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Money words

Capital gain

The profit when you sell something, like a stock, for more than you paid. It's usually taxed.

Compound interest
Interest you earn on your interest. Over time, it makes savings grow faster and faster.
Diversification
Spreading your money across many different investments so one bad one can't sink you.
Index fund
A fund that buys every stock in an index, like the S&P 500, so you own a small piece of all of those companies. Fees are usually low.
ETF
Exchange-traded fund: a fund that holds many investments and trades on the stock market like a single stock.
Mutual fund
A fund that pools money from many investors to buy stocks, bonds or both.
401(k)
A retirement savings plan you get through a job. Money usually goes in before taxes, and some employers add extra money, called a match.

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