A
- ACPR
- Autorité de Contrôle Prudentiel et de Résolution, the French supervisor of banks and insurers. Insurance (IAS) and credit (IOBSP) intermediaries are registered with ORIAS and supervised by the ACPR.
- AMF
- Autorité des Marchés Financiers — French capital markets regulator. Oversees CIF credentials and lets you check an advisor's accreditation.
- Open architecture
- An independent advisor's approach: selecting products across the entire market, free from brand constraints. Opposite of banks' "closed architecture".
- Life insurance (assurance-vie)
- French savings contract with lighter taxation after 8 years (€4,600/year allowance on gains) and inheritance benefits (€152,500 per beneficiary outside the estate).
C
- CGP / Wealth advisor
- Independent wealth-management professional licensed to advise on financial, real-estate and patrimonial solutions.
- CIF
- Financial Investment Advisor — AMF credential required to advise on funds, ETFs, structured products and securities.
D
- Dismemberment
- Splitting property between bare ownership (ownership) and usufruct (use/income). Key tool for inheritance optimization.
- DER (Engagement Disclosure Document)
- Mandatory document handed over before any wealth advice. Details credentials, compensation mode and potential conflicts of interest.
E
- ETF (Exchange Traded Fund)
- Listed index fund passively replicating an index (CAC 40, S&P 500, MSCI World). Very low fees (~0.1-0.3%/yr), ideal for the long term.
I
- IAS
- Insurance Intermediary. Activity registered with ORIAS and supervised by the ACPR, allowing distribution of life insurance, protection and retirement products.
- IFI
- Real-estate wealth tax on net property wealth over €1.3M. Replaced the old ISF in 2018.
- IOBSP
- Banking and Payment Services Intermediary. Activity registered with ORIAS and supervised by the ACPR, required for mortgage advisory.
L
- LMNP / LMP
- Non-professional / professional furnished landlord status. French tax regimes for furnished rentals with significant depreciation benefits.
M
- MiFID II
- European directive (Markets in Financial Instruments) strengthening transparency in financial advice. Defines "independent" status and imposes the DER.
O
- ORIAS
- Public registry on orias.fr listing all authorized financial intermediaries in France. Always check your advisor here.
P
- PEA (Equity Savings Plan)
- French wrapper to invest in European equities. After 5 years: 0% income tax on capital gains (only 17.2% social levies). Cap €150,000.
- PER (Retirement Savings Plan)
- Retirement wrapper created by the 2019 PACTE law. Contributions deductible from taxable income (cap ~10% of pro income). Exit as capital or annuity.
- PFU (Flat Tax)
- 30% flat tax (12.8% income tax + 17.2% social levies) on capital income. Alternative to the progressive scale.
S
- SCI
- Civil real-estate company. Legal structure to hold and manage real-estate wealth. Optimized transmission tool.
- SCPI
- "Paper real estate": investing collectively in property without management. Target yield 4-6%/yr. Accessible from €1,000.
T
- Marginal tax rate (TMI)
- Tax rate on your highest income bracket: 0%, 11%, 30%, 41% or 45%. The rate measuring a PER contribution's value.
- TNS (Self-employed)
- Social-security status for self-employed workers (craftsmen, retailers, liberal professions, majority directors). Specific retirement scheme, often less protective.
U
- Unit-linked
- Non-capital-guaranteed investment supports inside a life insurance contract (equities, real estate, bonds…). Higher potential return with associated risk.