Glossary – Letter V

Valuation currency

The currency in which the fund is valued and in which fund units are denominated, either Canadian or US dollars.

Valuation frequency

Allows you to determine the timing of your valuation and the frequency of your investment.

Venture capital

Money raised by companies to finance new, risky ventures.

Vested benefits (vesting)

Benefits to which an employee is entitled upon cessation of membership under a pension plan by satisfying age and/or service requirements. Usually involves locking in of accumulated benefits.

Vesting

Generally the right of an employee of a corporation to all or part of the employer’s contributions to benefits, such as a pension fund or profit-sharing plan.

Volatility

The rate of change in the price of a security over a given time.

Volume

The amount of shares bought and sold on a stock exchange.

Voluntary accumulation plan

A plan offered by a mutual fund company where investors can accumulate shares by investing a predetermined amount on a regular basis over time. Also known as a dollar cost averaging plan.

Voting right

The stockholder’s right to vote in the affairs of the company. Most common shares have one vote each and preferred stock usually only has the right to vote when its dividends are in default. The right to vote may be delegated by the stockholder to another person, called voting by proxy. Voting rights give the stockholder a say in the company’s affairs and such rights can increase the value of the stock.

Voting trust

A device to place the control of a company in the hands of certain managers for a given period of time, or until certain results have been achieved. This is done by shareholders surrendering their voting rights to a trustee for a specified period of time.