Investment Product

A bond. One that matures in 10 years is backed by Ford, and yields 7%. That's an investment product. A share of MSFT stock. That's an investment product.

Think of these items as "a la carte."

Roll them together and you get funds. Bond funds. Stock funds. Mutual Funds. Add peppers and spices called derivatives. And maybe you have a hedge fund. Want an investment lottery ticket? Try a venture capital fund. Many go completely bust, but every now and then, Silicon Valley pumps out one of these wherein investors get 50 times their money in a decade.

All investment products. Low cholesterol, even.