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A Certificate of deposit is also known as a CD or a time deposit, This is a certificate issued by a bank or thrift that indicates a specified sum of money has been deposited. A Certificate of Deposit bears a maturity date and a specified interest rate, and can be issued in any denomination. The duration can be up to five years.

A Defined benefit plan is a pension plan in which the sponsor agrees to make specified dollar payments to qualifying employees.
The pension obligations are effectively the debt obligation of the plan sponsor.

A defined benefit pension plan is a major type of pension plan in which an employer promises a specified monthly benefit on retirement that is predetermined by a formula based on the employee's earnings history, tenure of service and age, rather than depending on investment returns. The most common type of formula used is based on the employee’s terminal earnings. Under this formula, benefits are based on a percentage of average earnings during a specified number of years at the end of a worker’s career. In the private sector, defined benefit plans are typically funded exclusively by employer contributions. For very small companies with one owner and a handful of younger employees, the business owner generally receives a high percentage of the benefits. In the public sector, defined benefit plans often require employee contributions.

A Dividend reinvestment plan is a automatic reinvestment of shareholder dividends in more shares of a company's stock. Generally, this occurs without commission fees. Some plans provide for the purchase of additional shares at a discount to market price. Dividend reinvestment plans allow shareholders to accumulate stock over the long term using "dollar cost averaging". The Dividend reinvestment plan is usually administered by the company without charges to the shareholder.

There is no simple answer or formula for evaluating the price of your business. There are business brokers or appraisers that specialize in valuing a business. Some brokers believe that cash flow is the most important factor to consider. Some brokers use one of three possible calculations to determine cash flow. Earnings plus Interest plus Taxes = cash flow. Earnings plus Interest plus Taxes plus Depreciation plus Amortization = cash flow. Earnings plus Interest plus Taxes plus Depreciation plus Amortization plus Owner's Salary = cash flow. Other important factors to consider include competition, industry trends, balance sheet, income statement, gross margins, type and condition of equipment, customer base, and growth opportunities for company, owner's role, financial needs and goals, difficulty of someone else learning the business and how other companies of similar size in the industry perform. Speak to your local CPA or business broker to assist you in selling your business.

A copyright protects creative works of authorship that are fixed in a tangible form. A copyright gives its owner the right to control how that work is used, including the right to reproduce the work and make derivative forms of it. A work is protected the moment it is produced in tangible form. Only works that are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office are entitled to full protection. Registering your copyright to a work is a straightforward process. You have to fill out a form, attach a copy of the work and pay the registration fee (as of 10/2000 = $30. You can go to the U.S. governments Copyright Office's web site to get the appropriate form.

A Trademark is like a copyright. The trademarks protect an owner's work from unscrupulous business practices. Unlike copyrights, trademarks protect a product's identity from being copied. A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or combination of them which identifies the source and quality of a business product. The most effective way to secure nationwide ownership to a trademark is to register it with the Patent and Trademark Office. You can also register your trademark with the state or states in which you use your trademark. The benefits of state registration vary from state to state, but at a minimum, state registration puts others on notice that you are claiming rights to a mark in a certain area.

A service mark is the same as a trademark except that it identifies and distinguishes a service rather than a tangible product. Usually, a trademark for goods appears on the product itself or on its packaging and a service mark appears in advertising for the services. The terms trademark or mark are used commonly to refer to both trademarks and service marks.

Securing a federally registered trademark usually takes several months. It can be done without an attorney, but you should strongly thin about speaking with one. Generally, the Patent and Trademark Office charges between $100 and $400 per class of goods or services. You may also want to speak with your local CPA about your trademark requirements.

You should always keep a separate bank account for running your business. Even if you are a sole proprietor, it is important to segregate business expenses and deposits from personal. Always think of your business as a separate living entity.