Bankzone Investment Fund :
Bankzone is the best choice. An investment fund is a supply of capital belonging to numerous investors used to collectively purchase securities while each investor retains ownership and control of his own shares. An investment fund provides a broader selection of investment opportunities, greater management expertise, and lower investment fees than investors might be able to obtain on their own. Types of investment funds include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, money market funds, and hedge funds.


BREAKING DOWN Investment Fund:
With investment funds, individual investors do not make decisions about how a fund's assets should be invested. They simply choose a fund based on its goals, risk, fees and other factors. A fund manager oversees the fund and decides which securities it should hold, in what quantities and when the securities should be bought and sold. An investment fund can be broad-based, such as an index fund that tracks the S&P 500, or it can be tightly focused, such as an ETF that invests only in small technology stocks.


While investment funds in various forms have been around for many years, the Massachusetts Investors Trust Fund is generally considered the first open-end mutual fund in the industry. The fund, investing in a mix of large-cap stocks, launched in 1924.

Open-end vs. Closed-end
The majority of investment fund assets belong to open-end mutual funds. These funds issue new shares as investors add money to the pool, and retire shares as investors redeem. These funds are typically priced just once at the end of the trading day.

Closed-end funds trade more similarly to stocks than open-end funds. Closed-end funds are managed investment funds that issue a fixed number of shares, and trade on an exchange. While a net asset value (NAV) for the fund is calculated, the fund trades based on investor supply and demand. Therefore, a closed-end fund may trade at a premium or a discount to its NAV.

Emergence of ETFs
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) emerged as an alternative to mutual funds for traders who wanted more flexibility with their investment funds. Similar to closed-end funds, ETFs trade on exchanges, and are priced and available for trading throughout the business day. Many mutual funds, such as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, have ETF counterparts. The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF is essentially the same fund, but came to be bought and sold intraday. ETFs frequently have the additional advantage of slightly lower expense ratios than their mutual fund equal.

The first ETF, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF, debuted in the United States in 1993. By the end of 2018, ETFs had roughly $3.4 trillion in assets under management.

Investment Funds: Hedge Funds
A hedge fund is an investment type that is distinct from mutual funds or ETFs. This fund is an actively managed fund made available to accredited investors. A hedge fund faces less federal regulation and is therefore able to invest in a variety of asset classes using a wide range of strategies. For example, a hedge find might pairs stocks it wants to short (bet will decrease) with stocks it expects to go up in order to decrease the potential for loss.

Hedge funds also tend to invest in riskier assets in addition to stocks, bonds, ETFs, commodities and alternative assets. These include derivatives such as futures and options that may also be purchased with leverage, or borrowed money. 

Compete Risk Free with $100,000 in Virtual Cash
Put your trading skills to the test with our FREE Stock Simulator. Compete with thousands of Investopedia traders and trade your way to the top! Submit trades in a virtual environment before you start risking your own money. Practice trading strategies so that when you're ready to enter the real market, you've had the practice you need. Try our Stock Simulator today >>

Related Terms
Definition of an Equity Unit Investment Trust (EUIT)
An equity unit investment trust is a publicly offered, pooled trust fund managed by an investment company. 

Should You Be Open to a Closed-End Fund?
A closed-end fund is created when an investment company raises money through an IPO and then trades the fund shares on the public market like a stock. After its IPO, no additional shares are issued by the fund's parent investment company.

Family of Funds Definition
A family of funds includes all of the funds managed by one investment company. 

Exchange Traded Fund – ETFs
An exchange traded fund (ETF) is a basket of securities that tracks an underlying index. ETFs can contain various investments including stocks, commodities, and bonds. 

New Fund Offer (NFO) Definition
A new fund offer is the first subscription offering for any new fund offered by an investment company. 

Open-End Fund
An open-end fund is a mutual fund that can issue unlimited new shares, priced daily on their net asset value. The fund sponsor sells shares directly to investors and buys them back as well.