3 Mutual Fund Misfires To Avoid - March 06, 2020

If your financial advisor made you buy any of these "Mutual Fund Misfires of the Market" with high expenses and low returns, you need to reassess your advisor.

The easiest way to judge a mutual fund's quality over time is by analyzing its performance and fees. Our Zacks Rank of over 19,000 mutual funds has identified some of the worst of the worst mutual funds you should avoid, the funds with the highest fees and poorest long-term performance.

First, let's break down some of the funds currently part of our "Mutual Fund Misfires of the Market." If you happen to have put your money into any of these misfires, we'll help assess some of our best Zacks Ranked mutual funds.

3 Mutual Fund Misfires

Now, let's take a look at three market misfires.

AQR Multi Strategy Alternative N (ASANX): This fund has an expense ratio of 2.23% and a management fee of 1.75%. Without even doing any in-depth analysis, just the fact that you are paying more in fees than you're earning in returns is reason enough not to invest. ASANX is classified as an Allocation Balanced fund, which seeks to invest in a balance of asset types, like stocks, bonds, and cash, and including precious metals or commodities is not unusual. The fund has lagged performance-wise, so perhaps a simpler index future investing strategy might be more effective.

Hartford Global Real Asset C (HRLCX): HRLCX is a Global - Equity mutual fund. These funds invest in large markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan, and operate with very few geographical limitations. HRLCX offers an expense ratio of 2% and annual returns of 0.96% over the last five years. Even if this fund can be positioned as a hedge during the recent bull-market, paying more in fees than returns over the long-term should never be an acceptable result.

Leader Short-Term Bond Fund C (LCMCX): Expense ratio: 2.16%. Management fee: 0.75%. LCMCX is an Investment Grade Bond - Short option; these funds focus on the short end of the curve, generally with bonds that mature in less than two years. With annual returns of just -0.43%, it's no surprise this fund has received Zacks' "Strong Sell" ranking.

3 Top Ranked Mutual Funds

Since you've seen the most noticeably lowest Zacks Ranked mutual funds, how about we take a look at some of the top ranked mutual funds with the least fees.

Franklin International Growth Adviser (FNGZX) is a fund that has an expense ratio of 0.8%, and a management fee of 0.75%. FNGZX is a Non US - Equity option, focusing their investments acoss emerging and developed markets, and can often extend across cap levels too. With yearly returns of 10.41% over the last five years, this fund clearly wins.

MSIF Global Opportunity Portfolio L (MGGLX): Expense ratio: 1.29%. Management fee: 0.74%. MGGLX is a Global - Equity mutual fund investing in bigger markets like the U.S., Europe, and Japan; these kinds of funds aren't limited by geography. MGGLX has managed to produce a robust 17.5% over the last five years.

MassMutual Select Mid Cap Growth I (MEFZX): Expense ratio: 0.71%. Management fee: 0.69%. MEFZX is a Mid Cap Growth mutual fund. These funds aim to target companies with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion that are also expected to exhibit more extensive growth opportunities for investors than their peers. MEFZX has produced a 12.99% over the last five years.

Bottom Line

These examples underscore the huge range in quality of mutual funds - from the really bad to the astonishingly good. There is no reason for your advisor to keep your money in any fund that charges more than you get in return (unless they're getting something out of it, like a high commission).

Do You Know the Top 9 Retirement Investing Mistakes?

Whether you're planning to retire early or not, don't let investing mistakes derail your plans.

If you have $500,000 or more to invest and want to learn more, click the link to download our free report, 9 Retirement Mistakes that will Ruin Your Retirement.

This report will help you steer clear of the most common mistakes, like trying to time the market, lack of diversification in your portfolio, and many more. Get Your FREE Guide Now

Get Your Free (FNGZX): Fund Analysis Report

Get Your Free (MEFZX): Fund Analysis Report

Get Your Free (HRLCX): Fund Analysis Report

Get Your Free (LCMCX): Fund Analysis Report

Get Your Free (MGGLX): Fund Analysis Report

Get Your Free (ASANX): Fund Analysis Report

Original post

Zacks Investment Research