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Money words

ETF

Exchange-traded fund: a fund that holds many investments and trades on the stock market like a single stock.

Also called: exchange-traded fund

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.
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.
Roth IRA
A retirement account you fund with money you've already paid taxes on. It can grow and come out tax-free in retirement if you follow the rules. You need income from work to put money in.

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