Essential English Vocabulary: Finance, Career & Modern Life

Posted on Sep 25, 2025 in Philosophy and ethics

Financial & Career Vocabulary

Sue: To take someone to court to get money from them.
Pester someone: To ask someone continuously to do something.
Bankruptcy: The state of being unable to pay your debts.
Ventures: New business activities or projects.
Disability pension: Money received from the government when unfit to work.
Take advantage: To treat someone unfairly to get what you want.
Volunteer: To offer to work without pay.
Get money off something: To receive a discount.
Power of attorney: The power to make legal decisions regarding finances.
Never saw a penny: Didn’t receive any of the money.
Philanthropist: A person who seeks to promote the welfare of others, especially by donating money.
Kept her cool: Remained calm in a difficult situation.
Limited attention span: Difficulty concentrating for long periods.
Hands-on work experience: Practical experience gained by doing.
Bridal bouquet: A flower arrangement carried by a bride.
Glimmer of hope: A small sign of optimism.

Extravagance: Lack of restraint in spending money or resources.
To provide for…: To supply someone with what is needed.
To promote welfare: To help improve the health, happiness, and fortunes of a person or group.
To live lavishly: To live in a luxurious and extravagant way.
To have a huge fortune: To possess a very large amount of money.
To give away money to charity: To donate funds to charitable organizations.
To admire someone’s generosity: To respect someone’s willingness to give.
To have a great deal of money: To possess a large amount of money.
To dedicate billions of dollars to…: To commit vast sums of money to a cause.
To have a major impact on: To significantly influence something.
To charge interest: To require payment for the use of borrowed money.
To put money into…: To invest money in something.
To found a plaza: To establish a public space or institution.
To run a foundation: To manage a charitable organization.
Helping children is a mission: A strong commitment to assisting children.

Job satisfaction: Contentment derived from one’s work.
Recognition: Acknowledgment of achievement or merit.
Good salary: A high or satisfactory wage.
Promotion prospects: Opportunities for advancement in a job.
Travel opportunities: Chances to travel for work.
Supportive colleagues/boss: Co-workers or managers who offer help and encouragement.
Pension plan: A retirement savings scheme.
Freedom/autonomy: The ability to make one’s own decisions at work.
Flexible working hours: The option to vary one’s work schedule.
Professional/personal development: Growth in skills and knowledge.
Perks and benefits: Additional advantages or payments beyond salary.
Working environment: The conditions in which one works.
Convenience of location: Ease of access to the workplace.
Challenging tasks: Difficult but stimulating assignments.

Costs a fortune / Cost an arm and a leg: Very expensive.
Worth a fortune / Rolling in it: Very wealthy.
Live on / Get by on: To survive with limited money.
Not well off / Hard up (short of money): Having little money.
Be a bargain / Dirt cheap: Very inexpensive.
To be broke / Skint: Having no money.
To split the bill / To go halves: To divide the cost equally.
To treat yourself to / Splash out on: To spend a lot of money on something enjoyable.
To be always in debt / To be in the red: To owe money constantly.

Be in: To be fashionable at the moment. Example: Businesses use teenagers to find out what’s in and what isn’t.
Be out: To be unfashionable at the moment. Example: Anything bigger than a few inches is out.
Kick off: To become popular and fashionable. Example: They start a business anywhere they think trends might kick off.
Home in on: To focus or direct attention towards something. Example: They experiment and automatically home in on the new.
Catch on: To start to become popular or understood. Example: Messaging caught on because kids wanted to pass notes during class.
Come about: To happen or take place. Example: All these trends came about because of the needs of kids.
Come up: To be going to happen in the near future. Example: What’s coming up on the horizon?
Keep up with: To know the most recent developments. Example: It is hard to keep up with the latest fashion.

Major source: Work is a major source of stress.
Cause of: Unemployment is a cause of worry.
Far-reaching implications/consequences: The argument has far-reaching implications.
Result: The result is in no doubt.
Roots: The rivalry has its roots in an old argument.
Influence: Teachers are an important influence on children.
Breeds: Success breeds confidence.
Bring about: Bad decisions will bring about their downfall.
Gave rise to: The new law gave rise to much protest.
Result in: Clashes between rival fans result in violence.
Influences: The media influences a lot of people.
Stems from: His insecurity stems from his childhood.