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Compound glossary

Score axes and nicknames used across this atlas.

A compact reference — not a substitute for the full chapters.

Score axes

Time sensitivity How much unused years change outcomes.
Rate sensitivity How much net return assumptions move the path.
Contribution leverage How strongly savings rate dominates early wealth.
Behaviour risk How exposed results are to panic, pauses and lifestyle creep.
Tax & fee drag How costly fees and taxes are relative to other topics.
Horizon fit How naturally the idea belongs to long multi-year plans.

Also called

📈 Compound interest Compounding · Interest on interest
⌛ Time value of money TVM · Present value
⚖️ Opportunity cost Trade-off cost · Foregone return
🔢 Rule of 72 Doubling rule · Rule of 69
🌡️ Nominal vs real returns Inflation-adjusted · Real yield
✖️ Rule of 115 Tripling rule · Rule of 114
🎛️ Contributions vs rate vs time Savings rate leverage · Three levers
📉 Fee drag Expense ratio drag · Cost of costs
🧾 Tax drag Taxable drag · After-tax return
♻️ Reinvestment Dividend reinvestment · DRIP
📅 Dollar-cost averaging DCA · Pounds-cost averaging
🗓️ Capital gains timing Realisation timing · Tax-lot timing
🌱 Early start advantage Time premium · Youth compounding
🏃 Late catch-up saving Catch-up contributions · Compressed horizon
🎢 Sequence of returns risk Sequence risk · Retirement path risk
🏛️ Multi-decade & legacy horizons Generational compounding · Perpetual horizon
🔓 Safe withdrawal rates SWR · 4% rule debates
🪣 Bucket strategy Time segmentation · Cash-bond-equity buckets
🧓 Longevity risk Longevity uncertainty · Outliving assets
🏦 Cash & high-yield savings HYSA · Cash reserves
🧱 Bonds as ballast Fixed income ballast · Duration risk
🌍 Broad equity index Total market index · Passive equities
🤝 Employer match Matching contributions · Free contribution
🛟 Emergency buffer Cash reserve · Liquid safety net
💳 Debt payoff as return Guaranteed return · Interest avoided
🎯 Target-date funds Lifecycle funds · Glide-path funds
🔁 Consistency as a habit Savings consistency · Auto-pilot investing
🛒 Lifestyle creep Lifestyle inflation · Spend-up
😱 Panic selling Drawdown selling · Behaviour gap
🍩 Present bias Hyperbolic discounting · Now preference
🗂️ Mental accounting Mental accounts · Labelled money
💵 Cash renaissance (2020s) Higher-for-longer cash · Post-ZIRP cash
🔥 FIRE variants Financial independence · Lean / Fat FIRE
📱 Auto-invest apps Robo-advisors · Round-up investing
🤖 AI advice caveats Chatbot finance · LLM “advice”
⚙️ Paycheck automation Pay-yourself-first · Payroll deduction