4 Types of Mutual Funds - NerdWallet (2024)

Mutual funds are one of the most popular ways Americans invest thanks to their ease of use and built-in diversity.

Types of mutual funds

Generally speaking, there are four broad types of mutual funds:

  • Equity mutual funds

  • Bond mutual funds

  • Short-term debt mutual funds

  • Hybrid mutual funds

Every mutual fund is designed to spread around risk while capturing wider market gains. Some types of funds carry a higher amount of risk than others, but also higher potential rewards. Here’s a more detailed look at the most common types of mutual funds.

» Ready to get started? Here are some picks from our roundup of the best brokers for mutual fund investors

Equity funds

Equity mutual funds buy stocks of a collection of publicly traded companies. Most mutual funds on the market (55%) are some type of equity fund, according to the Investment Company Institute. Equity funds have a higher potential for growth but more potential volatility in value. The younger you are, the more your portfolio should include equity funds, financial planners advise, as you have more time to weather inevitable ups and downs in market value.

Equity mutual funds can be sliced and diced in several ways depending on the goals of the fund:

Funds based on company size

Some funds focus only on “large cap” or “small cap” companies, which refers to the market capitalization, or value, of the companies:

  • Large-cap fund: Companies with a market value of $10 billion or greater.

  • Mid-cap fund: Companies worth $2 billion to $10 billion.

  • Small-cap fund: Companies worth $300 million to $2 billion.

» What are potential fund returns? This mutual fund calculator can help

Industry or sector funds

These mutual funds focus on a particular industry, such as technology, oil and gas, aviation or health care. For example, investors who want exposure to gains by companies like Google and Apple could put money in a technology fund. Ownership in different sector funds can help diversify your portfolio, so if one industry is hit hard (like the bursting of the dot-com stock bubble in 2000), those losses can be offset by gains in other sectors.

Growth and value funds

The investment style of the fund is another mutual fund differentiator. Growth funds, as the name suggests, seek stocks that fund managers believe will have better than average returns. Value funds look for companies whose stock is (you guessed it) undervalued by the market.

International, global and emerging market funds

Geographic location can also determine how mutual funds are built. International funds invest in companies doing business outside the U.S., while global funds invest in companies doing business both in the U.S. and abroad. Emerging market funds target countries with small but growing markets.

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Bond funds

Bond funds are the most common type of fixed-income mutual funds, where (as the name suggests) investors are paid a fixed amount back on their initial investment. Bond funds are the second most popular mutual fund type, accounting for about one of every five funds on the market, according to the ICI.

Rather than buy stocks, bond funds invest in government and corporate debt. Considered a safer investment than stocks, bond funds have less potential for growth than equity funds.

Just as advisors say equity funds favor the young, investors nearing retirement should have more bond funds in their portfolio to protect their nest egg while earning more interest than sitting that cash in a bank savings account.

Money market funds

Money market mutual funds are fixed-income mutual funds that invest in high-quality, short-term debt from governments, banks or corporations. Examples of assets held by these funds include U.S. Treasurys, certificates of deposit and commercial paper. They are considered one of the safest investments and make up 15% of the mutual fund market, according to the ICI.

Balanced funds

Also known as asset allocation funds, these investments are a combination of equity and fixed-income funds with a fixed ratio of investments such as 60% stocks and 40% bonds. The best-known variety of these funds are target-date funds, which automatically reallocate the ratio of investments from equities to bonds the closer you get to retirement.

Other mutual funds

Index funds

An index fund is a type of mutual fund whose holdings match or track a particular market index, such as the S&P 500. Index funds have exploded in popularity in recent years, thanks to the rise of passive investing strategy, which, over time, typically earns better returns than an actively managed approach. Like equity funds, index funds can vary by company size, sector and location.

» Learn more: How to invest in index funds

Specialty or alternative funds

This catch-all category of funds includes hedge funds, managed futures, commodities and real estate investment trusts. There is also growing investor interest in corporate socially responsible mutual funds, which avoid investing in controversial industries like tobacco or firearms and instead focus on funding companies with strong environmental and labor practices.

4 Types of Mutual Funds - NerdWallet (2024)

FAQs

4 Types of Mutual Funds - NerdWallet? ›

There are four broad types of mutual funds: Equity (stocks), fixed-income (bonds), money market funds (short-term debt), or both stocks and bonds (balanced or hybrid funds). Kevin Voigt is a former staff writer for NerdWallet covering investing.

What are the 4 types of mutual funds? ›

Most mutual funds fall into one of four main categories – money market funds, bond funds, stock funds, and target date funds.

What are the four types of mutual funds Dave recommends people have in their retirement portfolio? ›

Dave divides his mutual fund investments equally between four types of funds: Growth and income, growth, aggressive growth, and international.

What are the 4 types of investments? ›

Different Types of Investments
  • Mutual fund Investment. ...
  • Stocks. ...
  • Bonds. ...
  • Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) ...
  • Fixed deposits. ...
  • Retirement planning. ...
  • Cash and cash equivalents. ...
  • Real estate Investment.

What are the top 5 performing mutual funds? ›

Best-performing U.S. equity mutual funds
TickerName5-year return
STSEXBlackRock Exchange BlackRock13.14%
SRFMXSarofim Equity12.69%
SSAQXState Street US Core Equity Fund12.12%
FGRTXFidelity® Mega Cap Stock12.06%
3 more rows
May 1, 2023

What is a Level 4 mutual fund? ›

Level 4) Value funds invest primarily in common stock of value companies, which are those that are out of favor with investors, appear underpriced by the market relative to their earnings/intrinsic value, or have high dividend yields. (

What are the 3 4 types of mutual funds? ›

There are four broad types of mutual funds: Equity (stocks), fixed-income (bonds), money market funds (short-term debt), or both stocks and bonds (balanced or hybrid funds).

What is basic 4 fund portfolio? ›

The Four Fund Combo is built on four index funds (or exchange-traded funds) that include the most basic U.S. equity asset classes: large-cap blend stocks (the S&P 500 SPX, +0.27%, in other words), large-cap value stocks, small-cap blend stocks, and small-cap value stocks.

What is the 4 rule investing for retirement? ›

The 4% rule is easy to follow. In the first year of retirement, you can withdraw up to 4% of your portfolio's value. If you have $1 million saved for retirement, for example, you could spend $40,000 in the first year of retirement following the 4% rule.

Why does Dave Ramsey use 12 percent? ›

Where Does the Idea of a 12% Average Return Come From? When Dave Ramsey says you can make a 12% return on your investments, he's using a real number that's based on the historical average annual return of the S&P 500.

What are the 4 key elements of investment? ›

Any investment process must involve planning, organization, leadership and control to some extent in order to be considered managed. However, any of these four elements can be done well or poorly, and this will impact returns.

What are the 4 C's of investing? ›

Concept 86: Four Cs (Capacity, Collateral, Covenants, and Character) of Traditional Credit Analysis.

What are the 4 parts of investment bank? ›

The four main areas of investment banking activity are Capital Markets, Advisory, Trading and Brokerage, and Asset Management.

What are the top 3 mutual funds? ›

3 Top-Ranked Mutual Funds for Your Retirement
  • MainStay Large Cap Growth R6 (MLRSX): 0.63% expense ratio and 0.61% management fee. ...
  • Principal Capital Appreciation R5 (PCAQX) is a stand out amongst its peers. ...
  • Vanguard Windsor-II Investor (VWNFX): 0.34% expense ratio and 0.33% management fee.
3 days ago

Which mutual fund is best of all time? ›

The T. Rowe Price Global Technology Fund is the best performing mutual fund of the past decade, returning 20.5% annually over the past 10 years, according to Morningstar. The 46 stock fund has returned more than 12% this year, while the broader market has spiraled due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus.

What is the most profitable mutual fund? ›

Top 25 Mutual Funds
RankSymbolFund Name
1VSMPXVanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund;Institutional Plus
2VFIAXVanguard 500 Index Fund;Admiral
3FXAIXFidelity 500 Index Fund
4VTSAXVanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund;Admiral
21 more rows

What are the 5 major investment objectives? ›

Objectives of Investment
  • Safeguard your Money. Investing keeps your money safe from immediate and unnecessary expenditures. ...
  • Grow your Savings. Investment is the only way to start growing your invested money. ...
  • Build Funds for Emergencies. ...
  • Secures your Retired Life. ...
  • Save Tax. ...
  • Fund Bigger Life Goals.
Feb 21, 2023

What are fund categories? ›

A fund category is a way of differentiating mutual funds according to their investment objectives and principal investment features. This categorization allows investors to spread their money around in a mix of funds with a variety of risk and return characteristics.

What is a Level 3 mutual fund? ›

Level 3: Broker/dealers and other intermediaries maintain full customer account control, handling all orders, customer statements and reporting. Underlying customers have no direct privileges with the fund company. Level 4: The fund company handles all underlying customer communications.

Is the S&P 500 a mutual fund? ›

Most Liquid S&P 500 Index Fund: SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) SPY is an ETF, not a mutual fund, and it's not even the lowest-cost S&P 500 ETF. It is, however, the most liquid S&P 500 fund. Liquidity indicates how easy it will be to trade an ETF, with higher liquidity generally meaning lower trading costs.

What is the 3 fund strategy? ›

A 3 fund portfolio is a diversification approach whereby the investors put their money in a certain ratio in three different asset classes, i.e., domestic stocks, domestic bonds, and international stocks. It is a simple, low-cost investing approach that ensures retirement savings at a minimal risk appetite.

What are the three 3 sources of fund? ›

The main sources of funding are retained earnings, debt capital, and equity capital.

What is the 5 portfolio rule? ›

In investment, the five percent rule is a philosophy that says an investor should not allocate more than five percent of their portfolio funds into one security or investment. The rule also referred to as FINRA 5% policy, applies to transactions like riskless transactions and proceed sales.

What is core four portfolio? ›

The Rick Ferri Core Four Portfolio is a Very High Risk portfolio and can be implemented with 4 ETFs. It's exposed for 80% on the Stock Market. In the last 30 Years, the Rick Ferri Core Four Portfolio obtained a 7.90% compound annual return, with a 12.08% standard deviation.

What is the 4 fund portfolio of Bogleheads? ›

On the other hand, the Bogleheads 4 Fund Portfolio consists of four funds: a Total U.S. Stock Market Index Fund, a Total International Stock Market Index Fund, a Total U.S. Bond Market Index Fund, and a Total International Bond Market Index Fund.

Can I retire at 50 with $2 million dollars? ›

Yes, you can retire at 50 with 2 million dollars. At age 50, an annuity will provide a guaranteed income of $125,000 annually, starting immediately for the rest of the insured's lifetime. The income will stay the same and never decrease.

What is the 7% retirement rule? ›

What is the 7 percent rule? The 7 percent rule is a retirement planning guideline that suggests you can comfortably withdraw 7 percent of your retirement savings annually without running out of money.

How much money do you need to retire with $100000 a year income? ›

This means that if you make $100,000 shortly before retirement, you can start to plan using the ballpark expectation that you'll need about $75,000 a year to live on in retirement. You'll likely need less income in retirement than during your working years because: Most people spend less in retirement.

What is the 25% rule Ramsey? ›

To calculate how much house you can afford, use the 25% rule—never spend more than 25% of your monthly take-home pay (after tax) on monthly mortgage payments. That 25% limit includes principal, interest, property taxes, home insurance, PMI and don't forget to consider HOA fees.

What will 10000 be worth in 20 years? ›

With that, you could expect your $10,000 investment to grow to $34,000 in 20 years.

What is the Ramsey rule of 72? ›

Divide 72 by the interest rate on the investment you're looking at. The number you get is the number of years it will take until your investment doubles itself.

What are the 3 C's of investing? ›

Investors must know you, like you, and trust you before they will fund you. And they are looking for what I call the three Cs in a business founder: character, confidence, and coachability.

What are the 4 C's of wealth? ›

Before loaning anyone your hard-earned money, remember the 'Four Cs' of credit: character, collateral, covenants and, the most important, capacity.

Which investment is best for 3 years? ›

Best Investment Plan for 3 Years
Short Term Investment OptionsInvestment Returns
Liquid Funds5-6%
Short Term and Ultra-Short-Term Funds5-6%
Fixed Deposits4-7%
Fixed Maturity Plans6-8%
3 more rows

What are the 5 classes of investment? ›

The five most common asset classes are equities, fixed-income securities, cash, real estate and marketable commodities.

What are the six 6 criteria for choosing an investment? ›

  • Dollar-cost averaging.
  • Risk tolerance levels.
  • Portfolio diversification.
  • Asset allocation.

What is a Level 4 investor? ›

Level 4: Long-term Investors

Long-term investors are those who have a long-term investment plan and are engaged in that plan to ensure it helps their financial objectives. They are generally very conservative people (i.e. no fancy cars or houses) and have well-balanced financial habits.

What are the 3 main towers in banking? ›

Summary. The three main business segments for a bank are retail banking, wholesale banking, and wealth management.

What are the 3 components of the investment function? ›

The overall level of investment depends on three factors: (i) the investment demand of firms, (ii) the funds available for market, and (iii) the volume of investment goods produced. Interest rates and the prices of investment goods move to balance the three factors.

What is the hierarchy of an investment bank? ›

The typical structural hierarchy of an investment bank includes investment analysts, associates, vice president, senior vice president, and managing director.

Is Vanguard a mutual fund? ›

Vanguard has both index mutual funds and actively managed funds. The strategy of investing in multiple asset classes and among many securities in an attempt to lower overall investment risk. These investment products hold hundreds to thousands of stocks, bonds, and more.

How do I choose the best mutual fund? ›

How to choose mutual funds?
  1. Financial goals. Defining different financial goals is most important aspect to prepare an investment plan. ...
  2. Risk Appetite. Risk refers to an adverse financial outcome against your expectations. ...
  3. Asset allocation.

How do I choose a good mutual fund? ›

Here are seven tips to help you select the best mutual funds for your needs.
  1. Consider your investing goals and risk tolerance. ...
  2. Know the fund's management style: Is it active or passive? ...
  3. Understand the differences between fund types. ...
  4. Look out for high fees. ...
  5. Do your research and evaluate past performance.
Jan 26, 2023

Is a 10% return on a mutual fund good? ›

Most investors would view an average annual rate of return of 10% or more as a good ROI for long-term investments in the stock market.

Which mutual fund is safest for long term? ›

List of Best-long-duration-mutual-funds Duration Mutual Funds in India
Fund NameCategoryRisk
SBI Contra FundEquityVery High
PGIM India Midcap Opportunities FundEquityVery High
Quant Mid Cap FundEquityVery High
Motilal Oswal Midcap FundEquityVery High
7 more rows

How many mutual funds should I have? ›

The consensus is that a well-balanced portfolio with approximately 20 to 30 stocks diversifies away the maximum amount of unsystematic risk.

Do millionaires invest in mutual funds? ›

No matter how much their annual salary may be, most millionaires put their money where it will grow, usually in stocks, bonds, and other types of stable investments. Millionaires put their money into places where it will grow such as mutual funds, stocks and retirement accounts.

Is there a better investment than mutual funds? ›

ETFs can be more tax-efficient than actively managed funds due to lower turnover and fewer capital gains. ETFs are bought and sold on an exchange at different prices throughout the day while mutual funds can be bought or sold only once a day at one price.

What are the three largest mutual funds? ›

Top 25 Mutual Funds
RankSymbolFund Name
1VSMPXVanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund;Institutional Plus
2VFIAXVanguard 500 Index Fund;Admiral
3FXAIXFidelity 500 Index Fund
4VTSAXVanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund;Admiral
21 more rows

What's better index funds or mutual funds? ›

Index funds tend to be low-cost, passive options that are well-suited for hands-off, long-term investors. Actively-managed mutual funds can be riskier and more expensive, but they have the potential for higher returns over time.

What type of fund is Vanguard 500 index? ›

Vanguard 500 Index Fund seeks to track the investment performance of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index, an unmanaged benchmark representing U.S. large-capitalization stocks.

Is Vanguard 500 Index Fund a mutual fund? ›

Key Takeaways. Though both are broad-based equity mutual funds, the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (VTSAX) and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund Admiral Shares (VFIAX) have different investment objectives.

Is S&P 500 an ETF or index fund? ›

The Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO -0.66%) has a low minimum investment of one share ($355 as of March 14, 2023) and a low expense ratio of 0.3%. This index fund-like product trades on a major stock exchange, allowing investors to buy and sell like they would a stock.

Who owns most of Vanguard? ›

Vanguard is owned by the funds managed by the company and is therefore owned by its customers.

What is a better investment than mutual funds? ›

ETFs can be more tax-efficient than actively managed funds due to lower turnover and fewer capital gains. ETFs are bought and sold on an exchange at different prices throughout the day while mutual funds can be bought or sold only once a day at one price.

How do I choose a mutual fund for dummies? ›

Here are seven tips to help you select the best mutual funds for your needs.
  1. Consider your investing goals and risk tolerance. ...
  2. Know the fund's management style: Is it active or passive? ...
  3. Understand the differences between fund types. ...
  4. Look out for high fees. ...
  5. Do your research and evaluate past performance.
Jan 26, 2023

Should I invest my IRA in mutual funds? ›

Mutual funds are a very good investment option for Roth individual retirement accounts (Roth IRAs). The combination of a broad-based stock mutual fund and a broad-based bond mutual fund serves as a good foundation for a Roth IRA.

Is Roth IRA a mutual fund? ›

Is an IRA a mutual fund? The short answer is that “no,” an IRA is not a mutual fund. The biggest difference between an IRA and a mutual fund is that an IRA is a type of account that can be funded with an investment like a mutual fund, an annuity, or any number of other investment vehicles.

Is there anything better than index funds? ›

The capital gains taxes you'll pay

ETFs are more tax-efficient than index funds by nature, thanks to the way they're structured. When you sell an ETF, you're typically selling it to another investor who's buying it, and the cash is coming directly from them.

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