Ten-Dollar Finance Words

This week's blogpost - https://bahnsen.co/4tJyhFD Trevor Cummings hosts a “Thoughts on Money” podcast episode with Blaine Carver and Brett Bonecutter, discussing Brett’s lighthearted blog post “$10 Finance Words” and how financial jargon can confuse or impress audiences. They contrast unavoidable shorthand with performative buzzwords, share pet peeves (like “curated,” “circle back,” and “HBD”), and emphasize knowing your audience and translating terms for clients. Brett explains meanings and pitfalls of terms such as EBITDA (including WeWork’s “community adjusted EBITDA”), fungible vs. non-fungible, and deal jargon like cap stack, mezzanine financing, and waterfalls, plus corporate euphemisms like “right-sizing” and the sometimes-deceptive use of “leverage.” They close with jokes about pop-culture references, slang, and invite listener emails and podcast ratings. 00:00 Welcome And Setup 01:26 Why Finance Jargon 06:39 Words And Pet Peeves 10:25 EBITDA Explained 17:30 Snooty Language Signals 18:34 Gray Poupon Reference 20:16 Fungible And NFTs 23:22 Capital Stack Basics 26:05 Euphemisms That Stick 26:26 Right Sizing Explained 27:17 Idioms Across Cultures 28:43 Leverage Versus Debt 31:29 Leverage In Real Markets 33:01 BDCs And Private Credit 35:15 Optionality Word Nerds 36:32 Cosplay And Meme Slang 38:49 Pop Culture Blind Spots 41:47 Closing Thoughts And Feedback Links mentioned in this episode: http://thoughtsonmoney.com http://thebahnsengroup.com