Have you ever sat and listened to someone explain something, and just had it make zero sense whatsoever?

I’ve had that experience many a time, and given a blank look in return. Sometimes I respond with, “I know you’re speaking English, but I have no idea what you just said.”

It can be frustrating on both ends. As an example, I’ve tried to explain blogging to people that have never even used a computer. My explanation is usually met with a blank look, until I realize that they don’t even really get the concept of the internet and that I may as well be speaking Greek. I have better luck relating blogging to something that they do understand, such as writing articles for a magazine.

Financial terminology can have the same effect on people. If you work with 401(k)s, IRAs, 403(b)s, and 124aZ23Qs every day, they make sense. (Yeah, I made that last one up.) If you don’t, you need to be let in on a little of the terminology before what might actually be a very simple concept can make sense.

So the next time you’re met with a bunch of financial gobbledygook, remember that you may just need a little translation first.