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PERSONAL FINANCE GLOSSARY


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S&P
Current TermStandard Deviation
Standard Deviation
Statistical measure that shows the likelihood of an investment to yield above- or below-average returns over a period of time. For example, if hypothetical XYZ Fund has an average annual total return of 11% and a standard deviation of 6.00, that means XYZ Fund's performance is likely to vary from a low of 5% to a high of 17%. Calculated by the fund, standard deviation is only relative to the asset class being measured.