What is a mutual fund?

A mutual fund is fundamentally an investment vehicle that pools money from multiple investors to create a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other securities. This collective investment approach allows individual investors to access professionally managed portfolios that they might not be able to replicate on their own due to high costs or limited capital. By pooling resources, mutual funds enable investors to spread their risk across a wider array of assets, which can lead to enhanced potential for returns and reduced volatility.

Through a mutual fund, investors can benefit from the expertise of fund managers who make investment decisions based on extensive research and market analysis. This structure not only democratizes access to investment opportunities but also provides liquidity, as investors can typically buy or sell their shares on any business day. Thus, the core feature of a mutual fund—its ability to gather and manage contributions from multiple investors—is what distinguishes it as a valuable investment option in personal finance.