Debt Securities. A general term for any security representing money loaned that must be repaid to the lender at a future date. Bonds, notes, bills and money market instruments are debt securities, but they vary in maturities.

Dividend. An income distribution to shareholders that generally comes from the net income of the fund. A change in the dividend rate or amount does not affect the fund's share price.

Dollar Cost Averaging. An investment strategy based on investing equal amounts in a fund at regular intervals. Because more shares are bought when prices are low and fewer shares when prices are high, the average cost of your shares may be lower than the average price over the period you bought them. Dollar cost averaging cannot guarantee a profit or protect against loss in declining markets.