Category: Investments glossary

A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account (IRA) that allows qualified withdrawals on a tax-free basis provided certain conditions are satisfied. Established in 1997, it was named after William Roth, a former Delaware Senator. Roth IRAs are similar to traditional IRAs with biggest distinction between the two being how they’re taxed. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars; the contributions are not tax-deductible. But once you start withdrawing funds, the money is tax-free. Conversely, traditional IRA deposits are generally made with pretax dollars; you usually get a tax deduction on your contribution and pay income tax when you withdraw the money from the account during retirement. read more

A Roth IRA is an individual retirement account (IRA) that allows qualified withdrawals on a tax-free basis provided certain conditions are satisfied. Established in 1997, it was named after William Roth, a former Delaware Senator. Roth IRAs are similar to traditional IRAs with biggest distinction between the two being how they’re taxed. Roth IRAs are funded with after-tax dollars; the contributions are not tax-deductible. But once you start withdrawing funds, the money is tax-free. Conversely, traditional IRA deposits are generally made with pretax dollars; you usually get a tax deduction on your contribution and pay income tax when you withdraw the money from the account during retirement. read more

Activity-based management (ABM) is a system for determining the profitability of every aspect of a business so that its strengths can be enhanced and its weaknesses can either be improved or eliminated altogether.

Net sales is the sum of a company’s gross sales minus its returns, allowances, and discounts. Net sales calculations are not always transparent externally. They can often be factored into the reporting of top line revenues reported on the income statement.

The Government Securities Clearing Corporation (GSCC) was a non-profit organization that cleared and netted U.S. government securities and agency debt securities. The GSCC was first established in 1986 by the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC) to provide clearing and settlement of U.S. government securities. The GSCC handles both new issues and the reselling of government securities.

Gross working capital is the sum of a company’s current assets (assets that are convertible to cash within a year or less). Gross working capital includes assets such as cash, accounts receivable, inventory, short-term investments, and marketable securities. Gross working capital less current liabilities is equal to net working capital, or simply working capital; a more useful measure for balance sheet analysis.

A gold certificate is a paper document that represents a claim on a specified amount or value of gold. When the U.S. dollar was tied to the gold standard, gold certificates were worth their face value in U.S. dollars and could be used as legal tender. Gold certificates are still issued to investors as proof of ownership of gold stored by a bank.

Salvage value is the estimated book value of an asset after depreciation is complete, based on what a company expects to receive in exchange for the asset at the end of its useful life. As such, an asset’s estimated salvage value is an important component in the calculation of a depreciation schedule.

Blue sky laws are state regulations established as safeguards for investors against securities fraud. The laws, which may vary by state, typically require sellers of new issues to register their offerings and provide financial details of the deal and the entities involved. As a result, investors have a wealth of verifiable information on which to base their judgment and investment decisions.

NEXUS is a government-sponsored Trusted Traveler Program that allows pre-screened U.S. and Canadian citizens to expedite border crossings. U.S. and Canadian citizens using NEXUS experience expedited border crossings into the United States and Canada with less immigration and customs questioning. NEXUS is valid for air, land and sea travel, and a NEXUS ID can be used in lieu of a passport. NEXUS also helps the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) reduce travel risks by increasing the number of known safe travelers. read more