M6: Investment Basics and Strategies Flashcards
The return on investments after applicable income taxes are subtracted. An investment with a before-tax return of 8% would have an blank of 6.08% for an individual in the 24% bracket. This is calculated by multiplying .08 by 1 minus the tax bracket of .24: [.08 (1-.24)].
After-tax return
A mutual fund that invests primarily in the stocks of companies that plow all or most of their earnings back into the company, producing little current income but growth in the value of the company and the stock.
Aggressive growth fund
A mutual fund that invests in different types of assets to create a diversified portfolio of investments, including such items as foreign and U.S. stocks and bonds, real estate, precious metals, and currencies. The point of these funds is to minimize volatility in the overall portfolio while attaining favorable returns.
Asset allocation fund
Pertains to investments. It is a strategy of diversification aimed at reducing variability of return from a portfolio of investments. The point of asset allocation is to invest in different types of assets that move in different ways from others in the portfolio.
Asset allocation strategy
A mutual fund that combines different types of assets, such as stocks and bonds, within one fund. Types of these funds include balanced funds, lifestyle funds, and lifecycle funds.
Asset combination fund
A mutual fund that invests in stocks, preferred stocks, and bonds. Investment objectives are security of principal, reasonable current income, and reasonable long-term capital appreciation.
Balanced mutual fund
A measure of the volatility of an asset relative to the volatility of an index. blank measures only systematic risk.
Beta
Stock that is issued by major, well-established companies. blanks have long records of earnings growth and dividend payments in both good and poor economic conditions.
Blue-chip stock
A debt of the issuer that is a legal obligation to pay principal and interest when due.
Bond
A mutual fund that invests in bonds. Funds of this type may invest in short-term, intermediate-term, or long-term maturity bonds. They may also specialize in bonds of a specific type of issuer; for example, they may invest only in corporate bonds, only in municipal bonds, or only in Treasury securities.
Bond mutual fund
Investment risk that addresses the uncertainty of investment returns resulting from the nature of a business or the industry in which it operates. Examples include the uncertainty relating to future earnings, competition, and management of the business.
Business risk
If a bond is callable, the issuer has the right to redeem the bond before maturity at a predetermined amount.
Callable bond
Legal tender, including currency, coins, bank balances, money orders, and checks.
Cash
Short-term investments with maturities of 90 days or less; they are considered liquid.
Cash equivalents
A fixed-income investment available through banks and savings and loan associations. Interest rates and maturities are fixed at the time of purchase. Maturities vary from a few months to a few years, and early redemption may result in the payment of penalties. Because they are issued by banks and savings and loan associations, principal is insured through the FDIC or NCUSIF in most cases.
Certificate of deposit (CD)
Short-term promissory notes issued by major, well-established corporations. Issued in large denominations.
Commercial paper
A debt instrument issued by a business. Typical features include semiannual interest payments based on a stated coupon rate and payment of the face amount upon maturity.
Corporate bond
The annual interest rate paid by a bond issuer.
Coupon rate
The risk that a bond (or a preferred stock) will be downgraded due to excessive business risk and/or financial risk.
Credit risk
The risk of diminishing both principal and return on a foreign investment because of unforeseen changes in the relative values of U.S. and foreign currencies. It is considered a type of nondiversifiable (i.e., systematic) risk.
Currency risk/Exchange rate risk
When a firm cannot meet its obligations, it is in danger of defaulting. Tends to be highest among businesses without enough profitable sales, especially when they also have excessive debt.
Default risk
A financial contract with a value that is based on an underlying asset. They have no value on their own. Their value is based on the anticipated price movements of the underlying asset.
Derivative
A bond selling below its par value.
Discount bond
An investment strategy that involves investing in many different securities to reduce risk; the opposite of concentration.
Diversification
Represents ownership. As applied to stock, equity is stock ownership in a corporation. As it applies to real estate, it is the difference between the amount of any mortgage on the property and its market price.
Equity
A mutual fund that invests primarily in equity securities of companies that pay above-average dividends.
Equity income mutual funds
The possibility that a security will be affected by an unanticipated and damaging event.
Event risk
A fund’s annual expenses divided by its average net assets.
Expense ratio
A public corporation that issues mortgage-backed securities collateralized by a pool of mortgages made by lenders.
Fannie Mae
Established in July of 2007, blank combined the regulatory functions of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the regulation, enforcement, and arbitration operations of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). As such, it is the largest non-governmental regulator of U.S. securities firms.
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
Use of borrowed funds to enhance gain on an investment.
Financial leverage
blank has to do with the amount of debt a firm has (shown on its balance sheet). A firm that is highly leveraged (large amounts of debt) has greater blank than a firm with little or no debt.
Financial risk
An investment that promises a stated amount of income, either in the form of periodic payments (such as interest) or a stated ending payout (such as with deep discount bonds). Because payouts are fixed, these securities tend to be subject to interest rate risk and purchasing power risk.
Fixed-income security
A security sold by the blank (formerly the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation or FHLMC), collaterized by pools of conventional residential mortgages. blank guarantees the payment of principal and interest on these securities.
Freddie Mac
A bond issued by a municipality for which interest payments are secured by the general taxing power of the municipality.
General obligation municipal bond (GO)
A security collateralized by a pool of primarily VA and FHA mortgages that are packaged according to interest and maturity by mortgage bankers, commercial banks, and other financial institutions. The payment of interest and principal on this security is guaranteed by blank.
Ginnie Mae