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.

Allspring Discipl US Core R6 (EVSRX): 0.42% expense ratio and 0.35% management fee. EVSRX is a Large Cap Blend fund, targeting companies with market caps of over $10 billion. These funds offer investors a stability, and are perfect for people with a "buy and hold" mindset. With annual returns of 15.54% over the last five years, this fund is a winner.

DFA World Ex US Value Portfolio Institutional (DFWVX Quick QuoteDFWVX - Free Report) : 0.37% expense ratio and 0.32% management fee. DFWVX is a Non US - Equity option, focusing their investments acoss emerging and developed markets, and can often extend across cap levels too. DFWVX, with annual returns of 13.45% over the last five years, is a well-diversified fund with a long track record of success.

JPMorgan Large Cap Growth R4 (JLGQX). Expense ratio: 0.69%. Management fee: 0.45%. Five year annual return: 13.09%. JLGQX 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.

These examples highlight the fact that there are some astonishingly good mutual funds out there. If your advisor has you in the good ones, bravo! If not, you may need to have a talk.