Deciding which mutual funds make the best investments is especially hard because there are thousands to pick from. Some are load and some are no-load. Some do well over a year, but poorly over five years. Some do well in up markets and some do better when markets are falling.
24/7 Wall St. looked at the "Best Funds" lists of the publications that have for years devoted a tremendous amount of their editorial effort to evaluating mutual funds. We conducted a "meta-data" study to find out which funds were on more than one list. The number was very small.
Forbes, Money, Smart Money, and Kiplinger do not have much in common in the ways they measure performance. Some of the ratings are based on simple one-year returns. Others weigh in multi-year performance. Still others look at performance volatility. Some funds are measured on how they will fit into a portfolio mix to drive the best and safest long-term pay-back.
Here are the nine funds that made more than one list
Matthews China Fund (MCHFX) Designed to be a long-term China investment which keeps over two-thirds of its capital in securities from that country. On the Smart Money and Forbes lists.
CMG Focus (CGMFX) Long-term appreciation focused and tends to invest in equities of a small number of companies at any one time. On the Forbes, Smart Money, and Kiplinger lists.
Harbor Bond International (HABDX) Invests for total return, primarily in corporate and government bonds in the US and overseas. On the Money and Kiplinger lists.
T Rowe Price Equity Income (PRFDX) Invests in well-established companies with higher than normal yields. On the Money and Kiplinger lists.
Dodge & Cox International (DODFX) Invests for principle and income growth with 80% of assets from outside US. On both the Money and Kiplinger lists.
Fairholme Fund (FAIRX) Invests in no more that 25 equities at one time. May take positions in convertible preferred shares. On Kiplinger and Money lists.
T Rowe Price Emerging Markets Stock (PRMSX) Invests for long-term growth of capital. Eighty percent of investment in emerging markets in Asia, Latin America, and Middle East. On Kiplinger and Money lists.
Oakmark International (OAKIX) Invests in common stocks of companies in at least five countries outside the US at any one time. On Money and Kiplinger lists.
Muhlenkamp (MUHLX) Buys stock and fixed income in companies it believes are undervalued. On both Money and Kiplinger lists.
Additional fund description data from Money.
Douglas A. McIntyre
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