HOW TO COMPARE MUTUAL FUNDS

Comparing mutual funds requires careful examination. To get the full picture, it’s important to look at the fund’s performance over a period of time. Now that we’ve covered mutual funds ratings, let’s talk about how to compare mutual funds.

What to compare between mutual funds?

When comparing mutual funds, there are certain things you should be looking at:

• The rating, which tells you the fund’s performance over a period of time
• The fund’s performance against relevant sectors and other funds
• The fund’s top holdings (what stocks they own)
• The people who are in charge of managing these funds
• The expense fees for each fund

Mutual Fund Comparison Tips

The simplest way to rate mutual fund performance is to compare it to its “benchmark index” over time. It’s important to look at performance over time—something like 5 to 10 years

Mutual Funds Comparison Tools

There are a number of tools out there to help you compare mutual funds:

• Morningstar, Inc.
• Zacks
• Vanguard
• NerdWallet

Remember that past performance and cannot predict the future! The fund companies very carefully point this out in their marketing materials, but it isn’t just a disclaimer. You really need to understand this for yourself. Fund managers can lose their touch. Or they can leave the company and be replaced by someone who never had the touch in the first place.