The field of finance refers to the concepts of time, money and risk and how they are interrelated. Banks are the main facilitators of funding through the provision of credit, although private equity, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other organizations have become important. Financial assets, known as investments, are financially managed with careful attention to financial risk management to control financial risk. Financial instruments allow many forms of securitized assets to be traded on securities exchanges such as stock exchanges, including debt such as bonds as well as equity in publicly-traded corporations.金融，顾名思义，融通资金、使资金融洽通达，是指在经济生活中，银行、证券或保险业者从市场主体（例如、储户、证券投资者或者保险者等）募集资金，并借贷给其它市场主体的经济活动。从事这一业务的业者称之为金融业者。研究有关金融的学科称之为金融学。（详细请参看金融学条目）从广义上说，政府、个人、组织等市场主体通过募集、配置和使用资金而产生的所有资本流动都可称之为金融。因此，不仅是金融业者，有关政府的财政，行业企业的行为、以及个人的理财都是金融的一部分。金融可以看作为资金的募集、配置、以及投资和融资三类经济行为。行业企业募集资金的方法一般可以分为以下两类：直接融资：不经由银行，而是通过出售股票、债券等形式从投资者手中获得资金。 间接融资：通过银行间接地从投资者手中获得资金。要更详细的请到这个网站：
这篇是在cnn上找到的。
Alibaba is not the Amazon of China
September 16 HONG KONG
Forget what you've read, Alibaba is NOT "the Amazon of China."
The analogy has been used widely as Alibaba prepares for its IPO. But it is only partially accurate, and masks big differences in business models.
Sure, Alibaba (BABA) and Amazon both do business on the Internet. They both enable consumers to buy huge volumes of goods without stepping foot in a store. And both have a stranglehold on their home markets.
But that's pretty much where the similarities end. Unlike Amazon (AMZN, Tech30), Alibaba does not own most of the items sold on its platforms, it does not maintain massive distribution centers, and it has only a fraction of the 132,000 employees on Amazon's books.
"Amazon and eBay are e-commerce companies, and Alibaba is not an e-commerce company," Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma said last year. "Alibaba helps others to do e-commerce. We do not sell things."
The point Ma was trying to drive home is that Alibaba excels at connecting buyers and sellers. Alibaba is not the seller.
Related: Meet four kings of Alibaba's online retail empire
The company's largest digital marketplace -- Taobao -- allows consumers to buy goods directly from small businesses. Tmall, Alibaba's other major shopping marketplace, connects larger brand retailers to consumers.
Alibaba makes money on Taobao by selling advertisements and search placement to retailers (kinda like Google (GOOG)). The company takes a commission from the larger retailers that operate on Tmall (think eBay (EBAY, Tech30)).
The model means that Ma doesn't have to obsess over keeping prices low the way Amazon founder Jeff Bezos does.
Related: Should you buy Alibaba shares?
The structure also makes Alibaba more of a pure Internet play, a trend reflected in the company's bottom line. Compared to Amazon, Alibaba's revenue is small (but growing faster). And investors are salivating over the company's much higher profit margins.
Investors have also been enticed by Alibaba's success at building what Ma calls an Internet "ecosystem."
The network of services allows consumers to move seamlessly between the company's online retail marketplaces and mobile apps used to process payments, buy movie tickets, call a taxi or invest in a money market fund. Alibaba even has a corporate cousin in the logistics business that handles most of the shipments generated on Tmall and Taobao.
Related: 7 things Alibaba users can do
In the end, Alibaba's biggest strengths may stem from overcoming broader problems in China's retail sector.
Ma has said that e-commerce in the U.S. is about transferring an existing business onto the Internet (think Amazon and books).
"E-commerce in the U.S. is like a dessert. It's just supplementary to your main business," Ma said. "In China, because the infrastructure of commerce is [so] bad, e-commerce becomes the main course."
What will happen when Alibaba and Amazon find themselves fighting for the same consumers? Here they are similar: expect both founders to come out swinging.
"Lying behind the massive allure of the capital market, there is unparalleled ruthlessness and pressure," Ma wrote in a letter to employees earlier this year. "In this market, only a small number of outstanding enterprises can maintain a gallop."
By Charles Riley September 16, 2014 00:54AM EDT
Planning a share portfolio
Tere is no shortage of tipsters around offering"get-rich-quick'opportunities.But if you are a serious private investor,leave the Las Vegas mentality to those with money to fritter.The serious investor needs a proper'portfolio'-a well-planned selection of investments,with a definite structure and a clear aim.But exactly how does a newcomer to the stock market go about achieving that?
5 Well,if you go to five reputable stock brokers and ask them what you should do with your money,you're likely to get five different answers-even if you give all the relevant infoumation about your age,family,finances and what you want from your investments.Moral?There is no one "right‘way to structure a portfolio.However,thereare undoubtedly some wrong ways,and you can be sure that none of our five advisers would have suggested sinking all(or perhaps any)of your money into Periwigs*.
10 so what should you do?We'll assume that you have sorted out the basics-like mortgages,pensions,insurance and access to sufficient cash reserves.You should then establish your own individual aims.These are partly a matter of personal circumstances,partly a matter of psychology.
For instance,if you are older you have less time to recover from any major losses,and you may well wish to boost your pension income.So preserving your capital and generating extra income are your main 15priorities.In this ease,you'd probably construct a portfolio with some shares (but not high risk ones),along with gilts,cash deposits,and perhaps convertibles or the income shares of split capital investment trusts.
If you are younger,and in a solid financial position,you may decide to take an a ggressive approach-but only if you're blessed with a sanguine disposition and won't suffer sleepless nights over share prices.If you recognize yourself in this description,you might include a couple ofheady growth stocks in your 20 portfolio,alongside your more pedestrian investments.Once you have decided on your investment aims,you can'then decide where to put your money.The golden rule here is spread your risk-if you put all of *‘Periwigs’is the mame of a fictitious company.
译文：
规划股份投资
我们周围不乏情报贩子，向人们提供迅速发财至富的机遇害。但是，如果你是一个认真的私人投资者，就把拉斯韦加斯的心态留给那些有钱可供挥霍的人。认真的投资者需要一份正规的投资组合表——一种计划很周密的投资选择，结构明确，目标清晰。但是，一个股票市场的新手又如何能做到这一点呢？
如果你去向5位有威望的股票经纪人咨询，询问你应该如何使用你的资金，你很可能得到5种不同的答复，即使你提供了所有关于你的年龄\、、、，家庭、财源和你想从投资中获得的好处的信息。这是个道德问题吗？没有一种安全“正确”的方法来排列这种投资组合，然而，却毫无疑问地有几种错误的方法。可以相信5位经纪人中不会有人建议你把全部（或一部分）资金投入佩里威格斯公司。
那么你该怎么做呢？我们假定你已把基本情况弄清楚了，如抵押贷款、养老金、保险金和动用现金储备的机会。然后，你一定要建立起自己的目标。这里一方面是个人所处的环境，另一方面是信收理学的问题。
比如说，如果你年纪较大，你从重大投资损失中恢复过来的时间就较少，你就很希望能够提高你的养老金收入。因此，你的首要任务就是保护你的资金和引发额外的收入。在这种情况下，你大概想制定出一份包括某些股份（但不是风险很大的股份）的投资组合，同时还有高度可靠的证券、现金储蓄，可能还有可换证券，或分割资本信托公司的所得股。
如果你年轻一些，并且经济状况可靠，你可能会采取一种积极的方式——你必须性格开朗，不会因股票价格的浮动而夜不能眠。如果你觉得你的情况是这样的话，你可在投资组合中包括几项有令人陶醉的增值前景的增长股，和其他比较平淡的投资项目放在一起。一旦你的投资目标确立以后，你就可以决定你的钱投向何处。这里的指导原则是：分散你的投资风险。如果你把所有资金投入佩里威格斯国际公司，你就把自己当成了命运的人质。
Talking about Housing Loans
房屋贷款
Al and Virginia Baxter are talking to their banker ,Tony Flora ,about a housing loan.
艾尔和弗吉尼亚·巴克斯特正和他们的银行家托尼·费洛拉洽谈有关房屋贷款之事。
Al:We'd like to get some information about mortgage loans,Mr.Flora.
艾尔：我们希望得到一些有关抵押贷款方面的知识，弗洛拉先生。
We found a house that we'd like to buy.
我们找到了一所我们想买的房子。
Flora:Well,Mr.Baxter,we generally lend 80% of the bank's appraised value on 30-,35-or 40-year mortgages if the house is less than 10 years old .
弗洛拉：好的，巴克斯特先生。如果房屋从建成至今尚未超过10年，我们一般借给买房者的数额是银行对房屋估价的80%，而贷款期为30、35或40年。
Baxter:Oh ,it's almost a brand-new house .I think it was built two years ago .
巴克斯特：哦， 这几乎是一所全新的房子，我认为是两年前修建的。
A:Yes,it's a real good deal .The price is just right .
艾尔：是的，这真是的桩合适的买卖，价钱也很合理。
F:Bank appraisals are usually slightly lower than the actual market prices,Mr.Baxter,
弗洛拉，银行的估价总是低于实际市场价格的，巴克斯特先生。
so you'll have to figure on at least at a 25%-28% down payment .
因此，您必须计划支付至少25%—28%的定金。
A:Yes,we planned on that .We've accumulated enough in our savings for a 30% down payment.
艾尔：是啊，这点我们已经估计到了，在我们的积蓄中攒的钱已足够支付30%的定金。
B:What's the interest rate on mortgage loans?
巴克斯特：抵押贷款的利息率是多少？
F:It fluctuates a little depending on the various factors in the loan ,but around 8.75% for longtime clients.
弗洛拉：根据各种不同情况的贷款，利息率稍有差别，但是，对于银行的老主顾一般是8。75%左右。
A:Well,we've been banking here since we got married 8 years ago ,Mr.Flora ,so I guess we qualify.
艾尔：那么我们从结婚到现在8年来一直与这里的银行往来，弗洛拉先生。因此，我想我们是合乎条件的。
F:Yes,you certainly do ,Mr.Baxter.Let's fill out this application ,so we can get started on the paperwork .
弗洛拉：是的，你们当然是符合条件的，巴克斯特先生。让我们先来填写这张申请表，然后就可以开始着手票据事宜，
It takes some time to complete a mortgage loan transaction.
要完成抵押贷款的交易是得花点时间。
B:We will need title insurance and fire insurance ,too,won't we ?
巴克斯特：我们还需要产权保险和火灾保险，对吗？
F:Yes,you will.Here's our mortgage loan booklet which explains all the things which will be necessary .
弗洛拉：是的，这里有一本有关我们抵押贷款的小册子，这个小册子说明了必须要办的一切手续
