Best Mutual Funds Now

This is a Vanguard STAR Fund Review (VGSTX). This fund is an investment in 11 Vanguard funds all at once. It is considered a large growth blend fund that has great potential for long term profits for your investment.
This fund has a balance of stocks, bonds and short term investments from 11 actively managed Vanguard Funds where the manager’s style and strategies vary. The turnover rate of the investments averages out to 21% from all 11 funds. 60.4% of the assets are in stocks of which 16.1% are of foreign origin. There are 32.1% bonds with 7.4% in cash reserve also in this fund’s holdings. The sectors the holding are in are 15.7% in financials, 12.9% in healthcare, 12.7% in industrial materials, 11.6% in hardware and 10.2% in energy.
One plus of this fund is the expense ratio is at 0.37%. This is 0.64% less than other funds with similar investments. The minimum investment amount is $1000.
This fund has an inception date of March 29, 1985. Since that time it has had a return of 9.76% as of April 30, 2010. The 10 year return was 5.26% and the 5 year return was 4.99%. The one year return was 29.97% with its YTD return as of May 11, 2010 was 2.34%.
This is a 4 star fund as rated by Morningstar that is an average risk with above average returns. The volatility measures are a Beta at 1.08, the R squared 99 and the standard deviation of 14.58.
This Vanguard STAR Fund Review (VGSTX) is positive for those investors look to add a long term investment that is well balanced.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Janus High Yield Fund Review which is one our sister site of topperformingmutualfunds.net.
Even further resources about ETF’s and other investments on another sister site of ours is etfinvestingblog.com please view U.S. Dollar ETF.
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

The Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund (VEXMX) is a fund that attempts to track the midrange and small companies against the index of the Standards & Poor Completion Index.
The fund manager since December of 1997 has been Donald Butler. His investment strategy closely mirrors the investments by sector of the S&P with very slight modifications. As of the end of March 2010 the main sectors of the 3022 stocks this fund has invested in were in the Financial sector with 19.10%, followed by Information Technology at 15.70%, then Industrials at 14.90%, Consumer Discretionary at 14.40% and Health Care at 13.30%.
99.2% of the stocks are of domestic origin with 0.4% from foreign countries with the remainder in cash.
The ten largest holdings of the fund account for 3.6% total assets. The annual turnover rate of the investments is at 17.0%. The volatility measures of the funds are a Beta at 1.04, the R squared is 99 and the standard deviation is 25.42.
The performance of this fund as reported on April 30, 2010 was a one year return of 51.18%, a five year return of 6.28% and since its inception in December of 1987 the total return has been 10.40%.The YTD performance as of May 10, 2010 was at 9.95%.
Morning star rates this fund with 3 stars and considers it a above average risk with average returns.
This is one of the Vanguard Funds that requires $3000 as a minimum deposit to invest in this fund.
The Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund (VEXMX) is a good addition to a portfolio for someone looking to diversify away from the large capital large growth companies that top the S&P 500 list.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Small Cap Index Review.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Janus Flexible Bond Fund Review which is one our sister site of topperformingmutualfunds.net.
Even further resources about ETF’s and other investments on another sister site of ours is etfinvestingblog.com please view Market Vectors Gold Miners ETF (GDX).
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

This Vanguard Small Cap Index Review (NAESX) looks at the forgotten stocks by most investors. This fund attempts to mirror the MSCI US Small cap 1750 Index that measures the investment returns of small capitalization stocks.
This fund currently has an expense ratio of 0.28% which is 0.80% lower than the industry normal for similar types of fund which is advantageous to the investor. To invest in this fund a minimum deposit of $3000 is required.
The fund manager has been Michael Buek since 1991. His investment strategy has acquired stock in 1738 different companies with the largest 10 holding 2.5% of the total assets. The main sectors of the economy this fund is invested in are the Financials at 20.50%, Information Technology at 17.50%, Consumer Discretionary at 15.90% and Industrials at 15.40%. This fund is mainly domestic stocks with only 1.2% of them being of foreign source.
This fund has a one year performance of 53.99% as of April 30, 2010. This fund’s inception date was in October of 1960 and the return since then has been 10.47%. The YTD performance as of May 4, 2010 is 14.49%.
The volatility measures of this fund are a beta at 1.00, the R squared at 100 and the Standard deviation of 26.92. Morningstar rates this fund with three stars as an above average risk and above average return.
This is one of the many Vanguard funds that have been a solid investment over time. The Vanguard Small Cap Index Review (NAESX) would be a good addition to any portfolio that is looking to diversify.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard 500 Index Investor Fund Review.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Janus Twenty Fund Review which is one our sister site of topperformingmutualfunds.net.
Even further resources about ETF’s and other investments on another sister site of ours is etfinvestingblog.com please view Direxion Financial Bear 3X ETF.
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

This Vanguard 500 Index Investor Fund Review (VIFNX) is unbiased and no compensation is received for publishing its contents. This is a mutual fund that attempts to mirror the S&P 500 index. This index represents the largest 500 domestic companies in America. The attempt to outperform the index is by investing in the same companies but placing different weight percentages on them than what is in the index itself.
Some of the favorable attributes of this fund is the expense ratio. It is presently at 0.18% which is 0.84% below comparitable funds in this class. It also only takes an investment of $3000 to be a part of this fund.
The fund manager since April of 2005 has been Michael Buek. His investment allocations include stocks in 504 different companies. The ten largest companies hold 18.8% of the fund’s total assets. As of March 31, 2010 the funds diversification in the different sectors is exactly the same as the S&P 500. This includes 18.90% in the Information Technology sector and 16.50% in the Financial sector.
The returns as reported on April 30, 2010 for one year was 38.83%, just 0.01% lower than the S&P 500. This fund YTD return as of May 4, 2010 was at 5.83%.
The volatility measures of this fund were a beta at 1.00 with an R squared at 100 and a standard deviation of 20.21.
Most managers of Vanguard funds that attempt to mirror an index have not achieved this close of a mirror. The problem is that they should do better than just mirror the index like Vanguard 500 Index Investor Fund. Review can go either way, but beating the S&P would make this a good investment. Right now it is just a safe investment with limited profits.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) Review.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Janus Triton Fund Review which is one our sister site of topperformingmutualfunds.net.
Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com please view Fidelity Value Mutual Fund and Small Cap Stock List on stockmarketinvestingblog.com.
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

These are rated Vanguard’s Best Mutual Funds by Morningstar, Forbes and Money magazines and myself.
11 of the Vanguard Funds in the retirement sector made it to the Money top 70 lists and top of the list for retirement funds. Forbes liked 4 of them with the retirement term at 2015, 2025, 2035, and 2045.
Of the 519 funds that Vanguards manages Forbes placed 36 of them on their list in 17 of the 23 different categories. The one that stood out amongst the rest and made the honor roll was Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Funds (VEIEX). This fund invests in the BRIC markets along with Korea and Taiwan.
The expense ratio is only 0.40% and $3000 is the minimal investment amount. The performance of this fund as of March 31, 2010 was a one year return of 78.86%, 3 year at 4.71%, 5 year at 14.60% and a 10 year performance of 10.28%.
The best performer this year so far is the REIT Index Fund (VGSIX) with an YTD return of 21.83%. This is the highest of all the Vanguard Funds. The second best performer this year is the Small Cap Value Index (VISVX) with an YTD return of 20.42%. The Small cap Index (NAESX) comes in third with an YTD return of 18.93%.
The best one year return as of March 31, 2010 was the REIT Index Fund (VGSIX) with a 109.90%. The second best was Capital Value at 105.64%, but it is closed to new investors. Precious Metals and Mining (VGPMX) comes in third with a one year return of 79.66% and fourth is the Vanguard Emerging Markets Stock Index Funds (VEIEX) with a one year return of 78.86%.
These are the Vanguard’s Best Mutual Funds as interpreted by me with help from some very heavy hitters in the investment world. Remember past performance does not guarantee future profits. Invest with caution, please.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) Review.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Regional Bank ETFs which is one our sister site of ETFinvestingblog.com.
Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com please view Fidelity Large Cap Growth Funds and Small Cap Stock List on stockmarketinvestingblog.com.
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

This Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) Review will take a close look at this mutual fund and report on the facts so you can decide if you wish to make an investment in this fund. This is a large cap blend fund that only invests in companies that have 10 consecutive years of paying increasing dividends to its shareholders.
There are a total of 142 stocks in this fund with the top ten holding 39.3% of the fund’s assets. The top sectors where this fund has assets in are Consumer Staples with 25.50%, Industrials at 18.80% and Consumer Discretionary at 12.00%.
The annual return of this fund as reported on March, 31, 2010 was 41.37% for one year and its YTD return is 6.89% as of April 28, 2010. The manager of this fund has been Ryan Ludt since 2006 with an advisory group of the Quantitative Equity Group to assist that has an expense ratio of 0.24%.
The volatility measures of this fund are a Beta at 0.78, an R squared of 0.93 and a standard deviation of 16.98. This is considered a below average risk fund with above average returns and is rated by Morningstar with 5 stars for the past three years.
Investors in Vanguard funds might chose this fund if they seek long term growth of capital and income from a fund. The deciding factor is that strong dividends equate to a good performing fund and sound investment. This is an investment that could take 5 years before the investor sees its worth.
The Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (VIG) Review shows a conservative approach to investing for the long term.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Target Retirement Funds.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Inverse ETFs which is one our sister site of ETFinvestingblog.com.
Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com please view Fidelity Small Cap Value Fund (FCPVX).
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

There are many Vanguard Target Retirement Funds. The right one for you is dependent on when you wish to retire. There are ten different ones to choose from. This type of mutual funds considers the investor’s age and time until they plan to retire.
The time till retirement are set at 42 years, 35 years, 30 years, 25 years, 20 years, 15 years, 10 years, 5 years, 1 year, and already in retirement.
All of these funds together have already invested in over 6000 different US stocks and bonds with 2000 international stocks that have diversified each fund. Each Vanguard fund is structured to be appropriate for the time frame you have for retirement.
With more time until retirement, the younger investors have shares in the more aggressive mutual funds. These are mostly made up of higher risk stocks with few to no bonds. Each of these Vanguard funds automatically goes conservative over time. The shift from stocks and high risk to bonds and low risk is dependent on how close the expectant retirement age is.
Vanguard is one of the largest mutual fund companies in the world. They also only charge ¼ the industry average when it comes to expense fees.
A good portion of these funds have their holdings of other Vanguard mutual funds and with some it is 100%. This makes it easy to adjust the risk potential by exchanging a high risk fund with a more conservative fund.
The Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 fund was awarded one of the top 70 mutual funds by CNNMoney magazine for 2010.
For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Lifecycle Funds.
For a resource about ETFs, please view Inverse ETFs which is one our sister site of ETFinvestingblog.com.
Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com, please view Fidelity Small Cap Value Fund (FCPVX).
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember – the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

The Vanguard Lifecycle Funds are intended to be used as part of a person’s retirement investment strategy. This strategy changes over time and starts with an aggressive investment approach in the beginning when retirement is far away. As the retirement age approaches, the investment strategy becomes more conservative.

The reason for the creation of this type of fund is to assist those investors that actually do not know what they are doing when it is related to investments. In the beginning of this cycle, the fund should be heavily into stocks and mutual funds in the large growth sectors. As the age of retirement approaches, the switch to bonds and Vanguard funds that invest in bonds should make up a majority of a person’s portfolio. The reason being is with less risk, the money is safer as with bonds.

When a person has only a few years until retirement, the risk has to be minimal. If they lose too much on a risky investment, then their retirement could be postponed or never occur.

The Vanguard Investment Company had two different approaches. These are the Target Retirement and Life strategy. There are 15 different funds in this asset class that can help balance out your portfolio. Each one takes a minimal investment of $3000. Each of these funds has an acquired fund fees and expenses of 0.24% or less.

The start of the shift to conservative investing is a decade before your planned retirement. This is the path to take if you want little to do with your investment except read the yearly reports. The Vanguard Lifecycle Funds are also very advantageous for those that need to save for their retirement but are not sure how to.

For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site, please view Vanguard REIT Mutual Funds.

For a resource about ETFs, please view Vanguard ETF which is one our sister site of ETFinvestingblog.com.

Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com please view Fidelity Small Cap Value Fund (FCPVX).

We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember – the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

The main objective of the Vanguard REIT Mutual Fund (VGSIX) is to invest approximately 98% of the fund’s total assets into stocks issued by equity real estate investment trusts. Simply translated, it invests in companies that buy hotels, office buildings, and other real estate property. This fund attempts to mirror the performance of the Morgan Stanly Capital International (MSCI) US REIT index.

As of March 31, 2010, there were a total of 98 stocks in this fund with total assets of $13.1 billion. The ten largest holdings are 43.6% of the total net assets of the fund. 99.5% of the finds are in stocks and 0.5% is still being held in cash.

The one year return of this fund as of march 31, 2010 was at 109.90%. The three year dipped to -10.16 but the five year was 4.10%, and the ten year was at 11.18% returns.

The volatility measure of this fund with the data from the last three years is a Beta at 1.00 and an R squared at 100, with a standard deviation of 40.28. This is considered an above average risk fund with above average returns. Morningstar has it rated with three stars over the life of the fund.

This is a domestic stock sector specific class of mutual fund with the Vanguard Quantitative Equity Group as the fund manager that is lead by Gerard C. O’Reilly since May 13, 1996. This fund has an expense ratio of 0.26%, and it takes a minimum of $3,000 to invest in this fund.

Like most Vanguard Funds it is favored by many in the investment world as solid investments. The Vanguard REIT Mutual Fund (VGSIX) was rated the top Specialty Fund by CNNMoney this year 2010.

For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard Mid Cap Growth Fund.
For a resource about ETF”s, please view Direxion ETFs which is one our sister site of ETFinvestingblog.com.
Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com please view Fidelity Series Small Cap Opportunities Fund Review.
We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.

With the Vanguard Mid Cap Growth Fund (VMGRX) investors have a stake in middle size companies that are sometimes ignored by the big investment firms. This causes some of them to be undervalued and a great chance to make a profit.

This fund has had a one year return performance as of the end of March at 51.35% with a 5 year return of 5.17% and since its inception on December 31, 1997 it has returned 9.64% on investments.

This is an index fund that is set against the Russell Midcap Growth Index. This fund has a total of 102 stocks in its holdings in which the largest ten hold a total of 20.4% of the fund’s assets. The two largest sectors this fund has its investment in are the Information Technology at 25.90% and the Consumer Discretionary at 20.90%. The turnover rate of the stocks in holding annually is at 124.7%.

This fund’s managers are the Chartwell Investment Partners and the William Blair & Company L.L.C. both of which have advised many Vanguard funds since 2006 including this one.

This fund has an expense ratio of 0.60% with volatility measures of a Beta at 0.88 and an R squared of 96 with a standard deviation of 22.35. These figured were compiled from the last three years of data ending on March 31, 2010.

There is a minimum of $10,000 to make an investment in this fund that has a total of $1.3 billion in assets already. In investing terms this is an average risk with average returns mutual fund. The diverse investment strategy of the Vanguard Mid Cap Growth Fund makes it a good fit in most investment portfolios.

For more reference about investments from Vanguard on this site please view Vanguard SEP IRA.

For a resource about ETF”s, please view Alpha ETF Funds which is one our sister site of ETFinvestingblog.com.

Even further resources about mutual funds and other investments from Fidelity on another sister site of ours is mutualfundexplorer.com please view Best Performing Fidelity Mutual Funds.

We strive to bring you the latest and most accurate data possible from the home sites of the investment institutions we name. Always remember the bigger the risk, the larger the reward or loss. Invest with caution.