The least ambiguous approach is to simply write them out in words, such as “$ thousands.” This is CFI’s recommended method, to avoid any potential confusion. Explore our Leading with Finance and our other online finance and accounting courses to gain the skills and confidence needed to make and convey better financial decisions. To get a jumpstart, download our free Financial Terms Cheat Sheet. “M” is the most common abbreviation for “million.” If you’re going to abbreviate “million,” it would usually turn into this form.

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If, say, you use it for both units and dollars in the same document, separate the different categories so your readers don’t get confused. The Roman numerals MM are frequently used to designate that the units used in presenting information (financial and non-financial) are in millions. The example below shows how figures can be portrayed in millions. We accept payments via credit card, wire transfer, Western Union, and (when available) bank loan. Some candidates may qualify for scholarships or financial aid, which will be credited against the Program Fee once eligibility is determined. Please refer to the Payment & Financial Aid page for further information.

Example of MM in Financial Statements

• The example below shows how figures can be portrayed in millions.
• By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.
• The least ambiguous approach is to simply write them out in words, such as “$ thousands.” This is Corporate Finance Institute’s recommended method, to avoid any potential confusion.
• An abbreviation for million is most often seen in financial documents and paperwork.
• Yet, often in finance and accounting, we find that this abbreviation deviates from the cultural norm that permeates most industries.

Whether etched by hand or printed, space was at a premium on these pages. MM enabled fitting large monetary values concisely into tables and ledgers. Later on, the rise of typewriters and early digital spreadsheets continued what does mm stand for money this practice of using M and MM abbreviations. These technologies had character limits, so accountants and bankers adopted the shorthand to save space. MM helped condense meaning while still conveying millions clearly.

Financial Terminology: 20 Financial Terms to Know

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No, all of our programs are 100 percent online, and available to participants regardless of their location. “M” is only used as an abbreviation when talking about a lot of money or in scientific communities. You might not put a lot of thought into your abbreviations, and that’s okay. However, there are official abbreviations out there that you might come across, and it would help to know about them. We’ll explain the correct abbreviation for “million” in this article. As stated above, MM is generally used in business to represent millions since the letter M by itself has historically meant 1,000.

Our easy online application is free, and no special documentation is required. All participants must be at least 18 years of age, proficient in English, and committed to learning and engaging with fellow participants throughout the program. Our easy online enrollment form is free, and no special documentation is required.

Internet advertisers are familiar with CPM which is the cost per thousand impressions. To summarize, our modern numerical system is the same as the Hindu-Arabic numerical system. However, our abbreviations are a concoction of multiple cultural legacies ranging from Rome, Greece, India, China, and Arabia.

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All programs require the completion of a brief online enrollment form before payment. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before enrolling in the program of your choice. Another driver of using MM was the need to streamline amounts in printed financial statements, reports, and documents.

• If you’re looking to avoid the word million altogether, you won’t have much luck.
• For the past 52 years, Harold Averkamp (CPA, MBA) hasworked as an accounting supervisor, manager, consultant, university instructor, and innovator in teaching accounting online.
• Unfortunately, there isn’t a consistent approach to labeling units.
• However, I would not bet that that is a standard abbreviation.
• That said, if your organization uses M and it doesn’t cause confusion, you are free to use M to abbreviate one million.
• “M” is only used as an abbreviation when talking about a lot of money or in scientific communities.

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The applications vary slightly, but all ask for some personal background information. If you are new to HBS Online, you will be required to set up an account before starting an application for the program of your choice. “M” is the only acceptable abbreviation to use for “million” in UK English. You’ll find that a lot of UK native speakers won’t even know what “mm” stands for (outside of the “millimeter” measurement that is abbreviated to “mm”). “mm” (which is usually kept in the lower case) is an old-fashioned abbreviation that doesn’t see much common usage.

The word “million” is most often used in reference to money, but is also frequently used in exaggeration. The word “million” can be paired with the suffix “-aire” to form the word millionaire which indicates an individual with a million or more dollars. Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling. Unfortunately, there isn’t a consistent approach to labeling units. The least ambiguous approach is to simply write them out in words, such as “$ thousands.” This is Corporate Finance Institute’s recommended method, to avoid any potential confusion.