Glossary of Investment Terms
Annuities – A form of a contract sold by life insurance companies that guarantees a fixed or variable payment to the annuitant at some future time, usually at retirement.
Collateralized Mortgage Obligations – Mortgage-backed bond that separates mortgage pools into different maturity classes called tranches.
Common Stock – Units of ownership of a public corporation.
Corporate Bonds – Debt instruments issued by a private corporation.
Exchange Traded Funds – Investment vehicle traded on stock exchanges, much like stocks or bonds. An ETF holds assets such as stocks or bonds and trades at approximately the same price as the net asset value of its underlying assets over the course of the trading day.
Government Agency Bonds – Securities issued by U.S. government sponsored entities (GSEs) and federally related institutions.
Initial Public Offerings – Corporation’s first offering of stock to the public.
Municipal Bonds – Debt obligation of a state or local government entity.
Preferred Stock – Class of capital stock that pays dividends at a specified rate and that has preference over common stock in the payment of dividends and the liquidation of assets.
PrimeSweep – PrimeSweep links your checking account to a money market fund so you can earn market rates on your excess cash. When the balance in your checking account exceeds a predetermined amount, the excess cash “sweeps” to the higher-yielding account. Similarly, when your checking balance falls below a predetermined amount, money is automatically transferred back to your checking account. It’s a fast, convenient way to keep your excess checking account balances working hard – every day.
Treasury Bonds – Negotiable debt obligations of the U.S. government, secured by its full-faith and credit.