text: It's a way of investing in the stock market without the 'direct' risk.  Unit trusts invest in alot of different shares, so the risk is reduced because if one lot of shares go down, they have others to make up the loss.  It is still a riskier investment than deposits and you can still lose money.  It all depends on how much risk you are prepared to take wih your money.  Unit trusts should be viewed as a medium to long term investment (5 years minimum, preferrably more) so don't put in all your money, or any that you will be needing in a short time.  Over a reasonable period of time, unit trusts generally outperform deposits, but there are no guarantees!