With mutual funds, many people pool their money together and rely on a professional money manager to invest on their behalf.

A mutual fund portfolio is a collection of investments created from the fund manager's investment decisions, which are held in trust on behalf of the individual investors. Each fund has a defined investment objective that determines the overall management of the fund and the type of investments held within it.

When you invest in a mutual fund, you purchase units, or Shares, in the fund, where each share represents a proportion of the fund's value.

Mutual funds are available through many different types of financial institutions including brokerage firms, banks, trust companies, independent financial advisors and directly from the mutual fund companies offering them.

There is always a minimum investment amount for mutual funds, which varies among fund companies and individual funds. The amount usually falls between $500 and $2,500, although some fund companies offer Shares for less and others have a higher threshold.

After the initial minimum investment, you can generally make subsequent investments of as little as $25. You may also set up a contribution plan with regular investments on a weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly or quarterly basis. By investing on a regular basis, you are able to take advantage of the benefits of dollar cost averaging, a strategy that can help you manage market volatility and lower your average share cost.

To learn more about individual Tamarack Funds and the potential for each to help you meet your investment objectives, talk to your financial advisor or review our Fund Overviews. If you are ready to invest now, contact your financial advisor, or call 800.422.2766.