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10 Financial Terms in Plain English


1. Net Worth

Your net worth is the total value of all your assets and debts.

You can have a net worth that’s:

- Negative

- 0

- Positive

The goal is to build a positive net worth by:

- Saving

- Investing

- Paying off debt

Net worth = Assets - Liabilities

2. Liability

Liabilities are debts you owe & count AGAINST your net worth.

Liabilities include:

- Car debt

- Mortgage

- Student loans

- Credit card debt

Not all liabilities are bad.

But make it a priority to pay off debts with high-interest rates (like credit cards).

3. Asset

Anything that has a positive value toward your net worth.

Assets can come in many different shapes and sizes:

- Gold

- Cash

- Patents

- Real estate

- Investments

There are 2 types of assets:

- Depreciating

- Appreciating

Build appreciating assets.

4. Appreciating Asset

Appreciating assets increase in value over time.

Examples include:

- Real estate

- Collectables

- Precious metals

- Stock market investments

Invest in appreciating assets for long-term growth.

5. Depreciating Asset

Depreciating assets decrease in value over time.

Examples include:

- Most cars

- Clothing

- Electronic equipment

Most of the depreciation happens in the first year of buying the asset.

6. Compound Interest

It can work for you or against you.

For you:

- Investing

You start earning interest on the money you’ve saved and the interest you earn.

Against you:

- Any type of debt

Unpaid debt can spiral out of control because of compound interest.

7. Simple Interest

Simple interest is not as good as compound interest.

Compound interest:

- Your initial savings & interest earn money

Simple interest:

- ONLY your initial savings earn money

- Any interest earned does not earn money

Compound is better than simple interest.

8. Income

The amount of money you make.

Income can come from your:

- Job

- Side hustle

- Rental property

- Stock market portfolio

The average millionaire has 7 streams of income.

Start building yours today.

9. Budget

Budgets help you figure out how & where your money is going.

To create a budget, track every cent:

- How you made it

- How you spend it

Then categorize your spending as:

- Needs

- Wants

- Wishes

Spend on your needs and save/invest the rest.

10. Fixed Expenses

Fixed expenses will probably fall into your “needs” budgeting category.

They are often non-negotiable expenses.

Examples include:

- Rent

- Utilities

- Internet bill

- Health insurance

Plan to make space in your budget for fixed expenses.

11. Variable Expense

Variable expenses often fall into your “wants” or “wishes” category.

They often change from month to month.

Examples include:

- Vacation

- Dining out

- Gas money

If you don’t need it, then save it and invest it.

12. ROI

ROI is the return on your investment.

It measures how profitable an investment is.

ROI = (profit - cost) / cost

However, time is not taken into account.

An investment with a 50% ROI over 15 years may not be as good as an investment with a 20% ROI in 1 year.

13. Asset Allocation

Asset allocation is when you diversify your money by investing in different asset classes.

Asset classes include:

- Cash

- Stocks

- Bonds

- Real estate

- Commodities

The riskier the asset allocation, the higher the reward (and possible loss).

14. Asset Location

Asset location is a tax alpha strategy that minimizes taxes by holding certain assets in certain accounts.

15. Risk Tolerance

You choose the amount of risk in your portfolio.

Ask yourself:

- How much upside do I want?

- How much value am I willing to lose in a recession?

- Can I sleep at night with a 20% portfolio drop? 50%?

Know yourself so you don’t sell when others are fearful.

Take advantage of different accounts:

- Taxable

- Pre-Tax

- After-Tax

Example: You may want to hold higher growth assets in tax advantaged accounts.

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