Money Magazine's list of recommended funds is not about aiming for the highest short-term returns. Our lineup is designed to let you build a well-balanced portfolio that will help you reach your most important financial goals, like putting your kids through college, starting a business or achieving a comfortable retirement.
We focus on criteria that have real predictive value: low expenses, a strong record for putting share-holder interests first and a consistent investment strategy.
A fund that meets our standards typically ends up delivering above-average returns - two-thirds of the actively-managed funds on our list posted returns that ranked in the top half of their category in 2006, and nearly 90 percent did so over five years.
Our roster includes a range of actively managed stock and bond portfolios, as well as low-cost index and exchange-traded funds. Or you can put your investments on cruise control with one of our target-date retirement portfolios, which automatically shift their asset mix to become more conservative as you get older.
See more on how we picked the funds and what changes we've made since last year.
 |
| AMCPX |
American Funds Amcap A |
14.6% |
10.8% |
12.3% |
0.7% |
$250 |
Growth |
| AMRMX |
American Funds American Mutual A |
14.5% |
11.2% |
11.9% |
0.6% |
$250 |
Value |
| FDGFX |
Fidelity Dividend Growth |
12.0% |
9.7% |
10.2% |
0.6% |
$2,500 |
Blend |
| JENSX |
Jensen J |
11.2% |
6.9% |
7.8% |
0.8% |
$2,500 |
Growth |
| MINVX |
Madison Mosaic Investors |
5.9% |
6.7% |
8.4% |
0.9% |
$1,000 |
Blend |
| MAVFX |
Matrix Advisors Value |
19.8% |
10.1% |
13.4% |
1.0% |
$1,000 |
Blend |
| SLASX |
Selected American Shares S |
13.0% |
12.2% |
13.7% |
0.9% |
$1,000 |
Blend |
| SSHFX |
Sound Shore |
13.5% |
13.2% |
14.4% |
0.9% |
$10,000 |
Value |
| TRBCX |
T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth |
18.4% |
11.6% |
12.5% |
0.8% |
$2,500 |
Growth |
| PRFDX |
T. Rowe Price Equity Income |
13.3% |
11.9% |
13.3% |
0.7% |
$2,500 |
Value |
| VWNFX |
Vanguard Windsor II |
14.6% |
13.7% |
14.8% |
0.3% |
$10,000 |
Value |
|
| CHTTX |
Aston/Optimum Mid Cap N |
25.6% |
14.6% |
19.3% |
1.2% |
$2,500 |
Blend |
| FAMVX |
FAM Value Inv |
7.8% |
8.2% |
11.0% |
1.2% |
$500 |
Blend |
| FPPFX |
FPA Perennial |
9.2% |
11.0% |
14.2% |
0.9% |
$1,500 |
Blend |
| FDVLX |
Fidelity Value |
14.9% |
16.3% |
18.0% |
0.7% |
$2,500 |
Value |
| JMCVX |
Janus Mid Cap Value Investor |
15.6% |
14.3% |
17.5% |
0.9% |
$2,500 |
Value |
| MERDX |
Meridian Growth |
12.0% |
10.9% |
15.2% |
0.8% |
$1,000 |
Growth |
| POAGX |
PRIMECAP Odyssey Aggressive Growth |
16.9% |
N/A% |
N/A% |
1.0% |
$2,000 |
Growth |
|
| NBFSX |
Neuberger Berman Fasciano Inv |
9.3% |
6.2% |
9.4% |
1.2% |
$1,000 |
Growth |
| PENNX |
Pennsylvania Mutual Inv |
11.8% |
14.8% |
17.6% |
0.9% |
$2,000 |
Blend |
| RYPNX |
Royce Opportunity Inv |
11.8% |
14.2% |
21.2% |
1.1% |
$2,000 |
Value |
| PRNHX |
T. Rowe Price New Horizons |
14.9% |
14.5% |
18.4% |
0.8% |
$2,500 |
Growth |
|
| BRAIX |
Bridgeway Aggressive Investors 2 |
29.9% |
22.0% |
18.6% |
1.1% |
$2,000 |
|
| MUHLX |
Muhlenkamp |
2.7% |
7.5% |
13.3% |
1.1% |
$1,500 |
|
| WEHIX |
Weitz Hickory |
3.1% |
7.5% |
15.0% |
1.2% |
$5,000 |
|
|
| CSRSX |
Cohen & Steers Realty Shares |
-3.1% |
17.9% |
21.0% |
1.0% |
$10,000 |
Real estate |
| PRNEX |
T. Rowe Price New Era |
42.0% |
29.5% |
27.2% |
0.7% |
$2,500 |
Natural resources |
| TAREX |
Third Avenue Real Estate Value |
4.2% |
16.0% |
20.0% |
1.1% |
$10,000 |
Real Estate |
|
| AEPGX |
American Funds EuroPacific Gr A |
22.0% |
23.1% |
21.1% |
0.8% |
$250 |
Large Blend |
| ARTIX |
Artisan International Inv |
20.6% |
22.5% |
17.7% |
1.2% |
$1,000 |
Large Growth |
| DODFX |
Dodge & Cox International Stock |
22.2% |
24.4% |
25.6% |
0.7% |
$2,500 |
Large Value |
| OAKIX |
Oakmark International I |
14.9% |
20.2% |
19.6% |
1.1% |
$1,000 |
Large Value |
| SSEMX |
SSgA Emerging Markets |
48.4% |
39.8% |
33.3% |
1.2% |
$1,000 |
Emerging markets |
| PRMSX |
T. Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock |
48.5% |
39.8% |
33.3% |
1.2% |
$2,500 |
Emerging markets |
| PRIDX |
T. Rowe Price International Discovery |
28.9% |
28.9% |
30.2% |
1.2% |
$2,500 |
Small-cap, Midcap |
| VWIGX |
Vanguard International Growth |
22.6% |
22.2% |
19.9% |
0.6% |
$3,000 |
Large Blend |
|
| BEGBX |
American Century International Bd Inv |
8.8% |
5.4% |
8.9% |
0.8% |
$2,500 |
Specialty |
| AHITX |
American Funds American Hi Inc Tr A |
6.4% |
7.4% |
12.4% |
0.7% |
$250 |
Specialty |
| DODIX |
Dodge & Cox Income |
5.3% |
3.9% |
4.6% |
0.4% |
$2,500 |
Core |
| FPNIX |
FPA New Income |
5.4% |
3.6% |
4.6% |
0.6% |
$1,500 |
Core |
| HABDX |
Harbor Bond Instl |
5.6% |
4.0% |
4.9% |
0.6% |
$1,000 |
Core |
| VIPSX |
Vanguard Inflation-Protected Secs |
6.4% |
4.3% |
5.7% |
0.2% |
$3,000 |
Core |
| VWITX |
Vanguard Interm-Term Tax-Ex |
3.6% |
3.2% |
3.4% |
0.2% |
$3,000 |
Specialty |
| Data as of: September 12, 2007 |
