The New Glossary of Finance Terms

The New Glossary of Finance Terms

Bonus:  A form of extortion whereby employees of a company extract either shareholder or taxpayer money for their own pleasure regardless of the success or failure of said company.

Derivatives:  Trading vehicles created by over-educated  finance professionals for whom speculating in stocks and bonds was not quite risky or volatile enough.

Bulge Bracket Firm:  A Wall Street investment bank that is literally “bulging” with off-balance sheet leverage and bloated pay packages for the architects of said leverage.  They used to be referred to as “Too Big to Fail”, circa 2007-2008; they are now extinct.

Credit Ratings:  These are fictitious opinions of health and financial strength that are sold to the highest bidder.  The business of assigning credit ratings to bonds is similar to the business of receiving payola at a radio station for playing a particular record more often than others.  

Department of the Treasury:  This is a government agency in charge of rescuing companies and executives who make bad decisions or investments.  Oh yeah, another minor function they serve is printing the nations currency.

Federal Reserve:  An institution that ensures the inflation and subsequent bursting of asset bubbles roughly every 7 years.

Hedge Fund:  A betting pool, similar to a group of employees or friends who all contribute their money to a pot and buy lottery tickets.  Only in this case, a few of the participants charge everyone else involved a fee for picking which lotto numbers they will play.

Leverage:  A tool used by finance professionals to cultivate the appearance of genius.  Since no one who works in finance is ever wrong, it is not considered dangerous to be levered by a ratio of 33-to-1 at all times.

Managing Director:  A symbolic title without any real responsibility or oversight duties at an insurance company or an investment bank.  Synonyms are Duke, Earl, Count and Prince Regent.

Structured Products:  The financial equivalent of land mines, constructed with radioactive materials and asbestos.  Structured products combine the opacity you want with the destructive potential you need.

Read Also:  Kidz Korner – Where Do Bonuses Come From

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

This content, which contains security-related opinions and/or information, is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon in any manner as professional advice, or an endorsement of any practices, products or services. There can be no guarantees or assurances that the views expressed here will be applicable for any particular facts or circumstances, and should not be relied upon in any manner. You should consult your own advisers as to legal, business, tax, and other related matters concerning any investment.

The commentary in this “post” (including any related blog, podcasts, videos, and social media) reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints, and analyses of the Ritholtz Wealth Management employees providing such comments, and should not be regarded the views of Ritholtz Wealth Management LLC. or its respective affiliates or as a description of advisory services provided by Ritholtz Wealth Management or performance returns of any Ritholtz Wealth Management Investments client.

References to any securities or digital assets, or performance data, are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute an investment recommendation or offer to provide investment advisory services. Charts and graphs provided within are for informational purposes solely and should not be relied upon when making any investment decision. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The content speaks only as of the date indicated. Any projections, estimates, forecasts, targets, prospects, and/or opinions expressed in these materials are subject to change without notice and may differ or be contrary to opinions expressed by others.

Wealthcast Media, an affiliate of Ritholtz Wealth Management, receives payment from various entities for advertisements in affiliated podcasts, blogs and emails. Inclusion of such advertisements does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof, or any affiliation therewith, by the Content Creator or by Ritholtz Wealth Management or any of its employees. Investments in securities involve the risk of loss. For additional advertisement disclaimers see here: https://www.ritholtzwealth.com/advertising-disclaimers

Please see disclosures here.

What's been said:

Discussions found on the web
  1. TGIF: Definition « commented on Mar 20

    […] also tweaked the definitions of certain common finance the other day with my New Glossary and defined the word Bonus for the […]

  2. TGIF: Definition « commented on Mar 20

    […] also tweaked the definitions of certain common finance the other day with my New Glossary and defined the word Bonus for the […]

  3. TGIF: Definition « commented on Mar 20

    […] also tweaked the definitions of certain common finance the other day with my New Glossary and defined the word Bonus for the […]

  4. Finance Entry commented on Mar 21

    What’s The Property Financing?

    Property investment is a term that most people are familiar with. People usually invest money when they have a surplus or when they are planning for the future. The very careful ones opt for government securities and the adventurous ones go for stock markets. Where does the property investment stand on this line between the secure and the risky?
    If anybody is thinking long term then property has no parallel as it has been seen that in a larger time frame land never betrays. Property can be used to get rental income or can be used to secure a loan for any business venture alongside the property. Property investment also requires detailed research before the deal is drawn. Bear in mind that if the property is upon a disputed land then there are risks of recurring loss. On the other hand, if the property is situated at a location where many facilities are accessible then the prices will appreciate significantly over time. Any kind of Property Investment has been and shall always be one of the best kinds of solid investment opportunities.

  5. Finance Entry commented on Mar 21

    What’s The Property Financing?

    Property investment is a term that most people are familiar with. People usually invest money when they have a surplus or when they are planning for the future. The very careful ones opt for government securities and the adventurous ones go for stock markets. Where does the property investment stand on this line between the secure and the risky?
    If anybody is thinking long term then property has no parallel as it has been seen that in a larger time frame land never betrays. Property can be used to get rental income or can be used to secure a loan for any business venture alongside the property. Property investment also requires detailed research before the deal is drawn. Bear in mind that if the property is upon a disputed land then there are risks of recurring loss. On the other hand, if the property is situated at a location where many facilities are accessible then the prices will appreciate significantly over time. Any kind of Property Investment has been and shall always be one of the best kinds of solid investment opportunities.

  6. Finance Entry commented on Mar 21

    What’s The Property Financing?

    Property investment is a term that most people are familiar with. People usually invest money when they have a surplus or when they are planning for the future. The very careful ones opt for government securities and the adventurous ones go for stock markets. Where does the property investment stand on this line between the secure and the risky?
    If anybody is thinking long term then property has no parallel as it has been seen that in a larger time frame land never betrays. Property can be used to get rental income or can be used to secure a loan for any business venture alongside the property. Property investment also requires detailed research before the deal is drawn. Bear in mind that if the property is upon a disputed land then there are risks of recurring loss. On the other hand, if the property is situated at a location where many facilities are accessible then the prices will appreciate significantly over time. Any kind of Property Investment has been and shall always be one of the best kinds of solid investment opportunities.

  7. LOLFed » Sunday Funnies commented on Mar 22

    […] Reformed Broker’s new glossary of financial terms, e.g., “Federal Reserve: An institution that ensures the inflation and subsequent bursting of […]

  8. LOLFed » Sunday Funnies commented on Mar 22

    […] Reformed Broker’s new glossary of financial terms, e.g., “Federal Reserve: An institution that ensures the inflation and subsequent bursting of […]

  9. LOLFed » Sunday Funnies commented on Mar 22

    […] Reformed Broker’s new glossary of financial terms, e.g., “Federal Reserve: An institution that ensures the inflation and subsequent bursting of […]

  10. My Homepage commented on Nov 30

    … [Trackback]

    […] Informations on that Topic: thereformedbroker.com/2009/03/18/the-new-glossary-of-finance-terms/trackback/ […]

  11. Iron ThundeR commented on Sep 21

    Iron ThundeR

    The New Glossary of Finance Terms