It is never too late to invest in mutual funds for retirement. As such, if you plan to invest in some of the best funds, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank can provide you with valuable guidance.

The easiest way to judge a mutual fund's quality over time is by analyzing its performance, diversification, and fees. Using the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of over 19,000 mutual funds, we've identified three outstanding mutual funds that are ideally suited to help long-term investors pursue and achieve their retirement investing goals.

Here are the funds that have achieved the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and have low fees.

AB Large Cap Growth Adivsor (APGYX Quick QuoteAPGYX - Free Report) : 0.59% expense ratio and 0.48% management fee. APGYX is a Large Cap Growth option; these mutual funds purchase stakes in numerous large U.S. companies that are expected to develop and grow at a faster rate than other large-cap stocks. APGYX has achieved five-year annual returns of an astounding 13.82%.

Hartford Stock HLS IB (HIBSX Quick QuoteHIBSX - Free Report) : 0.76% expense ratio and 0.48% management fee. HIBSX is classified as a Large Cap Blend fund. More often than not, Large Cap Blend mutual funds invest in companies with a market cap of over $10 billion. Buying stakes in bigger companies offer these funds more stability, and are well-suited for investors with a "buy and hold" mindset. With yearly returns of 11.78% over the last five years, HIBSX is an effectively diversified fund with a long reputation of solidly positive performance.

MM Select Equity Asset I (MSEJX Quick QuoteMSEJX - Free Report) . Expense ratio: 0.28%. Management fee: 0.18%. Five year annual return: 12.44%. MSEJX 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.

There you have it. If your financial advisor had you put your money into any of our top-ranked funds, then they've got you covered. If not, you may need to talk.