loan? What is Asset Protection? What is Invoice Factoring? What is a Subprime Loan? What is a Fiduciary Bond? What is Currency Trading? What is a Down Payment? What is a Mortgage Bond? What are Bollinger Bands? What is Debt Syndication? What is a Breach of Trust? What is All-Risks Coverage? What is a Bank Examiner? What is Bill Consolidation? What are the Pink Sheets? What is an Asset Stripper? What is Backwardation? What is Captive Insurance? What is Credit Counseling? What is Litigation Funding? Who Needs Life Insurance? What is a Junior Mortgage? What is a Progressive Tax? What is a Money Manager? What is a Bond Ordinance? What is an Asset Turnover? What is a Barbell Strategy? What is an ARM Mortgage? What is Home Refinancing? What is a Reverse Auction? What is a Joint Tax Return? What is a Bank Term Loan? What is a Quit-Claim Deed? To the IRS, What is a Levy? What is an Annual Exclusion? What are Accrued Benefits? What are Investment Clubs? What is an Education Loan? What is a Lawsuit Advance? What is a Savings Account? What is the Series 7 Exam? What is a Synthetic Option? What are Blue Chip Stocks? What is a Barometer Stock? What is Landlord Insurance? What is a Bellwether Stock? What is Debt Consolidation? What is a Lagging Indicator? What is a Balloon Payment? What is a Mortgage Banker? What is Structured Finance? What is Option Arbitrage? What is a Long Term Lease? What is a Brokerage House? What is an Insurance Claim? What is After-Hours Trading? What is the Acid-Test Ratio? What is an ABC Agreement? What is a Limited Company? What is a Safe Deposit Box? What is an Insurance Agent? What is a Broker Loan Rate? What is Asset Management? What is Disability Insurance? What is an Investment Bank? What is Overdraft Protection? Why do Banks Hold Checks? What is a Senior Settlement? What is an Endowment Sale? What is Backup Withholding? What is a Collection Agency? What are Foreclosed Homes? What is a Checking Account? What is a Back-End Load? What are Borrowed Reserves? What is a Base Interest Rate? What is an Authority Bond? What Does a Loan Officer Do? What is Loan Prequalification? What are Earnings Per Share? What is a Monthly Statement? What is a Private Equity Firm? What is Level Term Insurance? What is the Butterfly Strategy? What is Self Employment Tax? What is a Capital Expenditure? What is the Affordability Index? Should I Get a Subprime Loan? What are Viatical Settlements? What is an Immediate Annuity? What is a Bank Reconciliation? What is a Mortgage Deduction? What is Malpractice Insurance? What is Named Peril Coverage? What is an Arm's Length Price? What is an Accredited Investor? What is a Defined Benefit Plan? What is a Prepayment Penalty? What is Fundamental Analysis? What is a Long Term Mortgage? What is a Rewards Credit Card? What are Financial Statements? What is the Board of Governors? What is Computational Finance? What is an Adventure Capitalist? What is Benefits Administration? What is the Cost of Living Index? What is Homeowners Insurance? How do I Apply for Scholarships? What is an All-Cap Mutual Fund? What is Worker's Compensation? What are Accumulated Earnings? Should I Have Renters Insurance? What is a Corporate Repurchase? What Does a Loan Counselor Do? What is Backward Integration? What is an Actuarial Assumption? What is a Bond Anticipation Note? What is the Black-Scholes Model? What is Accelerated Depreciation? What is a Money Market Account? What is Personal Tax Earmarking? What is a Burned out Tax Shelter? What are Straddles and Strangles? What is an Adverse Credit History? What are Back-to-Back Loans? What is the Absolute Priority Rule? What is an Accommodation Paper? Where can I get Free Legal Advice? What is an Asset Conversion Loan? What is Accumulated Depreciation? What are Automatic Stabilizers? How does the Nigerian Scam Work? What is a Need Based Scholarship? How Can I Start an Investment Club? What is Accounts Receivable Aging? What is a Minimum Finance Charge? What is an Annual Percentage Rate? What Does it Mean to be Overdrawn? What is an Annual Percentage Yield? What is the Hope Scholarship Credit? What is COGS (Cost of Goods Sold)? What is a Self Certification Mortgage? Can I Bankrupt on my Student Loans? How can I Write an Effective Resume? What is Personal Umbrella Insurance? What is an Automatic Clearing House? What Should I Do if I Owe Back Taxes? Are There Any Bankruptcy Alternatives? Do All States Have a State Income Tax? What Should I Consider Before Retiring? What is Supplemental Health Insurance? What is an International Money Transfer? What are Some Good Fundraising Ideas? What is a Registered Investment Advisor? How Can I Look for College Scholarships? How Can I Use Credit Cards Responsibly? What Do I Need to Open a Bank Account? How Often Can I Get a Free Credit Report? What is a Bottom-Up Investment Strategy? How Can I Make Myself Stick to a Budget? What are Some Uses for a Letter of Credit? What is an Age-Weighted Retirement Plan? What is an Automatic Investment Plan? What is a Christmas Club Savings Account? What are Different Types of Bank Accounts? What are the Different Types of Fundraisers? What is a CPA (Certified Public Accountant)? What are the Different Types of Piggy Banks? How do I Remove Errors on my Credit Report? What are the Different Types of School Loans? In the Stock Market, What is a Bottom Fisher? How Long Does the Bankruptcy Process Take? What are the Different Types of Student Loans? What are Some Different Kinds of Check Fraud? What is an Accelerated Cost Recovery System? What Should I do if I Have a Poor Credit History? What Should I Consider When Choosing a Bank? What Are Some Common Money-Making Scams? What is the Commodity Futures Modernization Act? What is a CMA (Certified Management Accountant)? What Should I do if my Child Earns Taxable Income? Where Can I get Financial Assistance for Education? What Should I Consider When Saving for Retirement? How Do I Know Which Expenses are Tax Deductible? What are Some Ways I Can Make Money from Home? What are the Differences Between a 401k and a 501c3? How Can I Save Money for My Child's College Education? What are Ascending Tops and Ascending Bottoms? What Home Businesses Can I Start with Very Little Money? What Can Be Done if a Parent Refuses to Pay Child Support? What is an Accredited Personal Financial Planning Specialist? Does My Credit Score Drop When a Credit Report is Requested? What is the Difference Between a Copyright, Trademark and Patent? What Does the IRS Do With Incorrect or Incomplete Tax Paperwork? What are the Different Ways to Limit Spending during Christmas Shopping?

What is Refi? What is LTV? What is ACH? What is HYIP? What is Scrip? What is Forex? What is Credit? What is a Lien? What are Wills? What is a SSN? What is HIPAA? What is an IRA? What is an IOU? What is a T-Bill? What is an ETF? What is a REIT? What is a Grant? What are Deeds? What is an ATM? What is a Lease? What is an Audit? What are LEAPs? What is a Lender? What are Futures? What is Currency? What is Bankmail? What is a 501(c)3? What is Collateral? What is Check 21? What is Indemnity? What is the CBOT? What is the GI Bill? What is Large Cap? What is a Dividend? What is a Lockbox? What is a Best Bid? What is an Annuity? What is a Vice Tax? What is Bailment? What is Abatement? What is a Roth IRA? What is an Actuary? What is Debt Relief? What is Asset Play? What is a Best Ask? What is a Nest Egg? What is the FairTax? What is Bankruptcy? What is Book Value? What is Ticker Tape? What is Fannie Mae? What is a Guarantor? What is a Form W-9? What is Day Trading? What is a Buy-Down? What is a Leasehold? What is a Coin Bank? What is the Tax Gap? What are Bail Bonds? What is an Assignee? What is a Bank Rate? What is a Load Fund? What is an Appraisal? What is a Bank Draft? What is a Long Bond? What is Amortization? What is Microfinance? What is a Breakpoint? What is Broker's Call? What is a Limit Price? What is the Blue List? What is a Leaseback? What is a Bond Fund? What is a Krugerrand? What is a Broken Lot? What is Money Down? What is a Bond Ratio? What is a Call Option? What is a Checkbook? What is a Bondholder? What is a Yield Curve? What is a Living Trust? What is Broad Money? What is a Blend Fund? What is a Return Gap? What is a Keogh Plan? What is Active Money? What Causes Inflation? What is a Basis Point? What is a Bullet Bond? What is a Box Spread? What is Land Banking? What is Basis Trading? What is a Life Annuity? What is Joint Tenancy? What is a Block Trade? What is Life Insurance? What is a Loan Officer? What is a Jumbo Loan? What is Barren Money? What is a Broker Loan? What is Home Staging? What is Market Timing? What is an Index Fund? What is a Finder's Fee? What is Direct Deposit? What are Foreclosures? What is Margin Buying? What is an Index Bond? What is Bubble Theory? What is a Bear Spread? What is an Elliot Wave? What is an Underwriter? What is Reconveyance? What is an Accountant? What is Insider Trading? What are Estate Taxes? What is a Tax Attorney? What is a Bull Straddle? What is a Bonus Share? What is a Central Bank? What is an Estate Sale? What are Capital Gains? What is a Credit Rating? What is a Bearer Share? What is the Prime Rate? What is Boat Insurance? What is a Bulk Transfer? What is Telecommuting? What is an Asset Swap? What is a Tax Loophole? What is Online Banking? What is the Arms Index? What is Tax Structuring? What is Social Security? How do Tax Liens Work? What is a Fixed Income? What is a Blended Rate? What is the Beige Book? What is a Flat Rate Tax? What is a Notary Public? What are Penny Stocks? What is a Bean Counter? What is a Credit Bureau? What is a Bear Straddle? What are Payday Loans? What is Asset Coverage? What is a Deed Transfer? What is the Closing Bell? What is Borrowed Stock? What is Working Capital? Do I Need Life Insurance? What is Unsecured Debt? What is a Bulge Bracket? What are Level II Quotes? What is a Cash Advance? What is a Vote by Proxy? What is Balloon Maturity? What are Secured Loans? What is Group Insurance? What is Asset Allocation? What is a Liquidity Event? What is an Agency Bond? What is an Accrual Bond? What is a Bond Discount? What is a Bank Discount? What is a Joint Mortgage? What is a Vantage Score? What is a Mid Cap Stock? What is Bridge Financing? What is a Collateral Loan? What is a Bullet Strategy? What is a Grant Proposal? What is a Fiduciary Deed? What is a Bond Indenture? What is a Matrix Scheme? What is Family Insurance? What is an Actual Market? What is a Bargaining Unit? What is an Angel Investor? What is a Bank Company? What is a Municipal Bond? What is a 1031 Exchange? What is Hazard Insurance? What is Mortgage Interest? What is a Finance Charge? What is Credit Counseling? What is a Market Portfolio? What is a Bounced Check? What is a Mortgage Buyer? What is an Honorary Trust? What is Financial Auditing? What is a Work-Study Job? What is a Gas Credit Card? What is the January Effect? What is Liability Insurance? What are Options Spreads? What is the Gold Standard? What is Predatory Lending? What is Debt Management? What is a Bond Resolution? What is Financial Planning? What is an Inheritance Tax? What is Binding Arbitration? What is a Mortgage Broker? What is an Adoption Credit? What are Discount Brokers? What is Before-Tax Income? How Can I Create a Budget? What is a Conforming Loan? What is a Beneficial Owner? What is an Amortized Loan? What is Technical Analysis? What is Behavioral Finance? What is a Beneficiary Deed? What is a Financial Advisor? What is Advance Refunding? What is a Balanced Budget? What is Currency Valuation? What is an Alligator Spread? What is a Pyramid Scheme? What are Calendar Spreads? What is a Break-Even Point? What are Deed Restrictions? What is a Financial Planner? What are Garnished Wages? What is Penny Stock Fraud? What is an Unsecured Loan? What is Real Estate School? What are Private Mortgages? What is an Availability Float? What is Term Life Insurance? What is Active Management? What is Mortgage Insurance? What is an Alternative Order? What is Investment Property? What is a Bid-to-Cover Ratio? What is a Managed Account? What is an Insurance Broker? What is Price Discrimination? What are Second Mortgages? What is Retirement Planning? What is a Home Equity Loan? What is Forensic Accounting? What is an Alienation Clause? What is a Banking Syndicate? What is the Gas Guzzler Tax? What is Temporary Insurance? What is Account Aggregation? What is Whole Life Insurance? What are Available Assets? What is Fractional Ownership? What is an Airline Credit Card? What is a Composition Dealer? What is Dollar Cost Averaging? What is a Currency Exchange? What is the 'Dogs of the Dow'? What are Financial Derivatives? What are Economic Indicators? In Finance, What is Bucketing? What is a Like Kind Exchange? What is a Best Efforts Offering? What is a Book-Entry Security? What are Prepaid Credit Cards? What is Bodily Injury Coverage? What is an Adjustment Bureau? What is the World Bank Group? What is a Self-Directed IRA? What is an Insurance Premium? What is an Accumulation Bond? What is a Certificate of Deposit? What are Unrecorded Liabilities? What is an Abusive Tax Shelter? What is an Acceleration Clause? What is a Revolving Credit Limit? What is VIX, the Volatility Index? What is Deferred Compensation? What are Authorized Shares? What is Modern Portfolio Theory? What are Manufacturer Coupons? What is a Direct Repair Program? What is an Abandonment Option? What are After-Tax Contributions? What is an Accountant's Opinion? What are Structured Settlements? What is a Buy and Hold Strategy? What is a Bank Trust Department? What is a Special Warranty Deed? Can Credit Card Debt be Inherited? What are Unemployment Benefits? What is Unemployment Insurance? How is a Credit Score Determined? What are Interest Only Mortgages? In Investment, what are Jelly Rolls? What is the Bureau of Public Debt? What is the Average Daily Volume? What is Accrual Basis Accounting? What Does a Financial Analyst Do? What is an Offshore Bank Account? What is a Last will and Testament? What is the Underground Economy? What is an Adjusted Gross Income? How can I Reduce Credit Card Debt? What is a High Net Worth Individual? What are Accidental Death Benefits? What is an Aggressive Growth Fund? What is a Blanket Recommendation? Are Electronic Funds Transfers Safe? Which Donations are Tax-Deductible? What is an Assumable Mortgage? What are Reversals and Conversions? What is the Alternative Minimum Tax? How can I Clean up my Credit Report? How can I Tell if Money is Counterfeit? What is an Automatic Funds Transfer? What is Mortgage Payment Protection? What is an Accumulated Earnings Tax? What is the European Investment Bank? What is a Credit Card Balance Transfer? What is the New York Stock Exchange? How can I Prepare to do my Own Taxes? How Can I Earn Some Money in a Hurry? How can I Save Money with a Meal Plan? What is the Arbitrage Pricing Theory? What is an American Depositary Receipt? In the Stock Market, What is a Bear Trap? What is Considered a Good Credit Rating? What are Some Ways to Save for College? What is a Country's Balance of Payments? How Can I Become an Accredited Investor? What is a Securities Purchase Agreement? Should I Take Loans Out to Attend College? What is a Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement? What Does it Mean to Diversify Your Funds? Is It Possible to Consolidate Student Loans? What Caused the Subprime Mortgage Crisis? What is an Accommodative Monetary Policy? What are the Different Types of Scholarships? What is the Swiss Procedure for Buying Gold? What is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust? What Should I Consider When Donating a Car? What is a Systematic Withdrawal Plan (SWP)? How Can I Buy Stocks Without a Stock Broker? What is Some Advice for Aspiring Accountants? What Should I Do If My Credit Cards are Stolen? For How Long Should I Keep My Tax Paperwork? What Happens to my 401(k) When I Quit my Job? Should I Do My Own Taxes or Hire a Tax Preparer? How can I get the Best Price When Selling a Home? What Should I Consider When Buying Tax Software? Do Historic Homes Require Special Insurance? How can I Mimimize my Chances of Getting Audited? What are the Different Types of Accounting Software? What should I Consider when getting a Secured Loan? How Long will a Bankruptcy Stay on my Credit Report? What Should I Consider When Choosing a Tax Preparer? Is There Any Way to Avoid Getting Audited on My Taxes? What is the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)? What Kinds of Things Can Make My Credit Score Go Down? What are Some Career Opportunities for a Financial Engineer? What is the Difference Between a Fellowship and a Scholarship? What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Tax on Earnings? What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of a Consumption Tax? What is the Difference Between Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans? What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Buying an Existing Business?