GlossaryGuide

All brokerage account transfers start and end with your new firm.  Customers initiate the transfer process by completing a Transfer Instruction Form (TIF) and sending it to the new firm.  Most account transfer delays occur because the TIF is either incorrect or incomplete.  It is critical that you use the correct form and fill it… Continue reading TRANSFERRING YOUR BROKERAGE ACCOUNT

The total of a fund’s annual fund operating expenses, expressed as a percentage of the fund’s average net assets. You’ll find the total in the fund’s fee table in the prospectus.

Your time horizon is the number of months, years, or decades you need to invest to achieve your financial goal.

Each publicly traded common stock in the U.S. receives a short abbreviation that identifies it, known as its stock symbol or stock ticker symbol. Some stocks have single-letter ticker symbols while others may have up to five. Letters that appear after a ticker provide additional information. For instance, the letter “Q” after a ticker signifies… Continue reading TICKER

A tender offer is typically an active and widespread solicitation by a company or third party (often called the “bidder” or “offeror”) to purchase a substantial percentage of the company’s securities.  Bidders may conduct tender offers to acquire equity (common stock) in a particular company or debt issued by the company.  A tender offer where… Continue reading TENDER OFFER

A diversified mutual fund that automatically shifts towards a more conservative mix of investments as it approaches a particular year in the future, known as its “target date.” A target date fund investor picks a fund with the right target date based on his or her particular investment goal. The managers of the fund then… Continue reading TARGET DATE FUND

A type of sales charge that applies if you withdraw money from a variable annuity within a certain period of time, usually six to ten years. This is known as the surrender period. The charge declines over time until it no longer applies. For example, a 7% surrender charge might apply in the first year… Continue reading SURRENDER CHARGE

A stop order is an order to buy or sell a stock once the price of the stock reaches a specified price, known as the stop price. When the specified price is reached, your stop order becomes a market order. The advantage of a stop order is you don’t have to monitor how a stock… Continue reading STOP ORDER

An increase in the number of shares of a corporation’s stock without a change in the shareholders’ equity. Companies often split shares of their stock to make them more affordable to investors. Unlike issuing new shares, a stock split does not dilute the ownership interests of existing shareholders. For example, if you own 100 shares… Continue reading STOCK SPLIT

Listings of prices to buy and sell a specific stock. During trading, quotes show bids, the prices buyers are willing to pay, and offers, the prices sellers are willing to accept. Historical data provides the opening and closing price for each day of trading, and the daily high and low price for a stock, along… Continue reading STOCK QUOTES