50 Best Funds for the Everyday Investor

The figures on this page differ RADICALLY from a fund's linked page! For example, on this page the Vanguard Small Cap Index shows returns of 10.2 (3 years) and 4.9 (5 years); on the linked discussion page they are 2.7 (3 years) and 0.7 (5 years)! It kind of blows your confidence in the whole article.

John of CT 2:35PM October 28, 2011

Is the 10 year return the total over 10 years or the average annual return?

Anthony of NY 11:27AM September 24, 2011

For my OPINIONS

The current cry of the masses is go with index funds. Many of these funds compare their returns to S&P500-the index fund is SPY.

Well if I am paying a manager and he can't beat the AVERAGE I need to find another fund.

If, you are picking the index funds and are doing better than a manger of a fund,

your SELF MANAGED FUND is beating the professional manager. But, it is not an index fund it is a fund of funds, or perhaps a self directed asset allocation fund

I do find these tools where you can view your fund in a graph and lay one over the other very enlightening. Among many other places it is available on the Fidelity site.

May I share my confusion with all of you? We read all this stuff and they discuss asset allocation. We all know that when stocks go down, bonds go up. My graph method will show you that is simply wrong. They both follow exactly the same curve. A bond fund will bounce around less than a stock fund (beta) but in the end the stock fund will long term earn you more. At least what I have said is true over the range of these graphs; which is ten years.

Our government intervention has messed up everything that was true. Average return on a 10 year treasury since like 1920 was quoted somewhere at 6% today it is like 2%. Does anyone think that interest rates will stay at 2% over the next TEN YEARS? When, interest rates go back to NORMAL LEVELS you will if you sell loose enough of your investment to bring the return up to the market. If, you hold till maturity you will loose the higher bond returns that will be availabe.

Our goverment has invented a very impressive term Quantitative easing. They cannot describe it as what it is. What it is is buying your own debt with printed money. Amazing concept-HOW CAN I DO THE SAME?

Dave of NY 2:45PM September 12, 2011

Any professional money manager, over time, will eventually manage to lose all your money by churning and recommending commission heavy investments.

Leave investing to the ultra wealthy. Invest in yourself and your family. Work, play, love and worship passionately. You will become wealthy beyond your imagination.

Jack of FL 9:14PM August 24, 2011