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.

How can you tell a good mutual fund from a bad one? It's pretty basic: if the fund is diversified, has low fees, and shows strong performance, it's a keeper. Of course, there's a wide range, but using the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, we've found three mutual funds that would be great additions to any long-term investors' portfolios.

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

Acadian Emerging Markets Institutional (AEMGX Quick QuoteAEMGX - Free Report) : 1.3% expense ratio and 0.9% management fee. AEMGX is a Non US - Equity fund. Many of these funds like to allocate across emerging and developed markets, and will often focus on all cap levels. With annual returns of 9.76% over the last five years, this fund is a winner.

Allspring Discipl US Core Adm (EVSYX). Expense ratio: 0.76%. Management fee: 0.35%. EVSYX is part of the Large Cap Blend section, and these mutual funds most often invest in firms with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more. By investing in bigger companies, these funds offer more stability, and are often well-suited for investors with a "buy and hold" mindset. This fund has managed to produce a robust 16.92% over the last five years.

JPMorgan US GARP Equity R2 (JIGZX) is an attractive large-cap allocation. JIGZX is a part of the Large Cap Growth mutual fund category, which invest in many large U.S. companies that are expected to grow much faster compared to other large-cap stocks. JIGZX has an expense ratio of 1.09%, management fee of 0.3%, and annual returns of 16.99% over the past five years.

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.