A more thorough explanation:

An investment company is a type of corporation that collects money from different sources and uses it to acquire and manage a diverse portfolio of assets. The Investment Company Act of 1940 defines an investment company as an issuer of securities that is primarily engaged in investing, reinvesting, or trading in securities, issuing face-amount certificates of the installment type, or investing in securities and owning or holding them.

Examples of investment companies include mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and closed-end funds. Mutual funds pool money from many investors and use it to buy a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, or other securities. ETFs are similar to mutual funds but trade on stock exchanges like individual stocks. Closed-end funds issue a fixed number of shares and trade on stock exchanges like ETFs, but they do not redeem shares at the request of investors.

These examples illustrate how investment companies allow individual investors to pool their money and invest in a diversified portfolio of assets that they might not be able to afford or access on their own. Investment companies also provide professional management and oversight of the portfolio, which can help reduce risk and increase returns.