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1. An amount of money, a service, or an item of property that is owed to somebody. 2. An obligation or borrowing. 3. The condition of owing something to somebody.

1. Failure to do something required by an agreement, in the performance of a duty, or under a law. 2. Failure to meet the terms of a loan agreement. 3. Failure to make repayment on the due date (generally, if a payment is 30 days overdue, the loan is in default.)

1. The act of deflating or state of being deflated. 2. A reduction in the level of total spending and economic activity resulting in lower levels of output, employment, investment, trade, profits, and prices.

1. A belief in something or an impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as fact, reality or rational argument. Resulting from deception, misconception or misassignment. 2. The action of deluding someone or the state of being deluded. 3. In severe cases can be symptomatic of mental disorder.

The gradual reduction of an asset’s value. A non-cash expense, which is often a tax write-off. A person or company may reduce their taxable income by the amount of the depreciation on the asset. Because this is an accounting function, it often has little resemblance to the asset’s useful life. The owner of the asset continues to use it tax-free after its value has been depreciated to nothing.

1. A branch of knowledge that one studies. 2. The suppression of base desires, usually understood to be synonymous with self-control restraint and control. 3. The use of reason to determine the best course of action regardless of one’s desires, which may be the opposite of what a person is excited to do. Virtuous behavior can be described as when a person’s values are aligned with their aims: to do what they know is best and to do it gladly. 4. The training that develops self-control, character, orderliness, and efficiency. In other words, the ability to start, continue, and produce the results envisioned and planned in the time, place, and shape, at a consistent level of excellence as intended. 5. The use of punishment to correct disobedience and to enforce compliance with rules.

1. Lack of harmony or agreement; discord, conflict, friction, strife. 2. An unpleasant feeling between people.

1. A lack of honesty. 2. Deceitfulness and fraud. A dishonest or fraudulent act. 3. A disposition to lie, cheat, or steal. 4. One would not be dishonest unless he wished to seek advantage for themselves or their group at the expense of other people or groups.

A risk management strategy to allocate an investment portfolio to different asset classes that on average yield a higher return by spreading the risk between high, medium and low-risk assets.

A distribution of a portion of a company’s profits to the shareholders, payable in cash, stock or other property. Profits that are not distributed remain with the company as retained earnings. Start-ups and high-growth companies rarely offer dividends because their profits are reinvested to help sustain higher-than-average growth and expansion. Larger, established companies tend to issue regular dividends to maximize shareholder returns in ways aside from capital growth.