A mutual fund is a pool of investments placed in a number of different securities by a mutual fund company. An IRA is similar to a mutual fund, except that IRA contributions are made post-tax and have to be made and withdrawn in specified amounts. Choose between a mutual fund and an IRA with help from a financial consultant in this free video on investments. Expert: John Pinelli Bio: John Pinelli is a financial service broker for Northwestern Mutual Insurance. Filmmaker: Bing Hu