Blue Sky Laws State security laws applying to the sale of new issues.Designed for the express purpose of protecting the public.Churning Excessive trading of a stock within an account by an author-ized individual that has control over the account. This practice is illegal.Collateral Securities or other assets that are pledged by a borrower toguarantee the repayment of a loan.Certificate A document proving ownership of a security.Commission The broker's fee for buying or selling a security.Common Stock The securities having last claim to the assets of a corporation. Most common shares have voting rights, and many pay adividend.Day Order A buy or sell order that is valid only for a single trading day.Dividend A payment made by the company to the stockholder. This isusually money derived from corporate profits.Dollar Cost Averaging Buying securities at regular intervals and atfixed amounts.Diversification Spreading your capital among many different types ofinvestments for the express purpose of reducing risk.Dealer When a brokerage house is acting as a principal in a trade.Debenture A bond backed solely by the general credit of a company.Discretionary Accounts An account in which a stockbroker has thewritten permission of the client to make trades in the account.Equity The ownership value of a security held in the brokerage name.Earnings Per Share The amount of net income earned for each shareof common stock after payment of dividends to preferred stockholders.