There is never a wrong time to invest in mutual funds for retirement. So, if you're still looking for the best mutual funds, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank can be a great guide.

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.

Fidelity Advisor Balanced Fund M

: 1.06% expense ratio and 0.38% management fee. FAIGX is an Allocation Balanced mutual fund. Allocation Balanced funds look to invest across asset types, like stocks, bonds, and cash, and including precious metals or commodities is not unusual; these funds are mostly categorized by their respective asset allocation. FAIGX has achieved five-year annual returns of an astounding 10.83%.

Federated MDT Stock Trust IS

(FMSTX Quick QuoteFMSTX - Free Report) . Expense ratio: 0.76%. Management fee: 0.7%. FMSTX is a Large Cap Value mutual fund, which invests in stocks with a market cap of $10 billion of more, but whose share prices do not reflect their intrinsic value. This fund has managed to produce a robust 12.14% over the last five years.

MassMutual Premier Small/Mid Cap Opportunities Service Class

(MSVYX Quick QuoteMSVYX - Free Report) . Expense ratio: 0.86%. Management fee: 0.58%. Five year annual return: 11.83%. MSVYX is a Small Cap Blend mutual fund, and usually targets stocks with market caps of less than $2 billion, letting investors diversify their funds among other kinds of small-cap equities.

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.