There are so many different types of mutual funds to choose from. Find out which mutual fund types are best suited to your personal investing style.
There are many different types of mutual funds you can choose from. Some of the most popular are:
- Equity Mutual Funds
- Fixed Income Mutual Funds
- Money Market Mutual Funds
- No Load Mutual Funds
- Growth Stock Mutual Funds
- Tax Saving Mutual Funds
- Index Mutual Funds
- Gold Mutual Funds
- Socially Responsible Mutual Funds
Read on to learn the ins and outs of each of the above types of mutual funds.
Equity Mutual Funds
Most people who invest in mutual funds invest in equity funds. In a lot of ways, these emulate the principle upon which a lot of stock-market moves are made: long-term investment resulting in capital gain
Fixed Income Mutual Funds
This type of mutual fund relies mainly on bonds — not a stock in a company but a kind of loan that the company (or a municipality, or a state, or the federal government) then pays back with interest. These are going to pay out a lot less than a successful equity type mutual fund, but the risks are controllable by bond type.
Money Market Mutual Funds
If you’re looking for a place to put your money that’s better than a savings account but very much risk-free, this type of mutual funds typically can do the trick. Most of the time you’ll find money market portfolios full of Treasury bills.
No Load Mutual Funds
A no load mutual fund is a fund in which shares are sold without a commission. The reason for this is that the shares are distributed directly by the investment company, instead of going through a secondary party.
Growth Stock Mutual Funds
A growth stock mutual fund is essentially a diversified portfolio of stocks that has, as it’s primary goal, capital appreciation. It consists mainly of companies with above-average growth in earnings. Instead of paying dividends, these companies will reinvest their earnings into expansion, acquisitions, research and development, etc.
Tax Saving Mutual Funds
A tax-free savings account can hold a variety of investment instruments – one of which is a mutual fund. The fund can grow tax-free for life, meaning that interest, dividends and capital gains earned are never taxed – even when withdrawn!
Index Mutual Funds
An index mutual fund has a portfolio constructed to match the components of a market index (i.e.: S&P 500). This kind of mutual fund is said to provide broad market exposure, low operating expenses and low portfolio turnover.
Gold Mutual Funds
A gold mutual funs invests primarily in gold-producing companies or gold bullion. The price of shares within a gold fund correlates closely to the spot price of gold itself (assuming the fund holds the majority of its assets either in bullion or in the stocks/bonds of gold miners).
Socially Responsible Mutual Funds
Socially responsible mutual funds hold securities in companies that adhere to social, moral, religious or environmental beliefs. To ensure the stocks chosen have values that coincide with the fund’s beliefs, companies undergo a careful screening process.
The Best Stock Newsletters as of January 3, 2025
Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks
We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock and option newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share our results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Excess Return" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on January 3, 2025 prices:
| Rank | Stock Newsletter | Stock Picks | Average Return | S&P500 Return | Excess Return | Percent Profitable | Max % Return | Min % Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  Alpha Picks | 64 | 71.7% | 23.9% | 47.8% | 77% | 969% | -47% |
| Summary: 2 picks/month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; Retail Price is $499/yr. See details in our Alpha Picks Review. | APRIL PROMOTION: Save $50 | |||||||
| 2. |  Value Investor | 39 | 26.8% | 13.9% | 12.8% | 51% | 494% | -41% |
| Summary: 10-25 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | APRIL PROMOTION:$1, then $495/yr | |||||||
| 3. | Top 10 | 33 | 21.2% | 8.4% | 12.8% | 52% | 170% | -56% |
| Summary: 10 stock picks released on January 1st of each year based on Zacks' Quant Rating & maybe 1 or 2 changes a year; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review. | APRIL PROMOTION:$1, then $495/yr | |||||||
| 4. |  Moby.co | 311 | 42.1% | 31.4% | 10.7% | 74% | 1030% | -95% |
| Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Moby Review. | APRIL PROMOTION:Get 1 pick free! | |||||||
| 5. |  Stock Advisor Canada | 36 | 31.8% | 25.3% | 6.5% | 81% | 216% | -68% |
| Summary: 1 pick/month from the Toronto stock exchange; Retail Price is CD$199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Canada Stock Advisor Review. | APRIL Promotion: Get $100 Coupon | |||||||
| 6. | Hidden Gems | 76 | 38.1% | 32.9% | 5.2% | 71% | 258% | -100% |
| Summary: Sold as part of Epic service that includes Hidden Gems, Stock Advisor, Rule Breakers; 5 picks/month; Retail Price is $499/yr. Read our Epic Review. | APRIL Promotion: Get $200 Coupon | |||||||
| 7. |  Action Alerts Plus | 378 | 20.8% | 16.7% | 4.1% | 56% | 220% | -77% |
| Summary: 2100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review. | Current Promotion: None | |||||||
| 8. |  TipRanks SmartInvestor | 124 | 10.3% | 7.2% | 3.1% | 60% | 269% | -48% |
| Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review. | Current Promotion: Save $180 | |||||||
| 9. | Rule Breakers | 66 | 36.2% | 35.4% | 0.8% | 65% | 344% | -81% |
| Summary: 2 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review. | Current Promotion: Save $200 | |||||||
| 10. | Stock Advisor Canada | 71 | 25.2% | 24.8% | 0.5% | 73% | 216% | -93% |
| Summary: 2 pick/month from the TSX and U.S. markets; Retail Price is CD$199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Canada Stock Advisor Review. | APRIL Promotion: Get $100 Coupon | |||||||
| Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their 2024, 2023, 2022 stock picks' performance as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF. Performance as of January 3, 2025. | ||||||||
Build your wealth faster with best stock picks: See our current ranking of the BEST STOCK NEWSLETTERS.
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