Archive for the ‘Daily Definition’ Category

A Standard Deduction is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

A standard deduction is a predetermined reduction in the amount of income taxes you have to pay. The value of your standard deduction is determined by your filing status, your age, whether or not you are blind, and whether anyone can claim you as a dependent.

A Credit Record is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

A credit record is a history of how you’ve borrowed and repaid debts, especially credit card debts. Your credit record is used by credit bureaus to put together your credit score or rating. This rating helps determine how easy it will be for you to get a loan. So be aware, it’s important to make payments on time!

A Grantee is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

A grantee is a person or institution who receives a grant. A grantee is usually gifted with this money in order to fund an enterprise of some sort – a charitable organization or scientific research, for example.

A Voting Share is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

A voting share is a portion of a company that you own (a share) that gives you the right to vote on major business decisions for the company. As a shareholder, you can go to the annual meeting (or vote via proxy) on important issues such as corporate policy and who serves on the board of directors.

Personal Income is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Personal income is the total of an individual’s sources of income. This includes earnings from wages or salary, interest on their investments, stock dividends, and other forms of passive income.

The Fortune 500 is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

The Fortune 500 is a list, compiled annually by Fortune magazine, that ranks the top 500 US Companies by Gross Revenue.

Tax-Exempt Income is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Tax-exempt income is that portion of your income which is not subject to taxation. Examples of the types of income which are (generally) tax-exempt include tax refunds, interest on municipal bonds, some scholarships, welfare benefits, and much more.

Social Security Tax is…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Social security tax is a federal tax that is used to pay for Social Security programs.

Gross Earnings are…

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Gross earnings are the total taxable income or revenue of an individual or a company before adjustments are made. In other words, if an individual earns $70,000 a year before taxes, that number represents her gross earnings. For publicly traded companies, gross earnings refers to total profit after the cost of goods and services has been deducted.