Mutual funds

Despite a rocky year, these 20 funds recorded an average return of 13.6%.

Net flows have slowed in 2020 at the fund giant as rivals continue to roll out similar products amid the rise of robo advisors and almost-free trading.

The top 20 outpaced the broader industry and had an average net expense ratio far below the 0.45% investors paid last year.

The 20 mutual funds and ETFs on this list have an average fee of roughly 111 basis points.

The top 20 have delivered overall outperformance. However, their gains come with fees more than twice the industry average.

The $527 billion manager released two actively-managed products, one focused on U.S. equities and the other on international stocks.

The average expense ratio for this group was more than 100 basis points.

“Their top holdings are focused on those companies that have benefited in a post-COVID world,” an expert says.

Fees among the leaders range from as little as two basis points to as high as 125 basis points.

“These are tracking the industries that are supporting the economy and will continue in the post-pandemic world,” an expert says.

Among the decade’s worst performers — those with more than $1 billion in assets under management — were a handful of products with stellar short-term returns.

Do-it-yourself-minded investors have never had more places to put their savings, writes Bloomberg’s Nir Kaissar.

“Investors are going into lower, more passive mutual funds because they don't want to pay the fees,” an expert says.

“A typical Gen Z-er may not be as interested in owning a mutual fund," says Contrafund's Will Danoff.

“Expense ratios matter to most people, particularly when you're looking at these mostly passive funds,” an expert says.

Despite some impressive short-term gains, more than half underperformed their peers over the decade.

Waiting until year end to factor in portfolio volatility is risky business.

Some of the biggest laggards have managed short-term gains of more than 40%.

Among some 500 large-cap U.S. mutual funds, those with at least one-third of manager positions held by women have beaten those with none, data show.

Lower transaction costs can often come with higher expense ratios at the nation’s largest IBD.