STOLI n.— «In what has to be the wackiest new trend in life insurance, many consumers are allowing total strangers to place bets on when they will expire—and the sooner they go, the bigger the payoff. It’s called Stranger-Originated Life Insurance...
have skin in the game v. phr.— «The value of homeownership, then, has increasingly shifted to the home’s likelihood to rise in value, like any other investment. And when investments go bad, people tend to walk away. “When people don’t have skin in...
Q-tip cruise n.—Gloss: a pleasure trip aboard a trip, taken mainly by senior citizens. Note: So named because they have white hair and resemble the white cotton ends of Q-tips. «It was in mid-September 2006, the final cruise of the season for the...
love money n.— «Investments by friends and family are often called “love money” because the basis for investment is apt to be affection for the entrepreneur rather than any sort of critical analysis.» —“Comparison of Angels to Venture...
break the buck v. phr.— «He thinks it’s unlikely the companies running money market funds would allow them to “break the buck,” as it’s known in Wall Street parlance even if the funds lost money on SIV-related investments. The draw of money market...
dry powder n.—Gloss: a (venture capital) company’s unspent investment funds. «Then there are the private equity and VCs looking to put some of their “dry powder” to use (which is how nearly every VC I’ve talked to has referred to the unspent amount...

