It's Easy To Find A Better Mutual Fund

When was the last time you looked at your mutual funds? If you are like a lot of investors, it's probably been a while since you've truly evaluated them.

If that is the case, how do you know whether they are still good funds to hold? Or better yet, are you sure there isn't a better fund to own instead?

Given that thousands of mutual funds that exist, there is a good chance of a better fund being out there. And Zacks can you help you find it.

The Zacks Mutual Fund Rank

The Zacks Mutual Fund Rank is based on the power of earnings estimate revisions that has helped so many stock investors beat the market. As result, this powerful indicator can tell you which mutual funds are most likely to outperform in the months ahead.

Why is this a better process than mutual fund rankings based upon historical performance? Because the Zacks Rank has proven itself to be one of the best stock rating systems ever invented. So if a fund manager is buying more highly rated Zacks Rank stocks, then it shows that the manager has the expertise to buy stocks with qualities proven to beat the market. This leads to increased likelihood the fund will outperform its peers in the future.

Easily Find New Better Funds

In helping investors, such as yourself, become more successful, we could have just stopped at the Mutual Fund Rank. But, we also wanted to make to make the process of finding better funds easier. And I have to tell you that I love our new mutual fund tools.

For instance, our mutual fund screener has shortcuts to the most popular criteria, such as Net Assets (Millions $). This criterion shows you which funds are the most popular. (The more popular a fund is, the more money it manages.)

The largest fund is Fidelity Contrafund ( FCNTX - MF report ) , which has about $41 billion under management. FCNTX invests in companies that it thinks are undervalued.

It might be popular, but it's also a Zacks #4 Rank ("sell") fund. So, you may want to instead look at Waddell & Reed InvestEd Conserv A ( OARAX - MF report ) , PMFM Managed Portfolio Trust A ( ETFFX - MF report ) or Highland Equity Opps Fund A ( HEOAX - MF report ) instead.

I was able to find these alternatives in seconds by using our Find Similar Funds Tool. This tool shows you similar funds with a better Zacks Mutual Fund Rank.

No Need To Switch Fund Families

Even if you want to stay with a specific fund family, you can still find better funds to own.

For example, say you are invested in American Funds Capital Inc. Builder ( CAIBX - MF report ) . After calling up a quote for it, you see that it's a Zacks #2 Rank ("buy") fund. You could hold onto it, or you could type in the ticker in our Research By Family tool and find Zacks #1 Rank ("strong buy") funds, like American Funds AMCAP ( AMCPX - MF report ) , which is Zacks #1 Rank stock. Again, it only takes seconds to do this.

It's so easy to use the mutual fund tools on Zacks.com, that there is really no reason not to reevaluate your current fund holdings. After all, even a small improvement in portfolio performance can greatly enhance your long-term wealth.

Best of Luck,
Alex

Alex, an analyst at Zacks.com, is one of our experts at selecting stocks and mutual funds. His article spotlights new mutual fund tools that are available on the site.

These tools, at full power, are now available through Zacks Premium. For example:

• Find funds that are similar to your current ones but have a higher rank and performance.
• Compare multiple funds at a glance.
• See all funds in a category like Equity - Aggressive Growth.
• And much more.