In short: putting money to work to earn a return.
This covers very different forms of investment.
First, financial investment as the most important form of generating financial gain.
Second, material investments as contributions (for example land, real estate, company shares, depreciation and others) through which an economic advantage in the form of a resilient stake is achieved.
Alongside these, intangible investments such as ideas, concepts and involvement are also forms of investment not to be underestimated. Here the achievable gain is a motivating personal contribution to, mostly, social developments.
Investments are thus, in general, financial, material or idealistic stakes in projects, funds, ventures or developments for the purpose of gaining an institutional or personal advantage.
The feeling of being successful and having done something good should not be underestimated. The "investing definition" is therefore not just the formal description of a mostly business-economic circumstance, but also an encouragement toward entrepreneurial and/or social action.

Key goals associated with the definition of investing

Besides earning a formal return, it is about supporting a wide variety of developments.
Of course, the primary investment focus in the material sphere is on creating and securing jobs as well as on the capacity utilization of machines and plants. Developing new techniques and technologies and corresponding products and making them marketable should not go unmentioned. Forward-looking sustainability and ecology are in focus today.
In the intangible sphere, the financial sector is particularly central. Investing money to earn more money is the fundamental concern.
In the social context, the goal is to stabilize and improve people's quality of life, both as a whole and in detail.
These can be investments in all areas of public services as well as in the fields of strategic public provision, basic research, foresight or other sectors that safeguard development. What is particularly important is that investments are earmarked for a purpose, in order to pursue clear goals and solve concrete tasks.
In principle, it should always be about looking and moving toward the future. That requires precise preparation and consistent implementation as well as the necessary definition of investing.

Definition of investing

Opportunities and risks in the definition of investing

With definitions of investing, it is important to know the necessary boundary conditions and assess them promptly.
There are many opportunities for success and satisfaction. These are the financial and material added value as well as the motivating idealistic involvement in concrete projects.
Opportunities, however, have to be deliberately identified and tapped.
The possible risks should not be underestimated. They lie above all in financial investments with a high risk factor, such as high-risk funds or stocks and other unstable assets. Besides high returns, a total loss can also threaten. Professional risk assessments in advance are therefore important. The same applies to assessments of the corresponding opportunities.


Possible, selected investments

  • Financial deposits (stocks, funds, loans and others)
  • Crowdfunding (companies, social sectors)
  • Company stakes
  • Project financing
  • Idealistic and intellectual investments