Inside Job

accountable

[adjective] responsible for providing a credible and respectable explanation or justification, especially of one's own actions (usually followed by "for" or "to").

accountant

[noun] a person who examines and maintains the financial records of individuals or businesses.

acquire

[transitive verb] to gain, especially through one's own efforts or dealings.

acquit

[transitive verb] to clear (someone) of a charge or accusation, as in a court of law.

adjourn

[intransitive verb] to end or temporarily discontinue the proceedings of a meeting or the like.

adopt

[transitive verb] to take on as one's own (a manner, style, or point of view).

advance

[transitive verb] to move or send forward. [noun] a monetary payment beforehand, especially before work is finished.

advocate

[transitive verb] to urge support or acceptance of. [noun] one who supports a cause.

aftermath

[noun] the result or consequence of an event.

allege

[transitive verb] to assert in the absence of positive proof.

allocate

[transitive verb] to assign or set aside (money or other resources) for some specific use.

amendment

[noun] an addition to, change to, or deletion from a document such as a legislative bill or contract.

annual

[adjective] happening once every year.

anonymous

[adjective] of unknown identity, as an author or donor.

appoint

[transitive verb] to name to a particular office or function; designate.

appraisal

[noun] a judgment about the nature, quality, or value of someone or something.

array

[noun] a sizable and imposing display.

asset

[noun] a useful or desirable quality or thing. [noun] (plural) property that can be exchanged for cash.

assure

[transitive verb] to say to with force or conviction in order to create trust or give confidence.

attorney

[noun] one whose profession is to give legal advice and to act as a representative in court during legal proceedings; lawyer; attorney-at-law.

audit

[noun] an often official examination of records or financial accounts to check their accuracy, or the report of such an examination.

auditor

[noun] one who audits record or accounts.

bailout

[noun] a giving of support to someone in trouble. [noun] a providing of financial aid, usually by a government to a failing company or institution.

bankruptcy

[noun] the condition of being legally insolvent or bankrupt; impoverishment or destitution.

Barack Obama

[noun] the 44th President of the United States. Before his 2004 election to the U.S. Senate, in which he served until November 2008, Barack Obama worked as an attorney, a community organizer, and an Illinois state senator (1997-2004). He is the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. presidency (b.1961).

Bill Clinton

[noun] 42nd President of the United States (1993-2001) and, previously, Governor of Arkansas for several terms; born William Jefferson Blythe III, subsequently William Jefferson Clinton (b.1946).

blatant

[adjective] completely obvious or undisguised, sometimes offensively so.

bond

[noun] a piece of paper issued by a person, government, or corporation, signifying debt and promising repayment and interest money.

breach

[noun] a violation, as of a law, code, or promise.

bribe

[noun] something, especially money, that is illicitly promised or given in return for privileges or favors, usually to someone in a position of public trust.

broker

[noun] a person whose business is to negotiate buying and selling, especially of stocks or real estate, on another's behalf.

candor

[noun] the quality of openness, honesty, and straightforwardness in expression.

capital

[noun] money or other wealth owned or used by a business. [adjective] relating to financial capital.

cataclysm

[noun] a tremendous upheaval in human affairs, such as sudden and extreme social or political change.

caution

[noun] attentiveness and prudence; wariness.

cite

[transitive verb] to quote or refer to as proof or illustration.

commerce

[noun] the exchange of goods or services for money; business transactions.

commodity

[noun] a product, as opposed to a service, that can be bought and sold, especially an agricultural or mining product.

compartmentalize

[transitive verb] to divide or separate into compartments or categories.

compliance

[noun] acquiescence or conformity.

comprehensive

[adjective] wide or all-inclusive in range or scope.

condemn

[transitive verb] to express extreme disapproval of; declare to be wrong, inadequate, or evil. [transitive verb] to declare by official order (something, such as a building) to be unsuitable or unfit for use.

conglomerate

[noun] a company made up of several smaller companies engaged in diverse or unrelated areas of industry.

consolidate

[transitive verb] to combine into a whole or mass; unify.

constituency

[noun] the body of voters from a district represented by an elected official.

constrain

[transitive verb] to keep within tight restrictions; confine.

constraint

[noun] something that compels, confines, or restrains.

consultant

[noun] one who offers advice or expertise to others on a professional basis.

context

[noun] the set of circumstances or events in which a particular event occurs; situation.

contribution

[noun] something contributed, such as money or ideas

convey

[transitive verb] to communicate (meaning or feeling); express.

core

[noun] the essential and most important part of something.

cornerstone

[noun] something basic and indispensable; foundation.

corporate

[adjective] of or relating to a corporation.

corrupt

[adjective] dishonest, disloyal, unjust, or otherwise immoral. [transitive verb] to damage or destroy the moral character of; cause to become dishonest, disloyal, unjust, or otherwise immoral.

council

[noun] an assembly of persons gathered together for administrative, legislative, or advisory purposes.

criminality

[noun] the condition or fact of being against the law; illegality.

crisis

[noun] an unstable or uncertain situation that has potential to bring about dramatic, possibly destructive, changes.

declare

[transitive verb] to proclaim or formally announce (the fact of something happening or existing).

decline

[transitive verb] to refuse (to do or to give something). [intransitive verb] to grow weaker or diminish gradually. [noun] movement downward.

deductible

[adjective] in the United States, allowable as a deduction from income to be taxed. [noun] an insurance policy containing a stipulation that the insurer will pay only amounts remaining after a given amount is paid by the insured party.

defraud

[transitive verb] to deprive of something by wrongful and usually unlawful deception; cheat; swindle.

deposit

[noun] anything that has been deposited, such as money in a bank or silt in a river.

deposition

[noun] a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law.

depression

[noun] an economic state in which business is very bad, unemployment is very high, and poverty is widespread. (See recession1.)

deregulate

[transitive verb] to abolish regulations governing (something); decontrol.

derivative

[adjective] copied, modeled on, or extracted from something else.

derive

[transitive verb] to obtain or extract from an original source (usually followed by "from").

destabilize

[transitive verb] to upset the equilibrium of (especially a government or other organization); unbalance, often with intent to topple.

determinant

[noun] that which is a factor in causing an outcome.

disclosure

[noun] the act or process of making known, uncovering, or exposing.

disregard

[transitive verb] to refuse to notice or respond to; ignore.

distort

[transitive verb] to falsify or misrepresent.

dividend

[noun] a pro-rata share of a company's distributed earnings paid to stockholders or insurance policyholders.

domestic

[adjective] of or related to the household or family. [adjective] of the home country.

drain

[noun] the cause of a continuous and gradual depletion.

economics

[noun] (used with a singular verb) the systematic study of the production and distribution of goods and services.

effective

[adjective] producing an adequate or desired result, or having the power to produce such a result. [adjective] existing or operative; functioning.

effectively

[adverb] in a way that produces a successful result.

efficient

[adjective] operating or performing in an effective and competent manner, with little waste of effort or resources.

emeritus

[noun] one who has retired but who continues to hold an honorary title from his or her profession, usually in an academic or religious institution.

enact

[transitive verb] to make into a law.

endowment

[noun] the act of providing with a permanent fund or source of income, or the money so provided.

enforcement

[noun] the act or process of enforcing.

entity

[noun] anything that exists objectively and distinctly, whether nonliving or living; thing or being.

equity

[noun] the quality of being fair and reasonable; fairness. [noun] the net worth of a business or property; total value of assets minus outstanding liabilities.

estimate

[noun] a rough calculation or educated guess as to the amount, size, or value of something.

exception

[noun] something to which a general rule does not apply.

excessive

[adjective] more than is required, expected, or considered reasonable; extravagant or immoderate.

exempt

[adjective] not subject to or released from an obligation generally required of others. [transitive verb] to release from an obligation generally required of others.

exemption

[noun] in U.S. taxation, a deduction from one's tax liability for each person one supports financially.

exert

[transitive verb] to exercise or bring to bear (power, influence, or the like); put into action.

explicit

[adjective] stated fully, clearly, and without equivocation.

exploit

[noun] a deed of daring or spirit; feat.

federal

[adjective] of or relating to a system of government in which a number of states are united under and recognize the authority of a central government, yet have their own governments as well.

finance

[noun] the management of money or other assets, especially those in the public treasury. [transitive verb] to provide the monetary resources for.

financial

[adjective] of or pertaining to money or those who deal in finance and credit.

flippant

[adjective] disrespectful or indifferent to someone or something worthy of respect; shallowly humorous.

foreclosure

[noun] the process by which mortgaged property enters into the possession of the mortgagee without right of redemption by the mortgagor, usually for reason of delinquency in mortgage payments.

foresee

[transitive verb] to know or realize beforehand; predict or expect.