Abandonment

The voluntary relinquishing of all rights, title or possession of property.

Accident Insurance

Insurance which pays out in the event of an accident. Typically this will cover medical expenses and loss of earnings.

Accidental Death Insurance

Insurance which pays out in the event of death caused by accident. Typically this will be a lump sum.

Acquisition

The takeover of one company by another. This could be by agreement or hostile.

Act of God

An unpreventable or unpredictable event that could cause loss or damage to buildings, land, vehicles etc

Administration

A company which is in severe trouble may be put into Administration when it has hope of recovery. This puts some aspects of the company under restriction of the court's permission.

Advisory Broker

A broker who deals in stocks and shares, and advices on which shares should be bought and sold. Typically they will be in contact with a client to suggest changes and will not have authority to trade on a completely discretionary basis.

Affidavit

A written statement signed on oath and witnessed by a commissioner for oaths. Typically this would be a qualified solicitor.

Assets

Anything owned by an individual which has a monetary value. While some assets are easy to value - Cash and Stock etc, others are more difficult - Intellectual Property.

Assurance

Used when insurance is taken out against an inevitability. For example, Life Assurance would be insurance against death. This is primarily a UK term.