Investing is like saving in some ways. Both put your money to work to earn more money. Thanks to the power of compounding, your investing and savings accounts have the potential to grow over time.

That’s because, with compound growth, your account earnings are added to the amount you invest — called your investment principal — to form a larger base on which new earnings grow.

But saving and investing are different too. One big difference is the vocabulary. The language of investing might be unfamiliar at first. But once you master it you can make smart decisions about your money — some easy ones and some more complex.

Is it time for you to invest? You can start with some basics.