Investing is a very tricky term to define. Investing in widespread usage it is taken to mean exchanging money for a promise of more money in the future (i.e., investing in a bond), exchanging money for some or total ownership of a company or companies (i.e., investing in a stock or mutual fund), and the exchange of money by a business for an addition to their ability to produce (i.e., capital investment). While most people are familiar with the first two uses, always be specific when using the third and call it capital investment. (A side-note for the interested: investment as used in the definition of Gross Domestic Product is capital investment).