Interval Fund

When you think of investing, you might think of mutual funds. To buy into a mutual, you buy shares (often through a broker) directly from the funds itself. Then, when you want to take your money out (to pay for liposuction or whatever), you sell the shares back to the fund.

So the money train only has two stops: you and the fund. There is no secondary market for these investments. You can't take your mutual fund shares and sell them on an exchange (or trade them to your brother-in-law in order to get his Mustang).

Closed-end funds are different. They issue a finite number of shares, which then trade in a secondary market. You don't buy from the fund (unless you purchase the shares in the IPO). Instead, you pick up shares being sold by other investors.

Interval funds kind of split the difference between mutual funds and closed-end funds. They're classified as closed-end funds, as far as the SEC is concerned. However, unlike your run-of-the-mill closed-ender, shares of an interval fund don't trade on a secondary market.

Instead, in order to get cash back for your shares, the fund runs periodic repurchase offers. That is, at intervals (hence the name), the fund will open the door for you to return your shares to them in exchange for cash. (Often, the "interval" part is really just academic, with the fund continuously offering repurchases.)

The price of repurchases for any interval fund is based on the net asset value of the fund at the time of the buyback.