At Bloch Rothman & Associates, LTD in Denver, Colorado, we often recieve questions on commonly-used financial and accounting terms and what they mean when it comes to your taxes, bookkeeping, and finances. We wanted to take this time to pinpoint a few of these terms and their exact definition to better assist you when it comes to managing your money.

Amortization - Process of paying off debt in regular installments over a fixed period of time. 

AGI - Adjusted Gross Income. Gross income minus deductions. This is used to calculate your taxable income on Form 1040 when preparing your taxes.

Bonds - Also known as fixed-income securities. Bonds are basically intestments in debt - you are lending money to an entity (usually the government or a corporation) for a period of time at a fixed interest rate. You receive the interest payments over time and get the loaned amount back at the maturity date of the bond. 

Dependent - An individual who is financially dependent on your income, which you can receive a tax credit or exemption for.

FICO Score - This is used by banks and lenders to measure your credit worthiness. The acronym stands for Fair Isaac Corporation. Scores can range from 300-850.

Net Worth - This is the difference between your assets and liabilities.

Stock Options - A benefit to employees that gives them the option to buy their employer's stock at a preset price. This is often used as a management incentive. 

Standard Deduction - An amount based upon your tax filing status that is determined by the government and is used to reduce your taxable income if you decide not to itemize your deductions.