Financial Jargon

Are you tired of financial jargon? I hear from women that they don’t understand the jargon that their financial advisors use. Using jargon above a client’s head is almost certainly unintentional, but it can lead to feelings of intimidation.

I feel the same way about technology jargon. Whenever I talk with a technical support person, they ask me to “power up” or “power down” my router. Why not just say “Unplug”? Now I am suddenly hearing myself say “power down” instead of “unplug” because it seems to more clearly convey the message than simply “unplug”.

Financial jargon is the same. Once you become accustomed to hearing and speaking the language, it becomes more comfortable. It can also convey a deeper feeling. While I avoid financial jargon when I work with clients, I also encourage women to become more knowledgeable about the language of investing, a.k.a., jargon.

In every field there is jargon or a special language known only to those in that field. We all have our own areas of expertise; just because investing may not yet be yours yet, you are certainly capable of learning financial jargon if you choose. Knowing this, you can feel empowered the next time someone uses financial jargon with you to politely say “Would you explain that more clearly please?”.