D

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Deductible
Expenses that can be offset against assessable income, or some contributions to superannuation funds are tax deductible to individuals.
Defined Benefit Fund
A superannuation fund that defines the member's retirement benefit as a multiple of their salary. The multiple is usually based on the member's period of service and level of contributions made over the period of employment. The opposite of a defined benefit fund is a defined contribution or accumulation fund.
Derivatives
Securities that derive their value from another physical asset, also known as synthetics. Examples of derivatives include futures and options.
Distributions
Income payments from managed investments. Such payments comprise a share of any net income and realised capital gains earned by an investment over a financial year. The components which generally make up a distribution are profits from the sale of assets, income and currency gains.
Diversification
Spreading an investment over a range of asset classes, sectors and regions with the aim of reducing risk. As the old saying goes, "don't put all your eggs in one basket".
Dividend
Payment to shareholders from a company's earnings.
Dividend Imputation
Tax already paid by a company is credited to individual shareholders when a dividend is paid.
Dollar Cost Averaging
Investing a set amount of money, at regular intervals, over a long period of time. This means an investor could gain an advantage from rises and falls in the investment price, over a period of time, by buying more when the price is low and less when the price is high.