Investing, broadly, is putting money to work for a period of time in some sort of project or undertaking in order to generate positive returns or profits that exceed the amount of the initial investment. It is the act of allocating resources, usually capital, with the expectation of generating an income, profit, or gains. One can invest in many types of endeavor either directly or indirectly such as using money to start a business, or in assets such as purchasing real estate in hopes of generating rental income and/or reselling it later at a higher price.