What are Mutual Funds?

Mutual funds are basically an investment co-op. Several people put their money into a single investment portfolio underneath the direction of a fund manager or other investment professional. The return is set an annual fixed fee, so that most of the risk and potential for substantial returns falls on the fund manager or firm. To the consumer, this is much less like an investment in the stock market and more like a bank account with a standard interest rate, even though their money is technically invested in a number of different ventures.