mutual

Definition

A financial fund pooling investor money into diversified securities, or that awkward social media thing where you both follow each other and pretend you're friends. Technically a mutual fund is a professionally managed investment vehicle; socially, it's the digital equivalent of 'we're acquainted.'

Example Usage

She invested in a mutual fund for retirement, though she was more excited about her new Instagram mutual who actually liked her posts.

Source: Merriam-Webster, common financial terminology

Related Terms

Intermediate

Sunk Costs

Money already spent that can't be recovered, which rational actors should ignore but never do, leading to terrible business decisions.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Beginner

asset

Anything of value that accountants get to play with on a balance sheet, from office furniture to that sketchy intern who somehow speaks fluent Mandarin. In finance, it's what you own that's theoretically worth something—until the market decides otherwise. Can also refer to a spy, because espionage and spreadsheets both involve secrets.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

Fair Value

The price at which an asset would trade in an orderly transaction between willing parties, a theoretical concept that accountants somehow need to calculate. It's what something should be worth in an imaginary perfect market.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

Provision

Money set aside for a future obligation you're pretty sure will happen—basically an educated guess with teeth.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

weighted

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.

💰 Finance / Accounting

Intermediate

underwrite

To assume financial risk by guaranteeing payment or agreeing to buy unsold securities, essentially the business equivalent of being the backup friend who promises to buy all the unsold Girl Scout cookies. Investment banks underwrite stock offerings, insurance companies underwrite policies, and both pray they've done their math correctly. It's putting your money where someone else's mouth is.

💰 Finance / Accounting

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