Numbers dressed up in fancy suits pretending to be words.
One of every hundred—the metric that makes statistics sound official even when they're basically just guesses. Your new favorite way to confuse people with math.
The financial equivalent of a handshake between wallets—where money, goods, or promises change hands and everyone pretends they got the better deal. It's the documented proof that something of value moved from Point A to Point B, usually leaving a paper trail for auditors to lose sleep over.
Compensation from employment that's so pitiful you'd need government assistance to survive, even with a job. These poverty-level wages force workers to supplement income with public benefits just to cover basic necessities.
Pieces of corporate ownership that you can buy and sell obsessively while checking your phone every five minutes. Or, a supply of raw materials waiting to become something useful.
A data-hungry individual whose job is literally to count things and convert reality into spreadsheets. The unsung hero of statistics who transforms "a bunch of stuff" into actual numbers.
A formal agreement to pay for ongoing access to a service, resource, or property over a set period—the modern way to ensure consistent income or perpetual FOMO depending on which side you're on.
The length of time something takes, from start to finish—also a finance term that measures how bond prices throw a tantrum when interest rates change. In music, it's how long a note gets to hang out; in warfare, it's corporate-speak for 'how long this mess lasts.'
The upper limit you're not supposed to exceed—whether it's a price cap, altitude restriction, or your boss's patience. The thing above your head that prevents you from going higher.
A curated roadmap to finding stuff in a document or database, the thing your pointer finger is named after, or a numerical benchmark that tells you if markets are having a good day or a panic attack. In finance, it's the scorecard everyone obsesses over.
A cost you've incurred but haven't paid for yet—basically expenses you owe but haven't got the bill for.
To convert assets or opportunities into liquid capital or profit, or to exploit a favorable situation before it vanishes—the art of turning 'what you have' into 'what you can actually use'.
International Financial Reporting Standards—GAAP's global cousin that's supposed to harmonize accounting worldwide, with mixed success.
Extra stuff you didn't budget for but desperately need anyway—the legislative equivalent of a parent asking for another round of allowance. It's the admission that your initial plan was incomplete, and you need additional funding to finish what you started.
The total market value of a company's outstanding shares, or the process of converting assets into liquid capital—essentially what makes investors either sleep soundly or panic-sell at 3 a.m.
To decline in value over time, or to belittle something—the financial equivalent of watching your investment slowly deflate like a sad balloon.
A category of investments with similar characteristics—so you can group your terrible decisions into tidy portfolios.
The act of parting with money or the amount you've blown through your budget. A government's favorite metric to obscure in dense spreadsheets that nobody reads.
The reduction in value of an asset over time due to wear, obsolescence, or market conditions—accountants' favorite way of reminding you your stuff isn't worth what you paid for it.
Structuring transactions so debt or liabilities don't appear on your balance sheet—the accounting equivalent of hiding stuff in a closet.
The monetary compensation you receive for trading your time, talent, and sanity—or the act of transferring money to settle debts and obligations. It's the transactional core of capitalism.
To assign disproportionate importance or numerical values to specific data points, typically used in statistics and financial modeling to skew results toward a desired outcome.
Profit and Loss statement—the report that shows whether your business made money or spectacularly failed to do so.
The direct costs of producing your products—basically the stuff that physically goes into making what you sell.
The costs of running your business that aren't directly tied to production—salaries, rent, and executive compensation.