Glossary of Tax and Finance Terms
L
Legally separated
A husband and wife who are required to live apart from each other by the terms of a decree of separate maintenance. Payments under the decree are deductible by the payor and taxable to the payee as alimony.
Like-kind exchange
An exchange of similar assets used in a business or held for investment on which gain may be deferred.
Lump-sum distribution
Payments within one tax year of the entire amount due to a participant in a qualified retirement plan. Qualifying lump sums may be directly rolled over tax free, or, in some cases, are eligible for current tax under a favorable averaging method.

