Mutual funds are an important option for meeting your retirement goals or other financial objectives. Choosing the ones that are right for you is the tough part, as about 7,500 are available.
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The ninth annual IBD Best Mutual Funds Awards can help you figure out which funds to buy or sell. We looked at all the mutual funds with at least a 10-year track record.
Each award-winning fund had to outperform its benchmark for the past one, three, five and 10 years, showing its ability to outperform in both the short term and long haul.
Among funds at least 10 years old, that's a feat only 16% of eligible funds can claim.
This year, 587 funds qualified for recognition. Diversified stock funds also appear in the relevant investing style (growth or blend) and market capitalization (large-cap, midcap, small-cap) categories. If you don't see funds you own, you might look for new and better options.
The table below shows the top five funds in each category based on 10-year return, except in midcap, small-cap, and index funds, where fewer than five funds were award winners. Also, no value funds qualified.
For more details, see the overview article on our 2023 mutual funds study, or read about the GMO Quality IV Fund — which ranks among the top five funds in each of our Best Mutual Funds categories for Best U.S. Diversified Stock Funds, Best Blend Funds, and Best Large-Cap Funds.
Learn How The Best Funds Beat Their Benchmark, and go inside this Top GMO Quality Fund.
Best U.S. Diversified Stock Mutual Funds
See all 14 of the Best U.S. Diversified Stock Mutual Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core I * | PKSFX | 32.38 | 11.96 | 19.01 | 14.84 | US Fund Mid-Cap Growth | 1.0% |
| Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth IS | QILGX | 39.62 | 11.09 | 20.14 | 13.92 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.74 |
| JPMorgan U.S. GARP Equity I | JPGSX | 42.03 | 10.45 | 17.32 | 13.52 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.59 |
| GMO Quality IV | GQEFX | 30.06 | 11.68 | 16.82 | 13.48 | US Fund Large Blend | 0.45 |
| Elfun Trusts | ELFNX | 34.49 | 10.23 | 17.82 | 12.89 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.18 |
Best Growth Funds
See all seven of the Best Growth Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core I * | PKSFX | 32.38 | 11.96 | 19.01 | 14.84 | US Fund Mid-Cap Growth | 1% |
| Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth IS | QILGX | 39.62 | 11.09 | 20.14 | 13.92 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.74 |
| JPMorgan U.S. GARP Equity I | JPGSX | 42.03 | 10.45 | 17.32 | 13.52 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.59 |
| Elfun Trusts | ELFNX | 34.49 | 10.23 | 17.82 | 12.89 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.18 |
| Needham Aggressive Growth Retail | NEAGX | 37.65 | 11.12 | 24.49 | 12.78 | US Fund Small Growth | 1.85 |
Best Blend Funds
See all seven of the Best Blend Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| GMO Quality IV | GQEFX | 30.06 | 11.68 | 16.82 | 13.48 | US Fund Large Blend | 0.45% |
| Pear Tree Quality Ordinary | USBOX | 29.22 | 11.45 | 16.59 | 12.82 | US Fund Large Blend | 1.19 |
| Goldman Sachs Flexible Cap Institutional | GILLX | 28.36 | 10.58 | 16.71 | 12.47 | US Fund Large Blend | 0.59 |
| T. Rowe Price U.S. Equity Research | PRCOX | 29.8 | 10.49 | 16.44 | 12.39 | US Fund Large Blend | 0.45 |
| JPMorgan US Large Cap Core Plus I | JLPSX | 29.82 | 10.98 | 17.49 | 12.21 | US Fund Large Blend | 1.54 |
Best Large-Cap Funds
See all 12 of the Best Large-Cap Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| Federated Hermes MDT Large Cap Growth IS | QILGX | 39.62 | 11.09 | 20.14 | 13.92 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.74% |
| JPMorgan U.S. GARP Equity I | JPGSX | 42.03 | 10.45 | 17.32 | 13.52 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.59 |
| GMO Quality IV | GQEFX | 30.06 | 11.68 | 16.82 | 13.48 | US Fund Large Blend | 0.45 |
| Elfun Trusts | ELFNX | 34.49 | 10.23 | 17.82 | 12.89 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.18 |
| Pear Tree Quality Ordinary | USBOX | 29.22 | 11.45 | 16.59 | 12.82 | US Fund Large Blend | 1.19 |
Best Midcap Funds
See more on the Best Midcap Fund for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| Virtus KAR Small-Cap Core I * | PKSFX | 32.38 | 11.96 | 19.01 | 14.84 | US Fund Mid-Cap Growth | 1% |
Best Small-Cap Funds
See more on the Best Small-Cap Fund for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| Needham Aggressive Growth Retail | NEAGX | 37.65 | 11.12 | 24.49 | 12.78 | US Fund Small Growth | 1.85% |
Best Sector Funds
See all of the Best Sector Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | |||
| Select Semiconductors | FSELX | 78.14 | 22.5 | 34.21 | 25.53 | US Fund Technology | 0.69% |
| Fidelity Advisor Semiconductors I | FELIX | 75.33 | 21.72 | 33.66 | 25.19 | US Fund Technology | 0.74 |
| Rydex Electronics Inv | RYSIX | 55.69 | 13.4 | 29.59 | 20.84 | US Fund Technology | 1.39 |
| Columbia Seligman Global Tech A | SHGTX | 45.15 | 11.25 | 25.49 | 19.8 | US Fund Technology | 1.3 |
| Columbia Seligman Tech & Info A | SLMCX | 44.22 | 11.27 | 25.07 | 19.64 | US Fund Technology | 1.2 |
Best International Stock Funds
See all 78 of the Best International Stock Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: MSCI EAFE NR USD | 18.24% | 4.02% | 8.16% | 4.28% | |||
| Wasatch Emerging India Investor | WAINX | 20.84 | 9.15 | 11.72 | 14.36 | US Fund India Equity | 1.5% |
| Matthews India Investor | MINDX | 23.1 | 9.41 | 8.62 | 11.65 | US Fund India Equity | 1.15 |
| Guinness Atkinson Global Innovators Inv | IWIRX | 39.34 | 5.99 | 17.31 | 11.52 | US Fund Global Large-Stock Growth | 1.24 |
| Eaton Vance Greater India A | ETGIX | 20.6 | 8.11 | 9.62 | 10.59 | US Fund India Equity | 1.57 |
| Victory RS Global Y | RGGYX | 26.93 | 8.16 | 14.16 | 10.36 | US Fund Global Large-Stock Blend | 0.6 |
Best U.S. Taxable Bond Funds
See all 408 of the the Best U.S. Taxable Bond Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD | 5.53% | -3.31% | 1.1% | 1.81% | |||
| North Square Preferred and Income Secs I | ORDNX | 15.25 | 8.35 | 13.25 | 10.46 | US Fund Preferred Stock | 0.97% |
| Franklin Convertible Securities A * | FISCX | 9.97 | -0.2 | 12.48 | 9.63 | US Fund Convertibles | 0.81 |
| Virtus Convertible Inst | ANNPX | 8.38 | -2.45 | 12.83 | 9.21 | US Fund Convertibles | 0.71 |
| Columbia Convertible Securities A | PACIX | 11.91 | -2.24 | 11.75 | 8.62 | US Fund Convertibles | 1.12 |
| Fidelity Convertible Securities | FCVSX | 11.42 | 1.26 | 13.74 | 7.99 | US Fund Convertibles | 0.72 |
Best Municipal Bond Funds
See all 25 of the Best Municipal Bond Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: Bloomberg Municipal TR USD | 6.4% | -0.4% | 2.25% | 3.03% | |||
| Invesco Rochester Municipal Opps A | ORNAX | 8.53 | -0.19 | 3.69 | 5.97 | US Fund High Yield Muni | 1.3% |
| Invesco Rochester New York Municipals A | RMUNX | 9.82 | 0.05 | 3.66 | 5.32 | US Fund Muni New York Long | 1.14 |
| MainStay MacKay High Yield Muncpl Bd I | MMHIX | 9.55 | 0.07 | 2.88 | 5.18 | US Fund High Yield Muni | 0.62 |
| PIMCO High Yield Municipal Bond I | PHMIX | 8.93 | 0 | 3.24 | 4.88 | US Fund High Yield Muni | 0.6 |
| BlackRock High Yield Municipal Instl | MAYHX | 7.1 | -0.34 | 2.63 | 4.77 | US Fund High Yield Muni | 0.65 |
Best International Bond Funds
See all 55 of the Best International Bond Funds for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR USD | 5.72% | -5.51% | -0.32% | 0.38% | |||
| Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Dbt Opps R6 | EELDX | 11.46 | 2.03 | 6.19 | 4.57 | US Fund Emerging Markets Bond | 0.77% |
| GMO Emerging Country Debt III | GMCDX | 17.64 | -0.95 | 3.55 | 4.28 | US Fund Emerging Markets Bond | 0.54 |
| Voya VACS Series EMCD | IMCDX | 10.06 | -1.05 | 3.58 | 4.12 | US Fund Emerging Markets Bond | 0.1 |
| Franklin Emerging Market Debt Opps | FEMDX | 15.47 | 2.25 | 4.08 | 3.9 | US Fund Emerging Markets Bond | 1 |
| Virtus Stone Harbor Emerging Mkts Bond I | SHCDX | 9.71 | -0.44 | 3.91 | 3.83 | US Fund Emerging Markets Bond | 1 |
Best Index Funds
See more on the Best Index Fund for 2024.
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return | 3-year average annual return | 5-year average annual return | 10-year average annual return | Morningstar category | Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 TR USD | 26.29% | 10% | 15.69% | 12.03% | Large Blend | ||
| Voya Russell Large Cap Growth Idx Port I | IRLNX | 45.99 | 10.1 | 20.21 | 15.52 | US Fund Large Growth | 0.43% |
Sources: IBD, Morningstar Direct
* Fund is closed to new investors
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