To invest is to put money into the hope of some return/benefit in the near future. Simply put, to invest simply means buying an asset or an object with the intention of making a profit from the investment or simply the appreciation of that asset over a certain period of time. In the financial markets, an investment refers to any money or assets that are used as collateral in order to obtain funds for a planned purpose. The key purpose of all investments is to make money. There are different types of investments including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, real estate and foreign exchange.