Defined asset fund

Defined asset fund

A unit investment trust consisting of a fixed portfolio of securities, including blue chips, REITs, or high-yielding stocks on a major exchange such as the NYSE or FTSE.

Defined Asset Fund

A unit investment trust that exists only for a limited period of time, after which it is liquidated. A unit investment trust consists of an unmanaged portfolio of securities, the rights to which are sold to investors as shares or units. The dividends and/or coupons from these securities are passed on to unit holders, just as in a mutual fund. A defined asset fund works like this, with the addition that, at a certain maturity, the assets in the fund are liquidated and distributed to unit holders.