20 money Terms you NEED to know💰

it’s just a language — once you learn the words, it all starts to make sense 💚

here’s 20 finance terms everyone should know (and what they actually mean):

The Core Concepts:

1. Assets: anything you own that has value (cash, car, stocks, property)

2. Liabilities: debts or obligations (credit cards, loans, bills)

3. Equity: your ownership in something (like the part of your car or house you actually own)

4. Net Worth: assets minus liabilities — your financial scoreboard

Credit & Debt:

5. Credit Utilization: how much of your credit limit you use (keep it under 30%)

6. Interest Rate (APR): the cost of borrowing, shown as a yearly percentage

7. Amortization: how loan payments split between interest and principal

8. Debt-to-Income Ratio: how much you owe compared to what you earn — lenders look at this heavy

Investing Basics:

9. Stock: partial ownership in a company

10. ETF (Exchange-Traded Fund): a bundle of investments that trades like a stock — easy way to diversify

11. Index Fund: tracks the market (like the S&P 500) — lower risk, steady long-term growth

12. Dividends: profit companies pay shareholders — free money if you invest smart

Building Wealth:

13. Compound Interest: interest earning on top of interest — your money making more money

14. Inflation: when prices rise and your money buys less over time

15. Liquidity: how quickly you can turn something into cash

16. Appreciation: when an asset’s value increases over time

Real World Terms:

17. Credit Inquiry: when someone checks your credit — too many can lower your score

18. Secured vs Unsecured Debt: secured = backed by collateral (car loan), unsecured = just trust (credit card)

19. Roth IRA vs Traditional IRA: both retirement accounts — Roth = taxed now, grows tax-free later

20. Asset Allocation: how you split investments (stocks, bonds, cash) based on your goals and risk tolerance

you don’t need a finance degree — just the right vocabulary 🧠

once you speak the language, money stops being scary and starts making sense 💚

save this for later & comment LEVEL UP if you want a part 2 with advanced investing terms 👀

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