asset: Assets are what you own outright, like stocks, bonds and mutual funds. Assets are things such as a home you may own, other real estate properties or rentals that you may own, your 'stuff' in general, like cars, jewelry & furniture, and art & collectibles.

equity: What is owned in any asset (your house, car, stocks, etc) after all debts have been paid off. For example if you have a mortgage on a $100,000 house and you have paid off $30,000 of that loan, you have $30,000 in equity. When you finish paying off the loan, you will have $100,000 in equity, unless the value of your house changes.  Over time your assets can gain or lose equity (or value).

growth stock: a stock that is believed will grow faster than the average stock.  These tend to reinvest profits back into the company to expand rather than pay dividends. They have potential for higher returns than value stocks, but are considered more risky. They can have higher than average P/Es. 

investment: Money set aside for the future in stocks, bonds, real estate, certificates of deposit (CDs), precious metals. Investments can also be made in the form of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The goal of an investment with the plan of making a profit!

outstanding stock: or 'outstanding shares.' This term does not mean they are wicked awesome. It means the shares of stock that are owned by all the stock's shareholders, including those shares in mutual funds and the shares owned by the company's employees and executives. 

profit: The total of a company's sales minus expenses, depreciation, interest paid on loans, and taxes. 

profit margin: The amount of sales (or revenue) that a business has after subtracting out their expenses. This measures the profitability of a company. It is calculated by dividing the company's annual profit by its revenues. The higher the profit margin, the better the company is at controlling costs.

revenue: Money a company earns through sales. This is not the same as profit. 

shareholder's equity: the value of what you own in stock on any given day. Because the stock market fluctuates, the amount of equity you have in any given stock fluctuates daily as well.

trailing P/E: P/E calculated from data over the past 4 quarters or  year. This is calculated from actual data.

value stock: a stock that is less expensive than ones in its industry. The company may have a lower than average sales and growth rate. Many of these stocks have higher dividend yields, producing income for investors. These are considered safer than growth stocks but may also be less rewarding.