SLM Corporation: Publicly Traded Student Loan Guarantor
SLM Corporation, formerly the Student Loan Marketing Association, commonly known as Sallie Mae, guarantees student loans and operates in the secondary market. It purchases student loans from originating financial institutions and provides financing to state student loan agencies.
Slowdown: Deliberate Reduction of Output by Employees
An in-depth look at slowdowns, a strategic form of work protest used by employees to apply economic pressure on employers without resorting to a strike.
Slump: Drop in Economic or Productive Activity
An in-depth analysis of a slump, its distinctions from related economic terms, causes, effects, and historical examples.
Small Business: Vital Economic Drivers
A comprehensive guide to small businesses, their roles in innovation, economic impact and growth, with an emphasis on their characteristics, definitions, and significance.
Small Business Administration: Supporting Small Businesses
The Small Business Administration (SBA) provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses in the United States through resources, loans, and expert guidance.
Small Business Administration (SBA): Encouraging Small Business
The Small Business Administration (SBA) is a federal government agency based in Washington, D.C., that provides support to entrepreneurs and small businesses through various programs, including low-interest-rate loans.
Small Business Investment Company (SBIC): Financial Support for Small Businesses
A Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) is an entity that provides financial support, advice, and capital to small businesses, operating under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.
Small Claims Court: Overview and Importance
A comprehensive guide to understanding Small Claims Court, a court of limited jurisdiction where claims for relatively small amounts are settled on an informal basis.
Small Claims Division: Tax Court Simplified
Understand the Small Claims Division in Tax Court, where taxpayers can resolve disputes involving tax liabilities under $10,000 in a less formal setting.
Small Investor: Individual Investor in Financial Markets
A Small Investor, often referred to as a retail investor, buys small amounts of stocks or bonds, typically in odd-lot quantities. This article delves into the roles, types, considerations, and examples related to small investors, along with historical context and related terms.
Small-Cap: Small Capitalization Stocks and Mutual Funds
An overview of small-cap stocks, including their characteristics, market capitalization, and volatility compared to larger companies.
Smartphone: Mobile Technology with Advanced Capabilities
A comprehensive look at smartphones, their features, capabilities, history, and impact. Includes details about development, market leaders, and software applications.
Smoke Clause: Detailed Overview of Coverage in Extended Coverage Endorsement
A comprehensive explanation of the Smoke Clause provision within the Extended Coverage Endorsement, covering smoke damage from sudden, unusual, and faulty operation of cooking or heating units connected by a vent to the chimney.
Smokestack Industry: Heavy Industry Explained
An in-depth look at smokestack industries, including their characteristics, historical context, challenges, and impact on the global economy.
Snail Mail: Traditional Postal Services Explained
An in-depth look at snail mail, its historical context, relevance in the digital age, and comparisons with electronic mail (E-mail).
Social Club: Tax-Exempt Pleasure and Recreation Organization
A social club is a tax-exempt organization formed for pleasure, recreation, and other nonprofitable purposes, where substantially all of the activities align with these goals and no net earnings benefit any private shareholders.
Social Overhead Capital: Indirectly Measurable Economic Investments
An exploration of Social Overhead Capital, investments in areas such as education and health care, whose productivity or effectiveness cannot be directly measured.
Social Responsibility: Ethical and Societally Moral Behavior
An in-depth exploration of Social Responsibility focusing on its significance in supporting acceptable societal standards and laws, along with its implications across various sectors.
Social Security Act: Federal Retirement Plan Enacted in 1935
The Social Security Act, enacted by Congress in 1935, established a federal retirement plan requiring current workers to support retired workers. This act was a response to old-age dependency exacerbated by The Great Depression.
Taxation of Social Security Benefits: How It Works
An in-depth explanation of how a portion of Social Security benefits is included in taxable income, including thresholds, filing statuses, and special considerations.
Social Security Number: Unique Identifier in the United States
An in-depth explanation of Social Security Numbers (SSNs), their importance, history, and use in the United States as unique identifiers for individuals.
Social Security Tax: Understanding OASDI
A comprehensive guide to Social Security Tax, including the old-age, survivor's, and disability (OASDI) portion of the tax assessed on compensation and self-employment earnings under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA).
Socialism: Economic System Overview
Socialism is an economic system where the government owns or controls major critical industries, but may allow collective ownership and some private ownership in agriculture, services, and less critical industries.
Society of Actuaries: Advancing the Actuarial Profession
The Society of Actuaries (SOA) is committed to advancing the actuarial profession and expanding relationships with members, volunteers, and other actuarial organizations to enhance the role and overall impact of actuaries. It offers the highly coveted FSA (Fellow, Society of Actuaries) designation.
Soft Dollars: Understanding Indirect Investment Costs
Soft dollars refer to indirect payments for brokerage services, allowing investors to use commission dollars for research and related services rather than direct payments.
Soft Market: A Buyers' Market
An in-depth exploration of a soft market in the context of economics and finance where demand shrinks, or supply grows faster than demand, making sales at reasonable prices difficult.
Soft Money: Tax Deductible Contributions in Investments and Development Costs
Soft Money refers to tax-deductible contributions in investments and development, as well as non-construction costs such as interest during construction, architect's fees, and legal fees.
Soil Bank: Stabilizing Commodity Prices and Promoting Soil Conservation
The Soil Bank is a program designed to stabilize commodity prices and promote soil conservation by paying farmers to hold land out of agricultural production.
SORT: Arranging Items in Order
A comprehensive guide to the process and methods of sorting, both numerically and alphabetically, including built-in computer sorting programs, their types, and applications.
Source Evaluation: Optimizing Marketing Expenditures
Source evaluation identifies and analyses the channels of sale that generate orders or customers, enabling marketers to focus their promotional efforts efficiently.
Source Program: Computer Programming Fundamentals
A Source Program is a computer program written in a high-level programming language that is translated into machine language for execution by a computer.
Sources and Applications (Uses) of Funds Statement: Analysis of Financial Position Changes
A comprehensive analysis of changes in the financial position of a firm from one accounting period to another. This statement includes sources of funds, such as net income and sale of stock, and applications of funds, such as repurchase of shares and repayment of debt.
Sources of Funds: Statement of Changes in Financial Position
An overview of the different sources of funds within the statement of changes in financial position, illustrating how funds are derived and accounted for during an accounting period.
Sovereign Wealth Funds: Comprehensive Overview
An in-depth look at Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs), including their definition, types, examples, historical context, and applicability in global finance.
SPA (Società Per Azioni): The Italian Designation for a Corporation
An in-depth look at SPA (Società Per Azioni), the Italian designation for a corporation, its structure, legal implications, advantages, and its role in the Italian business environment.
Spam: Unsolicited Commercial Email Messages
Spam refers to unsolicited commercial messages sent indiscriminately to a large number of recipients, often with the aim of promoting products, services, or scams.
SPAM Filter Software: Distinguish SPAM from Ordinary E-Mail
SPAM Filter Software helps in distinguishing spam from ordinary email messages. It includes layers of filtering by ISPs, webmail services, and mail clients.
Span of Control: Principle of Management
Understanding the Span of Control, a key principle of management indicating the number of employees a manager can supervise effectively.
SPDR: Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipt
Comprehensive coverage of Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipt (SPDR), also known as 'spiders,' which are securities designed to track the performance of the S&P 500 Index.
Special Delivery Service: Rapid and Preferential Handling by USPS
Detailed information about the Special Delivery service offered by the U.S. Postal Service, including its features, exclusion of Express Mail, and handling on Sundays and holidays.
Special Drawing Rights: An International Monetary Asset
Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) are an international monetary asset created by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to supplement its member countries' official reserves. SDRs facilitate global trade and financial stability by providing liquidity and a supplementary reserve asset.
Special Drawing Rights (SDR): International Monetary System Asset
Special Drawing Rights (SDR) form part of a nation’s reserve assets in the international monetary system, first issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 1970 to supplement gold and convertible currencies.
Special Handling: U.S. Postal Service Designation for Sensitive Packages
Special Handling is a U.S. Postal Service designation for packages containing items that require careful handling due to their susceptible nature, such as live animals or perishable produce.
Special Master: Expert Appointee in Legal Matters
A Special Master is a person recognized for their expertise, appointed by a court to help understand and potentially resolve a complex matter.
Special Purchase: An Insight Into Retail Advertising
Understanding the term 'Special Purchase,' often used by retailers under federal controls for advertising special sales focusing on low prices.
Special Situation: Under-valued or Highly Fluctuating Stock
A comprehensive description of special situations in the stock market, involving stocks that are expected to change in value due to imminent events or exhibit high daily fluctuations due to specific news developments.
Special Warranty Deed: Limited Title Warranty
A Special Warranty Deed provides a warranty of title limited to claims arising by, through, or under the grantor, excluding defects existing before the grantor's ownership.
Special-Purpose Teams: Temporary Organizational Teams
Special-purpose teams are temporary organizational teams created to resolve specific issues, providing efficient and focused problem-solving.
Special-Use Permit: Conditional Approval for Specific Activities
A Special-Use Permit (or Conditional Use Permit) is a right granted by a local zoning authority to conduct specific activities within a zoning district that require special approval.
Specialist: Roles and Responsibilities
A comprehensive guide to understanding the concept of a Specialist, including definitions, types, historical context, examples, and its applicability in various fields.
Specialty Advertising: Innovative Advertising Medium
Specialty Advertising involves using advertising novelties such as buttons, bumper stickers, and balloons to convey marketing messages.
Specialty Retailer: Focused Merchandise Line
Specialty retailers concentrate on selling a single line of goods tailored to a particular clientele, offering a deep selection within their specialty.
Specialty Selling: Direct Retailing of Unique Items
Specialty Selling involves the direct retailing of items or services not generally carried in a retail store, such as encyclopedias and life insurance.
Specialty Shop: Specialized Retail Stores
A retail store that focuses on a narrow range of products tailored for a particular clientele, such as shops specializing in pipe tobacco, wedding gowns, lawn mowers, and bicycles.
Specific Charge-Off Method (Bad Debts): Definition and Application
The Specific Charge-Off Method for bad debts involves deducting a bad debt when a specific receivable becomes worthless, after exhausting all collection efforts. Accrual basis taxpayers must use this method for tax purposes.
Specific Lien: Charge Against a Certain Piece of Property
A specific lien is a legal claim against a particular piece of property making it a security for the payment of a debt, typically arising from unpaid taxes, mortgages, or legal judgments.
Specific Performance: Remedy for Breach of Contract
Specific performance is a legal remedy that requires a party guilty of a breach of contract to fulfill their obligations under the contract.
Specification: Detailed Instruction in Product Plans
A Specification outlines detailed instruction provided in conjunction with product plans or a purchase order, stipulating materials, construction techniques, dimensions, colors, and the qualities and characteristics of a product.
Speculation: Purchase of Property or Security for Quick Profit
Detailed explanation of speculation in financial markets, including types, examples, comparisons with gambling and investment, and historical context.
Speculative Building: An Insight into Risky Land Development
Speculative Building involves land development or construction without formal commitment from end users, contrasting with Custom Building where construction is under contract. Discover types, examples, and market impact.
Speculative Risk: Uncertainty of Financial Outcomes
A comprehensive overview of speculative risk, which entails the uncertainty of financial loss or gain, with examples, special considerations, and related terms.
Speedup: Efforts by Employers to Obtain Increased Productivity Without a Corresponding Increase in Wages
Speedup refers to the practice where employers push for greater productivity from workers without increasing their wages. This productivity demand can come through increased workloads, reduced break times, or intensified work pace.
Spelling Checker: A Tool for Error-free Writing
Spelling checker software available on some word processing programs that 'reads' through a document looking for misspelled words, stopping at words 'recognized' as misspelled, and allowing the operator to make corrections.
Spendable Income: Post-Tax Usable Income
Spendable income refers to the amount of income that remains after all required government taxes have been deducted, often synonymous with after-tax cash flow.
Spending Money: Pocket Expenses Explained
Understanding spending money, also known as pocket money, including its purpose, management tips, historical context, and practical applications.
Spendthrift Trust: Financial Protection and Security
A Spendthrift Trust is a type of trust fund created to provide financial maintenance for a beneficiary while enforcing restrictions to guard against the unwise use of the assets. Often established by parents for their children, these trusts offer a layered approach to asset management and protection.
SPIDER: See [SPDR]
Refer to SPDR for more information about Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts (SPDRs), a type of exchange-traded fund.
Spillover Effects: Impact Beyond Direct Involvement
Exploration of Spillover Effects in Economic Activities: Positive and Negative Externalities, Historical Context, Examples, and Applications.
Split Commission: Definition and Context
A comprehensive guide on split commission, detailing how commissions are divided between brokers and financial professionals, with examples and historical context.
Split Dollar Life Insurance: A Comprehensive Overview
Detailed exploration of Split Dollar Life Insurance policies, including structure, premiums, ownership rights, death proceeds, types, and examples.
Split Shift: Work Shift Interrupted with an Unpaid Time-Off Period
A split shift involves dividing a worker's scheduled hours into two segments separated by a non-paid break period, often used in industries requiring peak time coverage.
Split-Up Form of Reorganization: A Comprehensive Guide
An in-depth examination of the 'split-up' form of reorganization, where a parent corporation splits into two or more smaller corporations, with stock of the new entities distributed tax-free to shareholders who surrender their old stock.
Spokesperson: Individual Representing a Product or Service
A Spokesperson is an individual who speaks on behalf of a product or service, often becoming associated with it through their representation.
Spooling: Managing Computer File Queues
Spooling is a process in computer systems that involves managing a queue of computer files waiting to be printed or processed by another output device. This concept is fundamental in optimizing resource use and maintaining workflow efficiency.

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