NFP Editorial Style Guide · Page 4 of 19 NFP Editorial Style Guide continues > Updated April 2015...

NFP Editorial Style Guide Updated June 2015

NFP Editorial Style Guide The NFP Editorial Style Guide ensures that all written communications

developed for internal and external audiences are consistent and professional.

To search for a specific word or phrase, click the “Find” bar at the top of the

document. Type in the word or phrase you are looking for and hit “Enter” on

your keyboard. Terms matching your keyword will be highlighted throughout

the text. Click on the arrows to the right of the search bar to scroll through all

keyword matches.

Questions? Contact:

Emily Britt

Copy Editor

Marketing Communications

[email protected]

Ext. 6228

NFP Editorial Style Guide Sections

Editorial Voice............................................................................................ 3

Style and Usage ..................................................................................4

What to Capitalize/Not Capitalize in a Title ...................................... 13

Typography Rules and Punctuation .................................................. 14

Acronyms .......................................................................................... 16

Frequently Misused Words .................................................................... 17

Writing and Editing References ........................................................ 19

mailto:[email protected]



NFP Editorial Style Guide of 19

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Updated April 2015

Editorial Voice The NFP editorial voice (the tone and style of the written word) should be consistent with our brand positioning and visual

look and feel. When you write, consider:

Tone and Personality Attributes

• Objective and unbiased — Straightforward language;

no industry jargon

• Solution-oriented — Optimistic and forward-looking;

not encumbered by knowing too much

• Knowledgeable and smart — Confident in delivering

insight and advice

• Collaborative — Simple language and case examples

Core Messaging

• We are client advocates — Backed by the national

scale and resources of NFP, our advisors are objective

client advocates, without bias toward any one brand,

institution or type of solution. NFP advisors offer

clients objective advice and exclusive services, not

proprietary products.

• Ours is an entrepreneurial focus — NFP provides

entrepreneurs the advantage of one coordinated

and comprehensive resource across their benefits,

insurance, wealth transfer, and business and investment

planning needs.

• We are held to a higher standard — NFP and its

businesses are held to the highest standards for

transparency and compliance.

• We deliver innovative strategies — NFP advisors

enjoy access to the latest technology and the leading

industry membership organizations, to bring clients

more innovative strategies and sophisticated,

effective planning.

• We are market leaders — NFP is a leader in delivering

benefits to mid-market companies and life insurance to

high net worth individuals, and we serve clients with one

of the country’s leading independent broker-dealers. This

leadership brings with it preferred market access that

directly benefits our clients.

Writing Checklist

• Speak to the audience — Materials should speak “to”

rather than “at” the customer.

• Use second-person voice — When possible, use

second-person voice; that is, explain that “NFP can

help you do XYZ” rather than “NFP helps organizations

do XYZ.”

• Make benefits clear, quickly — Customers need to

immediately understand why they should care.

• Be engaging and compelling — Help customers see

that NFP understands their business and that there is

value in taking the suggested action.

• Be logical — Text should have a logical flow, using

subheads that easily lead the reader through the material;

consider overviews and summaries for lengthy pieces;

make your main point at the top.


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Updated April 2015

Style and Usage

academic degrees

Avoid abbreviations such as B.A., M.A., LL.D., J.D., Ph.D.

and MBA when possible, and use the complete phrase

instead. If space is an issue, abbreviations can be used.

Use appropriate periods between letters if you abbreviate.

Preferred: Jim Smith received his doctorate in business

administration in 1987.

Acceptable: Jim Smith received his Ph.D. in 1987.

Use an apostrophe in bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, etc.

Correct: He has a bachelor’s degree.

Incorrect: He has a bachelor degree.

Don’t use an apostrophe in Bachelor of Arts or Master of

Science.

Correct: He has a Master of Science in finance from

Smith University.

Incorrect: He has a Master’s of Science in finance

from Smith University.

Don’t capitalize an academic subject area (unless it’s a

proper noun).

Correct: She has a Bachelor of Arts in finance.

Correct: She has a Bachelor of Arts in English.

Incorrect: She has a Bachelor of Arts in Finance.

Actuarial Guideline 38 (AG38)

abbreviations and acronyms

Write out a term at first mention. NFP is an exception.

Do not spell out National Financial Partners.

Place the acronym or abbreviation in parentheses directly

after the term. Use the acronym or abbreviation thereafter.

In general, don’t include the acronym or abbreviation if it

isn’t referred to again in the document.

Example: The Department of Labor (DOL) released

new rules. The DOL will release more in September.

When an acronym or abbreviation that doesn’t have

punctuation is plural, add an “s” without an apostrophe.

Correct: Hybrid VULs offer all of the benefits of

variable universal life products.

Incorrect: Hybrid VUL’s offer all of the benefits of

variable universal life products.

Exceptions: COBRA, ERISA, FINRA, HIPAA, IRS, NFP.

These terms do not need to be spelled out.

addresses

In general, use abbreviations for Road (Rd.), Avenue (Ave.),

Boulevard (Blvd.), etc., with a numbered address.

Preferred: 715 S. Alfred St.

Acceptable: 715 South Alfred Street

Don’t abbreviate road, street, etc., if it is not part of a

numbered address.

Correct: His office is just down the street.

Incorrect: His office is just down the St.

adjusted gross income

(Lowercase; abbreviate as AGI on second reference.)

Advanced Sales Resources

(when referring to the NFP team)

adviser

Adviser with an “e” refers to an entity. (See registered

investment adviser.)

advisor

Advisor with an “o” refers to a person.

Example: He is an investment advisor representative.

AdvisorComplete

(One word; use service marks (SM) on first use only, even in

newsletters with multiple articles.)

AdvisorEnterprise

(One word; use service marks (SM) on first use only, even

in newsletters with multiple articles.)

Advisory & Investments

Advisory & Investments Consulting

(when referring to the Advisory & Investments sales

team only)

afterward (not afterwards)

after-tax savings plan

AI Insight

aka (Lowercase; do not use periods.)

alternative minimum tax

(Lowercase; abbreviate as AMT on second reference.)

and vs. “&”

Use the ampersand (&) only when it’s part of a company’s

name (Procter & Gamble) or part of an official title.

Otherwise, do not use “&” in place of the word “and.”

Some exceptions can be made, e.g., using “&” to save

space in the title of an agenda.

applicable federal rate

(Lowercase; abbreviate as AFR

on second reference.)

apps, mobile

Titles of apps should be capitalized. Do not use quotation

marks.

auto plan (noun), auto-plan (adjective preceding a noun)

B trust (Bypass trust is preferred.)

baby boomers (lowercase)


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Updated April 2015

bank-owned life insurance

(Lowercase; abbreviate as BOLI on second reference.)

benefits

Lowercase unless part of a proper noun, such as

Benefits Partners.

Benefits Integration Group

(when referring to the NFP program)

Benefits, NFP

When referring to NFP Benefits firms, member firms should

be called Benefits Partners firms, and owned firms should

be called NFP offices.

Benefits Partners

(Do not use “NFP” before Benefits Partners.)

best-in-class/best-of-breed

Hyphenate when used as an adjective preceding a noun,

e.g., best-in-class programs.

board, board member, board of trustees|

Do not capitalize “board” or the phrase “board members.”

Capitalize “board” only when part of a formal title.

Example: They are members of the NFP Board of Directors.

Example: The board members met yesterday.

brochures

Use double quotation marks around brochure titles.

Example: For more information, read the MetLife

brochure titled “Building Financial Freedom.”

broker-dealer (lowercase)

No longer broker/dealer

book titles

Italicize book titles.

Example: He wrote How to Succeed in Business.

buy-sell agreement

buyback

buyout

bypass trust (lowercase)

C corporation (no hyphen)

Cadillac plan

Do not capitalize “plan.”

cafe

cannot

capital, capital gain, capital loss (lowercase)

carve-out plan (lowercase)

channel

charitable lead trust

charitable lead annuity trust

charitable lead unitrust

check-in/check in

Use check-in as a noun or adjective, and check in as a verb.

(See checkout/check out.)

checkout/check out

Use checkout as a noun or adjective, and check out as a

verb. (See check in/check-in.)

Client Central

closely held (no hyphen)

cloud, cloud computing, cloud server file

coinsurance (no hyphen)

company, the

Do not capitalize company when referring to NFP.

Correct: NFP is pleased with the results. The company

said it expected the increase.

Incorrect: NFP is pleased with the results. The Company

said it expected the increase.

congressional

Lowercase unless part of a proper name.

Correct: His article was published in Congressional

Quarterly in January.

Correct: There will be a congressional hearing next week.

consumer driven health plans

(Abbreviate as CDHPs on second reference; lowercase

when spelled out.)

copay, copayment (no hyphen)

copyright symbol

See trademark symbols.

Core carrier, NFP

Corporate Benefits Training and Education

corporate-owned life insurance (Lowercase; abbreviate

as COLI on second reference.)

cost-sharing/cost sharing

Use cost-sharing as an adjective, and cost sharing

as a noun.

court cases

Italicize the name of the case, e.g., Hector v. Deere.

Use v., not vs.

credit shelter trust

(Lowercase; abbreviate as CST on second reference.)

cyberattack one word, noun and adjective

cybersecurity one word, noun and adjective


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dates

Do not use numbers with st, nd, rd or th. Correct: July 1

Incorrect: July 1st

Do not use a comma after a month when only month and

year are used.

Correct: The meeting is in April 2008.

Incorrect: The meeting is in April, 2008.

Use a comma before and after the year when a date

consists of a month, date and year.

Example: On Dec. 16, 2008, several firms met in Austin, TX.

Use a comma after a day and date sequence.

Example: The meeting will be on Friday, Oct. 31,

in Austin, TX.

See also months.

death benefit only plan (lowercase)

decades

Don’t use an apostrophe when referring to decades. Correct: It was built in the 1990s.

Incorrect: It was built in the 1990’s.

decision-making process, decision-maker

(Hyphenate as adjective and noun.)

departments

Capitalize department names.

Example: the Compliance department.

When mentioning a department’s team, the department

name is capitalized, but the word “team” is not.

Example: Contact the Marketing Communications team.

designations

Should be trademarked.

Examples: CFP®, CIMA®, AEP®

Degree designations like B.A. and Ph.D. should not be

trademarked.

dine arounds

Do it Well

(Lowercase “it” in the title of the Benefits newsletter.)

dollars

Do not use the dollar sign ($) and the word “dollars”

together.

Correct: She had $500 to invest.

Incorrect: She had $500 dollars to invest.

Use commas in amounts with four numerals or higher. Correct: She invested $1,000 in the stock.

Incorrect: She invested $1000 in the stock.

Do not use zeroes after dollar amounts.

Correct: The minimum investment is $200.

Incorrect: The minimum investment is $200.00.

Avoid using K to express thousands of dollars, except in

tables when space is tight. In such cases, use uppercase K.

Example: $50K

drop-down menu

dynasty trust

e-learning (hyphenated and lowercase)

email (no hyphen)

Lowercase unless it is the start of a sentence.

email addresses (Lowercase all email addresses, even

when containing proper names.) Example: [email protected]

employer mandate (lowercase)

endnote

An endnote is a note of explanation or comment placed at

the end of a document. (See footnotes.)

exchange (as in state health insurance exchange)

Lowercase when not part of a formal title.

family limited partnership

federal

Lowercase federal when used as an adjective, e.g., federal

taxes or federal government.

Uppercase federal when part of a formal name, e.g., the

Federal Trade Commission.

Federal Register (italicize)

fee-for-service

Hyphenate as an adjective preceding a noun.

firm, NFP

Do not capitalize the word “firm” unless part of an actual

title.

first in, first out

(When referring to the accounting method; abbreviate as

FIFO on second reference.)

fiscal year

When abbreviating: FY 2008 (not FY2008)

fixed income market

flexible spending account

Abbreviate as FSA on second reference; lowercase when

spelled out.)

floors

Spell out first through ninth when referring to floors. Example: His office is on the second floor.

Example: Her office is on the 11th floor

Hyphenate when used as an adjective.

Example: She has a fifth-floor office.



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footnote

A footnote is a note of reference, explanation or comment

placed at the end of a page. Footnotes should be

numbered, unless there is only one in a document,

in which case, use an asterisk. (See endnotes.)

follow up/follow-up

Use follow up as a verb and follow-up as a noun or

adjective.

foreign terms

Unfamiliar foreign terms should be italicized at first use.

forms

Capitalize the title of the form, but not the word “form.” Example: Included is the Replacement Disclosure form.

Fourth of July

401(k) (no space between the 1 and the k)

401(k) Compass

fully insured plan (no hyphen)

fundraising

generation-skipping transfer tax

(Lowercase; abbreviate as GSTT or GST tax on

second reference.)

grantor retained annuity trust

(Lowercase; abbreviate as GRAT on second reference.)

green card

health care

health reimbursement arrangements

(Abbreviate as HRAs on second reference; lowercase

when spelled out.)

health savings account

(Abbreviate as HSA on second reference; lowercase

when spelled out.)

HighCap

high-deductible health plan

(Abbreviate as HDHP on second reference.)

high net worth

high-quality (when used as an adjective preceding a noun)

Example: We offer high-quality services.

Example: We offer services of high quality.

high-yield bonds

Highland Capital Brokerage

When shortening the name, HCB is acceptable. Otherwise,

use Highland Capital Brokerage; do not shorten to Highland

Capital or Highland.

Highlighted carrier, NFP

highly compensated employees

homeowners insurance

home page

House bill (Abbreviate as HB at all times.)

Example: HB 657

human resources (Use the plural in all references.)

idea-sharing (Hyphenate in all uses.)

i.e. vs. e.g.

The Latin abbreviation i.e., stands for “in other words” or

“that is.” Use it to further define a statement.

Example: I am going to see the top financial firm, i.e.,

Smith Financial, for assistance.

The Latin abbreviation e.g. means “for example.” When

you use e.g., you are not offering a finite list, just a few

examples.

Example: Some policies, e.g., whole life and universal life,

offer substantial benefits.

Both i.e. and e.g. should be set off with commas. Do not

italicize. In general, these abbreviations can be avoided by

using “such as” or “for example.”

in-house (Hyphenate in all references.)

Inc. and Ltd.

Consult the company to find out whether it uses a comma

before Inc. or Ltd. You do not need to use Inc. or Ltd. on

second use. You do not need a comma following Inc. or Ltd.

Only the first letter should be capitalized.

Example: Time Warner Inc. is one company that provides

cable in Austin, TX. Time Warner is headquartered in

Alexandria, VA.

income-tax-free

Hyphenate as an adjective preceding a noun.

index, indexes, indices

in force/in-force

Example: The policy is in force. What in-force coverage

do you have?

Internal Revenue Code

Abbreviate as IRC on second use. In citations, write as

IRC § 212; within text, spell out the word “Section.” (See

section.) When listing multiple sections, use §§, with a

space before and after the symbols but not between.)

Example: See IRC §§ 401(a), 403(b) and 408.

international phone numbers

The NFP International Insurance Solutions preferred format

is 1.512.697.6250 (include 1 and use periods).

Internet (Capitalize in all uses.)

intranet (lowercase)


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insurance ratings

Preferred, Standard, Non-Standard (hyphenated)

investment advisor representative

(Do not capitalize.)

journals

Italicize journal titles. When making a title plural or

possessive, italicize only the title.

key man, key person (two words)

As in key man life insurance coverage.

keynote (one word)

As in keynote speaker.

last in, first out

(When referring to the accounting method; abbreviate as

LIFO on second reference.)

laws and bills

Italicize full titles of laws and bills.

Licensing & Registration

When refering to NFP Advisor Services.

life settlement(s)

(Lowercase unless part of a title or business.)

lists (vertical, as illustrated here)

• Begin each item in the list with the same verb tense and

part of speech. For example, “improved,” “modified,”

“solved.”

• Use all phrases or use all complete sentences. If a list

contains both, use periods after each bullet.

• Use an initial capital letter for the first word in each item

of a list.

• Use bullets instead of numbers when creating lists; use

numbers only if there is a priority or sequence to the list

items.

lists (within paragraphs)

Use Arabic numerals, not Roman numerals or letters, with

closing parentheses.

Example: The plan must 1) render the advice as to the

value of securities, 2) do so on a regular basis and 3)

ensure that such person will render investment advice

based on the needs of the plan.

log in/login

Use log in as a verb, login as a noun or adjective.

Example: Log in to the site. Your login is 1234. Your login

information is attached.

long-term care

(Lowercase; abbreviate as LTC on second reference.)

low income/low-income

Use no hyphen when a noun. Hyphen when adjective. Example: He has a very low income. Low-income earners

need financial guidance, too.

magazines

Italicize magazine titles. When making a title plural or


mergers-and-acquisitions

(Hyphenate when used as a modifier.)

midsize or midsized

M/B (uppercase)

M and B can be used to express million and billion,

respectively, in PowerPoints, charts and other graphical

materials (not in regular text).

modified endowment contract

(Lowercase; abbreviate as MEC on second reference.)

Pronounced “MECK”; therefore, should always be preceded

by the article “a.”

moneys (preferred plural for money)

months

Capitalize the name of months in all uses.

When a month is used with a specific date in text in a

complete sentence, abbreviate January (Jan.), February

(Feb.), August (Aug.), September (Sept.), October (Oct.),

November (Nov.) and December (Dec.).

Example: The meeting will be held on Nov. 6, 2010.

However, if month and date are used in text that is not

a complete sentence, the full month can be used. For

example, agendas, memos and newsletters may include

full dates in headers (September 13, 2011).

mortgage-backed securities

multicarrier

multidiscipline

multi-disability

multiemployer

multigenerational

multi-life disability

multiple employer welfare arrangement

(Abbreviate as MEWA on second reference.)

mutual fund

names, in lists

Names should be in alphabetical order by last name (not

first name). In the case of compound or hyphenated

surnames, alphabetize by the first element.

Example: Jane Smith Jones would be listed under S.

NASD

NASD is now FINRA. Do not use NASD.

Nasdaq


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Updated April 2015

National Financial

National Financial Services is now National Financial.

Do not use the acronym NFS.

newsletters

Italicize newsletter names. When making a title plural or


Example: For more information, read Compliance Corner.

newspapers

Italicize newspaper names. When making a title plural or


Note: Some newspapers have “The” as an official part

of the name. For example, The New York Times. Keep

unless it must be dropped. For example: He shared a

New York Times article with us.

NFP

Use NFP in all text except legal/compliance

documents and statements. In those cases, use

the company's legal name, NFP Corp.

NFP Advisor Services

NFP Canada

Note: Drop the “Canada” for all collateral created for this

entity that will only be used in Canada; it should be referred

to as NFP. Some exceptions may apply.

NFP Corp.

The legal name of NFP. Use in legal/compliance

documents and statements only.

NFP Advisor Services

NFP Disability

NFP Education & Development

Do not use. Now NFP Talent Development.

NFP Health and Welfare

NFP HR Services

NFP IndeSuite (Include the SM mark at first reference.)

NFP International

NFP Insurance Services, Inc.

(Abbreviate as NFPISI on second reference.)

NFP Meetings and Event Strategy

NFP Life Insurance Training and Education

NFP logos

Logos should carry the ® sign rather than TM.

Note: On nfp.com, the circle R should appear on both the

“NFP” and the nexus. NFP Fusion Advisor Network is not

protected as a whole, but the nexus should carry the circle

R.

NFP member firm/NFP affiliate

Do not use the term “NFP member” or “NFP affiliate.” Do

not use the phrase “member of NFP.” Instead, refer to the

membership group.

Example: It is a PartnersFinancial membership firm.

Example: It is a Benefits Partners member firm.

NFP office (replaces “owned firm”)

NFP Print Center

NFP Property & Casualty (P&C)

Abbreviate as NFP P&C on second reference except after a person’s title. NFP Property & Casualty should always be spell out after a person’s title.

Example: Terrence Scali, CEO, NFP Property & Casualty

NFP Property & Casualty (P&C) Private Client Group

Refer to it as P&C Private Client Group after first mention.

NFP Talent Development

(Replaces NFP Education Development)

NFP Training & Education

no-lapse guarantee products

non-correlated

nondiscrimination (testing or policy)

non-exempt

non-grandfathered

non-medical

Non-standard (Hyphenate; see insurance ratings.)

nonprofit

nonqualified plans

non-registered (hyphenated adjective)

nonresident

nonresident alien

nontraded REIT


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Updated April 2015

numbers

Write out numbers zero to nine; use numerals for the

number 10 and above.

Correct: There are six companies that are members.

We hope to have 30 more join this year.

Incorrect: There are 6 companies that are members.

We hope to have thirty more join this year.

There are several exceptions to this rule:

Addresses: 6 Maple Street

Ages: Figures for people, animals and inanimate objects

Cents: 5 cents

Dollars: $5 (Don’t use extra zeros with sums of money.

$6, not $6.00) Dates: June 6, 2008

Dimensions: He is 6 feet tall.

Fractions: Write out amounts less than one: two-thirds,

three-quarters.

Millions/billions: 3 million people

Percentages: 40 percent (Always spell out percent unless

in a chart or table.)

Speed: 7 miles per hour

Temperature: 50 degrees

Spell out numbers that start a sentence.

Example: Ten years ago, NFP opened its doors.

Spell out first through ninth when they indicate sequence in

time or location. Starting with 10th, use figures.

Example: Register for the second annual Executive

Benefits Sales Summit.

on site/on-site

Use on site as an adverb, and on-site as an adjective. Example: You can register on site.

Example: On-site registration is now available.

one-on-one (Hyphenate in all uses.)

online

Online Print Center

This is the new name for the Marketing Bridge. There are

links to it on the PartnersFinancial, Insurance and Advisor

Services websites.

open architecture platform

Option/Options

Spell out and capitalize when referring to options in our

automated phone system.

Example: Contact Trading Support at 800-880-0080,

Options 1, 2.

out-of-pocket expenses

owned firm should not be used; use instead “NFP office”

or “NFP employees”

PartnersFinancial

(Do not shorten to Partners in formal communications.)

Example: He is a member of PartnersFinancial.

PartnersFlash (One word)

PartnersVoice (One word)

party affiliations

Abbreviate states in politicians’ party affiliations, using ZIP

code abbreviations.

Example: Sen. Jim Jones, R-OK.

pass-through entity percent

Write out the word percent in text, unless the text is a

non-marketing document with a heavy focus on conveying

a financial circumstance. Use the word “percent” when it

accompanies a specific number, and the word “percentage”

without a number.

Preferred: Taxes went up 20 percent.

Acceptable (in figure-heavy docs): Taxes went up 20%

Note: Use the % symbol in charts, graphs and tables.

PeopleFirst NFP HR program; one word, capital P, capital F

phone numbers/fax numbers

The preferred format for phone numbers and fax numbers

is: 800-880-0080 (Do not use a “1” in front of a toll-free

number.)

Example: 512-697-5145

When referring to an extension follow this format: Example: Contact Jill Smith at 512-697-6555, Ext. 6172.

Note: Periods are used instead of dashes in some design

elements as well as stationery. Periods should not be

used in general text.

policyholder (one word)

policyowner

point of sale as a noun, point-of-sale as an adjective

post-tax hyphenate adjective before and after nouns

PPACA use instead of ACA in all cases

Spell out on first use. Patient Protection and Affordable Care

Act (PPACA)

pre-existing condition

Preferred (See insurance ratings.)

premium leveraging arrangement

pretax

principal, NFP (lowercase)

ProductExpert (one word)

professional employer organization

property and casualty insurance

Note: Use ampersand (&) only when part of an

organization’s name, e.g., NFP Property & Casualty.


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Updated April 2015

quarters

Spell out fiscal quarters when they are expressed as nouns.

Hyphenate them when they modify nouns. Abbreviate to Q

plus the appropriate number in graphs/tables or when space

is extremely limited.

Example: The company experienced gains during the

first quarter of 2010.

Example: The speaker discussed the company’s

first-quarter profits.

Example: Q3 2012 earnings

Rabbi trust

recordkeeping/record keeping (One word as an adjective

preceding a noun)

Example: The recordkeeping program is useful. It’s very

good at record keeping.

Regions

Lowercase north, south, northeast, etc., when they indicate

compass direction.

Example: She drove west.

Capitalize regions.

Example: Midwest, East Coast, the Western states

Lowercase when describing a section of a city or state. Example: western Texas

registered investment adviser

(Lowercase; Abbreviate as RIA on second reference.)

An entity, not a person (See advisor.)

registered representative (Do not capitalize.)

reinsurance

reports

Use double quotation marks around titles of reports.

Example: More information can be found on the

company’s annual report, “Smith Company in Review.”

representative

Use Rep. before a representative’s name on first use.

The Rep. can be dropped on second use.

Example: Rep. Jack Smith voted yesterday. Smith is a

supporter of public option health care.

Do not capitalize the word “representative” if used without

a name.

Example: The representatives are meeting tomorrow

robo-advisor noun, hyphenated

rollup/roll up

Use rollup as a noun and roll up as a verb.

Example: The rollup reduced costs and increased revenue.

Example: The board members decided the two

companies should roll up by end of year.

roundtable (one word)

S corporation (no hyphen)

safe harbor (no hyphen)

School of Excellence

Note: Do not use SOE acronym.

Seasons

Lowercase “spring,” “summer,” “fall” and “winter,” as well

as derivatives such as “springtime.”

Capitalize if part of a formal name, e.g., “Winter Olympics.”

section

In textual references to specific sections of legal

documents, such as the Internal Revenue Code, spell out

and capitalize the word “section.”

Example: As background, Section 105(h)

nondiscrimination applies to self-insured plans.

Use the section symbol, §, when referring to sections within

a citation.

Example: PPACA § 9002(b)

Select carrier, NFP

self-insured health plan (Not self-funded)

Senate bill (Abbreviate as SB at all times.)

Example: SB 657

Senator

Use Sen. before a senator’s name on first use. The Sen. can

be dropped on second use.

Example: Sen. Olympia Snowe voted yesterday. Snowe is

a big supporter of public option health care.

Do not capitalize the word “senator” if used without a name.

Example: The senators are meeting tomorrow.

service marks (SM) (Uppercase)

Note: The font size of the service marks should be slightly

smaller than the rest of the text, and service marks should

never be bolded, even when appearing in a heading or title.

Service marks should precede any and all punctuation.

7- pay target

ships

Italicize ship names.

short-term care, disability

single(k) plans

small business owner (no hyphen)

smartphone

Social Security

Capitalize the phrase whenever referring to the U.S. system.

speeches

Put speech titles in quotation marks.

split-dollar plan (arrangement, insurance, agreements, etc.)

Standard (See insurance ratings.)


Updated April 2015

states

City and state names should be separated by commas and

the state separated from the sentence with another comma.

Example: They went to Austin, TX, on their vacation.

stepparents

stop-loss (Hyphenate in all uses.)

studies

Use double quotation marks around titles of published

studies.

sub-account

summary plan description

Sure Start (when referring to the NFP program)

takeaways

target-date fund

tax deductible/tax-deductible

Examples: Is that plan tax deductible? There is a

tax-deductible plan.

television shows

Use quotation marks around television shows.

the workplace HELPLINE

(Always write HELPLINE in all caps; lowercase the workplace

in text, but leave it

capitalized in logos.)

third-party administrator

(Lowercase; abbreviate as TPA on second reference.)

time

Use a.m. and p.m. (In sentences, do not use the “:00.”)

Correct: The boat leaves at 6 a.m.

Incorrect: The boat leaves at 6 am.

Incorrect: The boat leaves at 6 AM.

Agenda times should be listed with the “:00.” Example: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Always use numerals for time except for noon and midnight.

Lowercase noon unless it starts the time sequence.

Examples: Noon – 2:00 p.m.; 11:00 a.m. – noon

In sentences, use a.m. / p.m. only once. Correct: The meeting is scheduled for 9 – 11 a.m.

Incorrect: The meeting is scheduled for 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.

time zones

The abbreviations, such as ET, CT and PT, are acceptable.

Do not use a comma to set off a time zone.

Example: The meeting is at 2 p.m. CT at the Hyatt.

Note: NFP style accepts the dropping of the indication

of daylight saving time. So, for example, if it’s CST, CT

is acceptable.

titles

Titles like “manager” are not capitalized in text except in

press releases.

top hat plan

toward (not towards)

trademark symbols

In NFP products, use the appropriate trademark symbol on

first use only. No trademark symbols are necessary for non-

NFP products. Some exceptions may apply. The NFP logo

should have an ® instead of a TM mark.

Training On Demand (when referring to the NFP program)

TRICARE

24/7

Use a slash to represent a time period that continues

24 hours a day, seven days a week.

trust owned health insurance (lowercase)

turnkey (one word)

tweet

Twitter

Type 1/Type 2 diabetes

UConnect (when referring to the NFP program)

ultra high net worth (No hyphens, even when used as

adjective.)

UnderwritingExpert (when referring to the NFP program)

United States/U.S.

For U.S. and U.K., use periods except in press release boiler

plate, where it’s US and UK.

universal life (lowercase)

URLs

Do not use “http://” at the beginning of a URL that

starts with “www.”

username (one word)

Voice Over Internet Protocol (Abbreviate to VoIP.)

wall (As in Facebook wall; do not capitalize.)

Washington, D.C.

webcast, webcam, webmaster (lowercase)

WebEx

Web page (uppercase “W” and two words)

Use caps with no italics or quotation marks.

Note: If you’re discussing several capitalized segments

of a website (separate pages within the site, sections,

etc.), it may be necessary to use quotation marks or other

treatment to make distinctions between these separate

elements.

website

website tabs

Capitalize and place in quotation marks. Example: Click on the “Information” tab for details.

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http://www/


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Updated April 2015

website titles

Use caps with no italics or quotation marks. This rule should

be followed even if the website name is also the name of a

publication. (See note on Web page.)

white papers

Use double quotation marks around titles of white papers.

Example: The independent research firm produced a white

paper called “RIA Technology Integration: The

True Opportunity Cost of Inefficiency,” which was

commissioned by NFP Advisor Services.

whole life (lowercase)

Wi-Fi

WinFlex Web (when referring to the program)

wirehouse

workers’ compensation

work-life balance

wrapup/wrap-up

When used as a verb – It is time to wrap up the conference.

When used as a noun – He did a short wrap-up at the end of

the call.

www

Do not use “http://” at the beginning of a URL that starts with

“www.”

year-end

Hyphenate as an adjective or noun.

Example: The year-end figures looked good.

Example: We will figure out the numbers at year-end.

http://www/


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Updated April 2015

What to Capitalize in a Title

• The first and last words of a headline title. Note: If the

word is trademarked in the lowercase (e.g., iPhone,

eBay), do not capitalize it when it begins a title.

• Any word of five letters or more.

• Nouns — People, places, things.

• Pronouns — Replace nouns or other pronouns, e.g., I,

you, he, she, it, we, they, who, me, you, him, her, it, us,

them, whom, my, mine, your, yours, his, her, our, their,

this, that.

Don’t Capitalize • Articles — the, a, an

• Prepositions of four letters or fewer, e.g., at, by, but, for,

in, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, out, over, past, to, up,

upon, with

• Verbs — Express actions, events or states of being;

capitalize short verbs including: is, was, do, are, be.

• Adverbs — Add information to verbs, adjectives or

adverbs. Answer questions such as how, when, where,

and how much, e.g., so, very, quickly, beautifully, slowly.

• Adjectives — Modify/describe nouns or pronouns, e.g.,

yellow, round, warm.

• All types of conjunctions and conjunctive adverbs of

four or more letters, e.g., once, when, that, then, what.

• All types of conjunctions three letters or fewer, e.g.,

and, or, but, nor, so, for, yet, as, if

• Some words that are usually propositions sometimes

function as adverbs. Capitalize or don’t capitalize in a

title according to the word’s function.

Examples: Meet at the Monument (prepositional).

Schedule At a Glance (adverbial)

Somewhere over the Rainbow (prepositional).

Rolling Over Your IRA (adverbial)


continues >

Updated April 2015

Typography Rules and Punctuation Typography

• Insert only a single space after all punctuation.

• Don’t underline text for emphasis.

Don’t underline hyperlinks.

• Use boldface and italics text sparingly.

• Avoid heavy use of exclamation marks.

• Don’t use more than one exclamation mark after a word.

• Don’t use all capital letters for emphasis.

• Use numbers for footnotes and endnotes, not Roman

numerals. If there is only one, use an asterisk.

Punctuation

Apostrophes

Use an apostrophe and no additional “s” for possessive

formal names (singular or plural) ending in “s.”

Correct: Mr. Jones’ company opened in March.

Correct: The Joneses’ company is expanding.

Incorrect: Mr. Jones’s company is expanding.

Brackets

Use brackets to indicate that you have added a word into

a direct quote.

Colons

Colons are used most frequently to introduce lists or texts,

or to give emphasis to a statement.

Capitalize the first word after a colon if it’s a proper noun

or the start of a complete sentence.

Example: She promised this: The stock price would

rise again.

Colons go outside quotation marks unless part of

quoted material.

Commas

Do not use the serial comma, which is a comma before

a conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for) in a series, unless the

series is complex and the comma is needed for clarification.

Correct: The company’s logo is green, red and blue.

Incorrect: The company’s logo is green, red, and blue.

Correct: Smith Financial sells life, disability, and

property and casualty insurance to individuals.

Commas, adjectives

Use commas to separate adjectives of equal rank (if you

reversed their order, the sentence would still work).

Example: The program is quick, easy and cost-effective.

Example: She wore a cheap fur coat.

Commas, but

Use a comma before but if the word is separating two

sentences that can stand alone.

Example: She was glad he was there, but she had to

make a decision on her own.

Example: There was nothing out of place but a notebook.

Commas, including/such as

These phrases typically have a comma in front of them.

Example: This account offers many benefits, including

flexibility and personalization.

Contractions

If you choose to use contractions (you’re, they’re, isn’t), which

are considered “informal,” make sure that you are consistent

in using them throughout the document.

Dashes

Use spaces on both sides of a dash.

Use an em dash (—) to signal an emphatic phrase.

Example: We can make this company great — if we work

together.

Use an en dash (–) to set off a phrase or thought in the middle

of a sentence.

Example: He listed the qualities – intelligence, honesty,

independence – that he wants in his employees.

Ellipses ( … )

Ellipses indicate the deletion of words. They consist of three

periods and a space on either side of the first and last period.

Correct: I wanted to go … but we stayed.

Incorrect: I wanted to go…but we stayed.


continues >

Updated April 2015

Hyphens

Don’t hyphenate adverbs that end in –ly or start with very.

Examples: A carefully planned project; a fully automated

system; a very good job. (Note that the -ly adverbs are

moveable or switchable: e.g., a project planned carefully, a

virus discovered recently, a system that is automated fully.)

When a compound modifier – two or more words that express

a single thought or concept – precedes a noun, use hyphens

to link all the words in the compound modifier (with the

exception of the adverb very and all adverbs that end in –ly).

However, follow industry standards for well-known industry

terms (small business owner). See individual entries in this

style guide and AP. If not listed, consult Merriam-Webster’s

Dictionary.

Example: pass-through entity

Period

Insert only one space after a period and all other punctuation.

Quotation Marks

Place periods and commas inside quotation marks.

Place semicolons and colons outside of quotation marks.

In most cases, double quotation marks, not single, should be

used. Double quotation marks can be used to indicate a word

is unique or special in some way. Only put the word in quotes

on first use. Double quotation marks are also used when you

are quoting someone. Single quotation marks are used when

the person you are quoting is quoting someone else.

Example: “John gave me the best advice when he said,

‘Put your money in a Roth IRA,’” said Mark.

Single quotation marks can be used when there’s a quote in a

headline: Manager Alleges ‘Dirty Players’ on Baseball Team

Semicolons

Use a semicolon when items in a series are long or contain

internal commas. Use a semicolon before the final conjunction.

Example: He has a son, Ted Jones, of Chicago; a

daughter, Jane Smith, of Alabama; and a wife, Sue Jones,

from Portland.


continues >

Updated April 2015

Acronyms Need to write out an acronym but aren’t sure what it means? This list may help.

AGI – adjusted gross income

ALU – The Academy of Life Underwriting

AUM – assets under management

BGA – brokerage general agency

BOLI – bank-owned life insurance

CAGR – compounded annual growth rate

CDHP – consumer driven health plan

CIMA – Certified Investment Management Analyst

CLU – Chartered Life Underwriter

CLT – charitable lead trust

CLAT – charitable lead annuity trust

CLUT – charitable lead unitrust

CMS – Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

COLI – corporate-owned life insurance

CRM – content relationship management

CSO – Commissioner’s Standard Ordinary mortality table

DI – disability insurance

DRIPs – dividend reinvestment plans

E&O Coverage – errors and omissions coverage

EAP – employee assistance program

ERISA – Employee Retirement Income Security Act

ETFs – exchange-traded funds

FIFO – first in, first out (an accounting method)

FINRA – Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

FLMI – Fellow, Life Management Institute

FLP – family limited partnership

FLSA – Fair Labor Standards Act

FMLA – Family Medical Leave Act

FSA – flexible spending account

GAAP – generally accepted accounting principles

GDP – gross domestic product

GST or GSTT – generation-skipping transfer tax

HCEs – highly compensated employees

HR – human resources

HRA – health reimbursement arrangements

HSA – health savings account

ILIT – irrevocable life insurance trust

IRAs – individual retirement accounts

IRC – Internal Revenue Code

IPS – investment policy statement

J.D. – Juris Doctor

LIFO – last in, first out (an accounting method)

LLC – limited liability corporation

LL.M. – Master of Laws

L.P. – limited partnership

LTC – long-term care

MEC – modified endowment contract

MEWA – multiple employer welfare arrangement

NASDAQ – National Association of Securities Dealers

Automated Quotient

NPCI – net payment cost index

NYSE – New York Stock Exchange

OPEB – other post employment benefits

P&C – property and casualty

PEO – professional employer organization

PPLI – private placement life insurance

RIA – registered investment adviser

RRE – responsible reporting entity

SCI – surrender cost index

SEC – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission

SEP IRA – simplified employee pension

SERP – supplemental executive retirement plan

SIMPLE IRA – savings incentive match plan for employees

SSA – Social Security Administration

SOLI – stranger owned life insurance

TOHI – trust owned health insurance

TPA – third-party administrator


continues >

Updated April 2015

Frequently Misused Words

affect/effect

Affect is a verb meaning to influence: His decision will

affect the board members.

Effect as a verb means to cause: We hope our new

president will effect change in the company.

Effect as a noun means result: The effect of his actions on

the company was minor.

allude/elude

Allude is to make an indirect reference: I heard him allude

to the matter.

Elude is to avoid or evade: The perpetrator managed to

elude authorities.

appraise/apprise

Appraise is to evaluate or estimate: He appraised the ring

at $5,000.

Apprise is to inform: Keep the firms apprised of your

progress.

between/among

Among refers to more than two parties: The estate was

divided among four heirs.

Between is used to refer to two parties: An agreement

was struck between the two firms.

can/may

Can denotes the ability to do something.

May denotes permission or possibility.

complement/compliment

Complement indicates something that completes or goes

with something else: The graphs complement the text well.

Compliment indicates an expression of admiration or flattery.

Complimentary means something is given free of charge.

compared to/compared with

Use compared to when the intention is to assert that two

or more things are similar or have resemblances even

though they are of a different order: Life has been compared

to a battle.

Use compared with when juxtaposing two or more items to

illustrate differences or similarities of a similar order: Revenue

rose 12 percent compared with the prior year period.

ensure/insure/assure

Ensure means to make certain: The company took steps to

ensure its continued growth.

Insure means to give, take or procure insurance on.

Assure means to give confidence to.

farther/further

Farther refers to distance: Jack ran farther than Jill. Further

refers to time or quantity: I need to look further into the

matter.

fewer/less

Use fewer when referring to a number or an amount that can

be counted: Fewer people than ever voted this year.

Use less when the amount cannot be counted: There is less

sand on the beach this year.

Note: In some cases, when referring to time or money, less

is correct: Please spend less than $100.

Into/in to

Use into when referring to a physical place one can enter: The

man walked into the cave.

Use in to when “to” has its own object: She turned her paper

in to the teacher.

Note: If it does not answer the question “Where?” in to is

probably the correct choice.

Its and It’s

Its is the possessive form of “it”: Its tail was very big.

It’s is a contraction of “it is”: It’s nice to meet you.

Lend/loan

Lend is a verb: Jack asked Jill to lend him $100.

Loan is a noun: The bank gave her a loan.

principle/principal

A principle is a law, doctrine or code of conduct: The board of

directors acted in accordance with the company’s principles.

A principal can mean capital or a person who has authority or

influence: The principal investor provided the majority of the

startup’s principal.

stationary/stationery

Stationary means immobile, fixed.

Stationery is writing paper.

than/then

Than is a conjunction used in comparisons: Jack is taller

than Jill.

Then has several meanings that refer to description of times:

We’ll meet then. First I opened the account; then I moved

my funds.


continues >

Updated April 2015

that/which

That is a restrictive clause, which means it is part of a

sentence that you can’t get rid of because it would change

the meaning of the sentence. For example: The life insurance

that she purchased may help her children pay for college.

Which is a nonrestrictive clause. If you eliminated the

clause, the rest of the sentence would not lose its meaning.

For example: Her life insurance, which she purchased last

year, may help her children pay for college. There was a

drop in the market, which is bad news.

that/who

Always use who to refer to people.

Use that to refer to things.

who/whom

Who always refers to the subject of the sentence: Stan is a

person who gives his all. Who is there?

Whom refers to the object of the verb or preposition: The

woman to whom the car was given parked in the driveway.

Maggie didn’t ask for whom the bell tolls.

Note: When in doubt about whether to use who or whom,

turn the sentence into a question and ask yourself if the

answer to the question would be he or him. If you can

answer the question with him, then use whom, It’s easy

to remember because they both end with m.

Example: If the sentence is “Who/whom is attending the

conference?” the answer would be “He is attending the con-

ference.” He does not end with an m, so you know to use

who. But if the sentence is “Who/whom should I send the

document to?” the answer would be “Send it to him.” Him

ends with an m, so you know to use whom.


continues >

Updated April 2015

Writing and Editing References

The Associated Press Stylebook This site provides answers to frequently asked questions about Associated Press style, which NFP editorial style is based on. www.apstylebook.com

Copyediting newsletter This newsletter covers language-use issues and offers practical editorial advice.

www.copyediting.com

Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing Grammar Girl offers searchable and easy-to-understand explanations for writing and editing questions. http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Merriam-Webster Online This is an online dictionary and thesaurus. www.merriam-webster.com/

Purdue Online Writing Lab The Online Writing Lab at Purdue University provides hundreds of writing/grammar resources. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

http://www.apstylebook.com/

http://www.copyediting.com/

http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

http://www.merriam-webster.com/

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

About NFP

At NFP Corp., our solutions and expertise are

matched only by our personal commitment to each

client’s goals. We are a leading insurance broker and

consultant that provides employee benefits, property

& casualty, retirement, and individual insurance

and wealth management solutions. Our registered

investment adviser and broker-dealer empowers

independent financial advisors with integrated

technology, subject matter expertise and a suite of

customized services.

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For internal use only. Copyright © 2014 NFP. All rights reserved.

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