Basic financial terms glossary

Credit terms

做一些功课来理解重要的术语可以帮助你导航 credit with confidence. Here is some credit terminology to get you started:

• Revolving credit - Think credit card. A revolving account doesn't have an end date. 你有信用额度，每个月必须偿还余额.
• Installment credit - Think student loan or car loan. 分期付款信贷是一种在一定时期内偿还的贷款.
• Individual account - An account in which one person is responsible for the terms and payment obligations.
• Joint account - An account in which two people share the responsibility for the terms and payment obligations.
• Authorized user - An authorized user is 帐户所有者允许使用帐户的人. 然而，最终负责付款的是账户所有者.

熟悉你是如何管理你的信用的 free credit report. 想知道更多关于什么构成你的信用评分? Check out the five factors that make up your credit score.

Investing terms

温习一下基本的投资术语可以帮助你在投资时做出更明智、更自信的决定 start investing. Take a look at a few terms that may help:

• Cash equivalents - Think savings account. 现金等价物是高流动性的资产，你持有它就会获得利息. They are a low-risk, low-reward investment.
• Bonds - Think loan. Bonds 投资者的贷款是给政府还是公司的. 债券发行者承诺向投资者偿还全部贷款金额和利息. 投资者将债券联系起来，因为它们通常提供固定的利率.
• Stocks - Think own. When you buy a stock, you are buying a share of the company. 股价上涨时你赚钱，股价下跌时你赔钱. The company may also issue you a dividend, 哪一家公司与股东分享利润.

Did you know you might already be an investor? 如果你把钱存入退休账户(比如401k或IRA), the best next step is to know what you're invested in, and whether it's right for you. 看看你的退休账户，回顾一下你的“资产配置”——这是一种奇特的说法，说明你的钱是如何在股票之间分配的, bonds, and cash equivalents, and in what amounts.

If you're not an investor yet, 看看这篇投资指南，为迈出你的第一步做好准备. Once you understand the different options for investing, 你最好选择哪个账户(或几个账户的组合)最适合你.

Retirement terms

It’s never too soon to start saving for retirement但是不管你的年龄大小，学习一些基本的术语可能是开始储蓄的好方法. 这里有一些概念可以帮助你开始或继续你的退休之旅:

• 401k - Retirement plan offered by businesses.
• 403b -非营利组织或公共机构提供的退休计划.
• 457 -当地政府机构提供的退休计划.
• IRA 个人退休账户是一种个人退休账户，你每年都可以存入你的收入.
  • Roth IRA - Pay taxes today. 对上述四个帐户中的任何一个帐户的捐款都是在税后的基础上作出的, 这意味着你要为今天的存款纳税, 但一般来说，以后取出的钱不用交税.
    
  • Traditional IRA - Pay taxes when you withdraw. 向上述四个帐户中的任何一个帐户提供的捐款均以税前为基础, 也就是说，你现在缴纳的钱一般不用纳税, 但是当你在退休时取钱时，你确实要纳税.
    

Already saving? 检查你的账户，确保你对自己的储蓄计划有信心. Otherwise, 决定哪些账户对你有意义，今天就为你的未来储蓄迈出第一步.

最重要的是，开始(并保持)尽快储蓄——不管有多少. 即使是一点点也会对你的退休生活产生影响. Ready to get real savvy with the numbers? Check out these retirement calculators.