The Common Terms list has grown to over 2700 terms as of 2023. In recognition of the difficulty of memorizing all 2700 of these Common Terms by heart, and that many terms have become outdated, out of use, or are simply there for reference, we have singled out the top terms that we expect all scribes to identify when they are spoken clearly in a dictation, and can be marked with a Common Term Problem Field if not used correctly. The rest of the main list will be categorized and referred to as Reference Terms that Scribes should be expected to refer to when possible, but are not necessarily everyday terms they are expected to memorize.

10/1 ARM
3/1 ARM, 5/1 ARM, 10/1 ARM, etc.
401k, 401(k)
A/B trust
A1c test, A1C test
AAPB, automatic additional purchase benefit
AbbVie
ACAT, automated customer account transfer
ACB, Accelerated Care Benefit or adjusted cost base
ACL, Adjustable CompLife
active/passive portfolio
ADP, Active Diversified Portfolio
Advanced Planning, Advanced Planning Library
Aetna
age change
AIG, American International Group, Inc.
ALF, assisted living facility
Alliance
AllianceBernstein
Allianz
American Funds
Ameriprise
Ameritas
Ameritrade
AmEx
Amgen
AP, APs, additional premium
AssetMark
AssetMatch
Athene
AXA, AXA Equitable
Bahl & Gaynor Inc
Baird
Barclays
Barron's Magazine
BCRED, Blackstone Private Credit Fund
beneficiary, beneficiaries, beneficiary IRA
Benefit Advantage
BOA, B of A, Bank of America
BOLI, bank-owned life insurance
Box
BPS, basis points
break even
breakpoint
BREIT, Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust
broker/dealer
brokerage account
buckets of money
C corp, C corporation
CA
capital gains
CAR, CARs, CARs form
carryforward loss
cash flow
cash management account
Catalyst/Millburn Hedge Strategy Fund
CDSC, contingent deferred sales charge
circle back
Client Builder
close meeting
Compushare
Computershare
contingent beneficiaries, contingent beneficiary
COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
cost basis
CPA, certified public accountant
CRC, Client Resource Center, Client Review Center, cash reserve certificate
custom advisory relationship
custom managed account
custom managed portfolio
custom managed strategy
Dave Ramsey, David Ramsey
death benefit
deferred comp, deferred compensation
defined benefit
Des Moines, Iowa
Deutsche Bank
DI, disability insurance
disbursement
discovery agreement, discovery letter
DJ, DJI, DJIA, Dow, Dow Jones, Dow Jones Industrial Average
Doc.It
DocuSign
Dorsey Wright & Associates
DPOA, durable power of attorney
DROP, deferred retirement option plan
E*Trade
EAFE, Europe, Australasia and Far East
earmark
EBITDA, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization
e-file
EFT, electronic funds transfer
Envestnet
eQuipt
ERISA, Employee Retirement Income Security Act
FA, financial advisor
fee-based
fiduciary
FINRA, FINRA 2111, FINRA Elements
Friess
FTSE, FTSE All-World Index
GCM, geriatric care manager
Ginnie Mae
GradFin
hedge fund
HELOC, home equity line of credit
high-yield, high-yield muni
home office
household, householding
Hy-Vee
ILIT, irrevocable life insurance trust
index funds
in-kind
IPERS, Iowa Public Employee Retirement System
IRMAA, Medicare IRMAA, Income-related Monthly Adjustment Amount
journal, journal entry, journal over
kiddy or kiddie
KPERS, Kansas Public Employees Retirement System
KYC form, Know Your Client form
L-10, L-20, level 10, level 20
ladder
Lafayette, Minnesota
Leave It Or Roll It brochure
LMA, loan management account
LoCorr Funds
Loomis, Loomis Sayles
LPL, LPL Financial , Linsco/Private Ledger
LTC, long-term care
LTD, long-term disability
MacKay Shields
MassMutual, MassMutual CareChoice One
MEC, MECed, MECing, modified endowment contract
Medi-Cal
Merck
Merrill Edge
Merrill Lynch
MFS, Massachusetts Financial Services
MHQ, medical history questionnaire
Microsoft Excel
Microsoft OneDrive, OneDrive
Microsoft Teams, Teams
ML One, Merrill One
MLBTC, Merrill Lynch Bank and Trust Company
MLIB, Merrill Lynch International Bank
MML, MassMutual Life
Modern Woodmen of America
money market
Monte Carlo report/analysis
Morgan Stanley
Morningstar, Morningstar report, Morningstar Workstation
Move Money
MSCI, MSCI EAFE, MSCI ACWI Index, market index provider
MyMerrill
Natixis
NAV, net asset value
NaviPlan
nest egg
NetX360
Neuberger, Neuberger Berman
NextEra Energy
NM, Northwestern Mutual
NMCIR, Northwestern Mutual Consolidated Investment Reporting
NMIS, Northwestern Mutual Investment Services
Northrop Grumman
Nucor
NYLife, New York Life
One account
Outlook invite
Owl Rock
P/E ratio, price-earnings ratio, price-to-earnings ratio
PDIA, Portfolio Deferred Income Annuity
per stirpes
permanent life insurance, perm
Pershing
PGIM
POA, DPOA, power of attorney, durable power of attorney, springing power of attorney
PPA, PPA 2.0, personal planning analysis
Preferred Deposit
profit-sharing plan
Prudential, Pru
Purdue University
PWA, Personal Wealth Analysis
PwC, PricewaterhouseCoopers
PX, PX Plan, Planning PX, Planning Experience
QCD, qualified charitable distribution
QDIA, qualified default investment alternative
QDRO or QUADRO, qualified domestic relations order
QPRT, qualified personal residence trust
QS, QSes, qualified suspect, qualified suspects
rapport
Reg BI, Regulation Best Interest
RIF, retirement income fund
RightCapital
risk tolerance
Riskalyze
RMD, required minimum distribution
RRIF, registered retirement income fund
Russell, Russell LifePoints, Russell 2000
S&P, S&P 500, Standard & Poor's 500 Index
Safe Harbor
Sagicor
Salesforce
SAM account, SAM II, Strategic Asset Management account
SARSEP, salary reduction simplified employee pension
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
SBA, SBA loan, Small Business Administration,
Schafer Cullen Capital Management
Schlumberger
Schwab
Scottsdale, Arizona
SEC, Securities Exchange Commission
SECURE Act, Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act
Secure Message Center
segue
Siemens
Signature Choice
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
size and style, size and style analysis
SPDR, Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts
SPIA, single premium immediate annuity
SPS, SPS Advisor, SPS Advantage, Strategic Portfolio Services
SREIT, Starwood REIT
Standard Life
Stifel Nicolaus
STRS, State Teachers' Retirement System
SWM account , SWM II, Strategic Wealth Management account
SWP, systematic withdrawal plan
Symetra Financial Corporation
Syracuse, New York
T. Rowe Price
T-65, T-70, T-80, T-100, etc.
Tailwag
T-Bill, Treasury Bill
TD Ameritrade
term life, term life insurance
Thomson Reuters
TIAA, TIAA-CREF
tranche
Transamerica
Truist Bank
trusteed IRA
type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes
U.S. Bancorp
UGMA, Uniform Gifts to Minors Act
UMA, unified managed account
UnitedHealthcare, UnitedHealth Group
UTMA, Uniform Transfers to Minors Act
Vanguard
wash-sale rule
WMS, Wealth Management Services, Wealth Management Solutions
YChart, YCharts
Wealth Outlook
Webex
Zoom, Zoom Meeting