Soft dollarsSoft dollars are amounts that money managers, including mutual fund managers, pay out of their clients' accounts to a brokerage firm to cover the cost of…
Soft marketA soft market, also known as a buyer's market, is one in which there is inactive trading in an individual stock or the market as a whole at current prices.
Soft Second LoanA second mortgage whose payment is forgiven or is deferred until resale of the property.
Software DeveloperDevelops software for the purposes of (1) formatting electronic tax return information according to IRS specifications, and/or (2) transmitting electronic…
Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief ActA federal law that restricts the enforcement of civilian debts against military personnel who may not be able to pay because of active military service.
Sole proprietorA sole proprietor is the owner and operator of a business that isn't registered as either a corporation or a limited liability company.
Sole ProprietorshipA business entity privately owned by a single individual.
South Carolina Retirement System (SCRS)This is the name of the retirement system covering state employees, public school employees, public higher education personnel, and employees of other…
South Carolina Retirement SystemsThis is the name commonly used to refer to the Retirement Division of the State Budget and Control Board .
SpallingThe chipping or erosion of masonry caused by abuse or weathering
Spandrel1. A panel between the top of one window and the sill of another window on the story directly above it. 2.
Spandrel AreaThe portion of the facade below the sill of an upper story window and above the lintel of the window or display window directly below it or above the…
Special assessmentA lien assessed against real property by a public authority to pay costs of public improvements (for example, sewers, street lights) that directly benefit…
Special drawing rights (SDR)Reserve assets created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and periodically allocated to IMF members in proportion to their respective quotas.
Special ForbearanceA loss mitigation option where the lender arranges a revised repayment plan for the borrower that may include a temporary reduction or suspension of…
Special Government Employee (SGE)SGEs are defined at 18 U.S.C. 202(a): Generally, employees performing temporary duty for 130 days or less in any 365 day period, including Reserve and…
Special Natural Area DistrictA district designated by the New York City Planning Commission pursuant to Article X, Chapter 5 of the New York City Zoning Resolution which is mapped in…
Special situationAn undervalued stock that one or more analysts expects to increase in price in the very near future because of an anticipated - and welcome - change…
Special windows(1) those windows in which the complexity of the muntin pattern or the molding profiles is one of the characteristics of the style and age of the…
SpecialistA specialist or specialist unit is a member of a securities exchange responsible for maintaining a fair and orderly market in a specific security or…
Specialist's display bookA display book was traditionally a written chronological record of all limit, stop, and short sale orders that had been placed with a specialist for an…
specialty fundA Specialty Fund is a mutual fund that focuses its holdings in specific types or geographic areas.
Specialty occupationSpecialty occupation means an occupation that requires theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge, and attainment of…
Specific employment in questionSpecific employment in question means the set of duties and responsibilities performed or to be performed by the H-1B nonimmigrant at the place of…
SpeculatorWhen you make a financial commitment because you believe something will happen in the market where you're trading that will provide a profit, you are…
Spending planA spending plan can help you manage your money more effectively, live within your income limits, reduce your reliance on consumer credit, and save for the…
Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC)(SPCC)In April 1995, EPA conducted a national survey of oil storage facilities potentially subject to its Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC)…
Spin-offIn a spin-off, a company sets up one of its existing subsidiaries or divisions as a separate company.
Split-funded annuityA split-funded annuity lets you begin receiving income from a portion of your principal immediately, while the rest of the money goes into a deferred…
SpoofingSome market analysts maintain that the increased volatility in stock markets may be the result of an illegal practice known as spoofing, or phantom bids.
Spot marketCommodities and foreign currencies are traded for immediate delivery and payment on the spot market, also known as a cash market.
Spot priceThe spot, or cash, price is the price of commodities and foreign currencies that are being sold for immediate delivery with payment in cash.
SpreadIn the most general sense, a spread is the difference between two similar measures.
Stacking of UM or UIMThis coverage allows you to either multiply the amount of uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage by the number of vehicles on your policy, or to…
Staff adjusterEmployee of the insurance company’s claims department.
Stale-Dated CheckPresented to the paying bank 180 days (6 months) or more after the original issue date.
Standard & Poor's (S&P)Standard & Poor's (S&P) is an investment services company that rates bonds, stock, commercial paper, and insurance companies.
Standard & Poor's 500 Index (S&P 500)The benchmark Standard & Poor's 500 Index, widely referred to as the S&P 500, tracks the performance of 500 widely held large-cap US stocks in the…
Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipt (SPDR)When you buy SPDRs - pronounced spiders - you're buying shares in a unit investment trust (UIT) that owns a portfolio of stocks included in Standard &…
Standard & Poor's/BARRA Growth and Value IndexesSome investors favor growth stocks while others favor value stocks. Since 1992, results of those investment styles, which tend to produce different…
Standard and Poor’s (S&P)(S&P)A financial services company which is one of the best known bond rating agencies in the country.
standard deductionReduces the income subject to tax and varies depending on filing status, age, blindness, and dependency.
Standard deviationStandard deviation is a statistical measurement of how far a variable quantity, such as the price of a stock, moves above or below its average value.
Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)A U.S. system for classifying economic activity; superceded by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).
Standard International Trade Classification (SITC)An internationally recognized foreign trade data classification system. This system, which was developed by the United Nations, provides the commodity…
Standard payment instructionsYou must pay your credit card bill in a manner that meets all the following conditions: You must pay in U.S.
StartupWhile any new company could be considered a start-up, the description is usually applied to aggressive young companies that are actively courting private…
StateState means one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
State BankA bank that is organized under the laws of a State and chartered by that State to conduct the business of banking.
State Banking DepartmentThe organization in each State that supervises the operations and affairs of State banks.
State Chartered Credit UnionA credit union organized under the laws of a State and chartered by that State to conduct the business of banking.
State CodeA two-digit FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) code that identifies the state where the property is located.
State Employment Security Agency (SESA)(SESA)State Employment Security Agency (SESA) means the State agency designated under section 4 of the Wagner-Peyser Act to cooperate with OWS in the operation…
State guaranty fundsState guaranty funds, which are offered in every state, protect contract owners against the insolvency of an insurance company that has issued insurance…
State Optional Retirement ProgramA defined contribution retirement plan offered as an alternative to SCRS . The State Optional Retirement Program ( State ORP ) is available to all state…
State personal incomeIncome that is received by, or on behalf of, persons who live in the state. It is calculated as the sum of wage and salary disbursements, supplements to…
State Workforce Agency (SWA)(SWA)State Workforce Agency (SWA) means the State agency designated under section 4 of the Wagner-Peyser Act to cooperate with OWS in the operation of the…
State-of-the-Art Banking ChangeA physical alteration to the bank interior that the applicant has determined to be necessary to accommodate changes in technology and/or banking practice
StatementA summary of all transactions that occurred over the preceding month and could be associated with a deposit account or a credit card account.
Statistical discrepancyThe difference between gross domestic product (GDP) and gross domestic income (GDI).
Statutory votingWhen shareholders vote for candidates nominated to serve on a company's board of directors, they usually cast their ballots using statutory voting.
Step-up in basisWhen you inherit assets, such as securities or property, they are stepped-up in basis.
Stochastic modelingStochastic modeling is a statistical process that uses probability and random variables to predict a range of probable investment performances.
stockA share of stock that represents ownership in the company that issues it. The price of the stock goes up and down, depending on how the company performs…
Stock certificateA stock certificate is a paper document that represents ownership in a corporation.
Stock Life Insurance CompanyA life insurance company owned by stockholders who share in the company's surplus earnings.
Stock marketA stock market may be a physical place, sometimes known as a stock exchange, where brokers gather to buy and sell stocks and other securities.
Stock optionA stock option, or equity option, is a contract that gives its buyer the right to buy or sell a specific stock at a preset price during a certain time…
Stock splitWhen a company wants to make its shares more attractive and affordable to a greater number of investors, it may authorize a stock split to create more…
stock yieldThe annual dividend as a percentage of the price of the stock. For example, a stock selling at $40 a share with an annual dividend of $2 a share yields…
Stockholders' EquityThe sum of proceeds from the issuance of stock and retained earnings less amounts paid to repurchase common shares.
StoopThe steps which lead to the front door; from the Dutch “stoep.”
Stop orderYou can issue a stop order, which instructs your broker to buy or sell a security once it trades at a certain price, called the stop price.
Stop PaymentAn order not to pay a check that has been issued but not yet cashed. If requested soon enough, the check will not be debited from the payer's account.
Stop Payment FeeA charge for a stop-payment order, which is a request by a customer that the institution not pay a particular check previously written by the customer.
Stop priceWhen you give an order to buy or sell a stock or other security once it has reached a certain price, the price you name is known as the stop price.
Stop-limit orderA stop-limit is a combination order that instructs your broker to buy or sell a stock once its price hits a certain target, known as the stop price, but…
StorefrontThe first story area of the façade that provides access or natural illumination into a space used for retail or other commercial purposes.
Storefront BayThe area of the storefront defined by and spanning the two piers.
Storefront InfillThe framing, glazing, and cladding contained within a storefront opening in the facade.
Storefront OpeningThe area of the facade framed by the piers and lintel, which contains storefront infill
StoryA habitable floor level, including a basement but not including a cellar.
StraddleA straddle is hedging strategy that involves buying or selling a put and a call option on the same underlying instrument at the same strike price and with…
Straight lifeA straight life insurance policy is a type of permanent insurance that provides a guaranteed death benefit and has fixed premiums.
StrangleA strangle is hedging strategy in which you buy or sell a put and a call option on the same underlying instrument with the same expiration date but at…
Street nameThe term used to describe securities that are held in the name of your brokerage firm but that still belong to you.
StretcherA masonry unit or brick laid horizontally with its length parallel to the wall.
StrikeStrike means a labor dispute wherein employees engage in a concerted stoppage of work (including stoppage by reason of the expiration of a collective…
Strike priceThe strike price, also called the exercise price, is the price at which you as an options holder can buy or sell the stock or other financial instrument…
StringcourseA narrow horizontal band of masonry, extending across the façade, which can be flush or projecting, and flat surfaced, molded, or richly carved.
Stripped MBS (SMBS)Securities created by "stripping" or separating the principal and interest payments from the underlying pool of mortgages into two classes of securities…
STRIPSSTRIPS, an acronym for separate trading of registered interest and principal of securities, are special issues of US Treasury zero-coupon bonds.