A mutual fund or ETF that has a dual strategy of capital appreciation (growth) and current income generation through dividends or interest payments. A growth and income fund may invest only in equities or in a combination of stocks, bonds, REITS and other securities.



Growth and income funds are popular among investors with moderate (but not excessive) appetites for risk – the ever-popular “balanced investor.” Although returns will typically lag those of pure growth funds, sometimes high-yielding stocks become favored in the stock markets, driving up the growth and income funds to superior performance. The stability of these funds appears most attractive when the broad economy looks to be weakening.