The best mutual funds you can buy Don't dwell on your losses.

Money 70: The best mutual funds you can buy Don't dwell on your losses. Focus on things you can control, like investing costs and consistency. That's what the MONEY will help you do. window.onerror funcion By Penelope Wang, Money Magazine senior writer (Money Magazine Could 2008 have been any worse for fund investors? As we went to press, not a single stock fund made money, and defying the laws of diversification, many bond funds fell too. Still, the MONEY 70, our recommended list of mutual and exchange-traded funds, held up better than most. More than 60% of our actively managed funds ranked in the top half of their categories last year; over the past five, 83% beat their peers. Of course, category-trouncing performance isn't the mission of the MONEY 70, since no one can predict future returns. Instead, we provide a mix of high-quality funds - including index funds and ETFs - which you can use to build a diversified portfolio. We stick with the criteria that matter most, like low fees, which let you keep more of your returns. When it comes to actively managed funds, we also look for consistent strategies and experience. And we care how well funds treat their shareholders. So we pay attention to Morningstar's stewardship grades, which rate such factors as a fund group's culture and regulatory history. As for performance, we focus on funds that rank in the top half of their peers over five years but make exceptions when a manager's style is out of favor. This year we're making only two switches. First, we're dropping Matrix Advisors Value because its assets slipped below our $100 million minimum. Funds that small pose a greater risk of raising fees or merging. If you own it, though, there's no reason to sell. We're then adding Allianz NFJ Small Cap Value, a fund that invests in dividend-paying small stocks and that recently reopened. We're also bringing back a former MONEY 70 fund that reopened, Third Avenue Small Cap Value, which buys undervalued high-quality stocks. To fit it in, we're dropping Bridgeway Small Cap Value - a fund we like but that tends to have wilder swings. Whichever funds you choose, be patient. Whether the recovery takes another five months or five years, you can be sure that the low fees, consistent strategies and trustworthy management of the {true;} if(!self.clickURL) clickURL=cleanClickURL(parent.location.href);EMAIL PRINT SHARE RSS TWITTER DIGG FACEBOOK DEL.ICIO.US REDDIT STUMBLE .rss Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader See all cnnShareLinks.iniMoney','rss.cnn.com/rss/magazines_moneymag.rss'); // EDIT THIS catch(e) { By Penelope Wang, Money Magazine senior writer (Money Magazine) -- Could 2008 have been any worse for fund investors? As we went to press, not a single stock fund made money, and defying the laws of diversification, many bond funds fell too. Still, the MONEY 70, our recommended list of mutual and exchange-traded funds, held up better than most. More than 60% of our actively managed funds ranked in the top half of their categories last year; over the past five, 83% beat their peers. Of course, category-trouncing performance isn't the mission of the MONEY 70, since no one can predict future returns. Instead, we provide a mix of high-quality funds - including index funds and ETFs - which you can use to build a diversified portfolio. We stick with the criteria that matter most, like low fees, which let you keep more of your returns. When it comes to actively managed funds, we also look for consistent strategies and experience. And we care how well funds treat their shareholders. So we pay attention to Morningstar's stewardship grades, which rate such factors as a fund group's culture and regulatory history. As for performance, we focus on funds that rank in the top half of their peers over five years but make exceptions when a manager's style is out of favor. This year we're making only two switches. First, we're dropping Matrix Advisors Value because its assets slipped below our $100 million minimum. Funds that small pose a greater risk of raising fees or merging. If you own it, though, there's no reason to sell. We're then adding Allianz NFJ Small Cap Value, a fund that invests in dividend-paying small stocks and that recently reopened. We're also bringing back a former MONEY 70 fund that reopened, Third Avenue Small Cap Value, which buys undervalued high-quality stocks. To fit it in, we're dropping Bridgeway Small Cap Value - a fund we like but that tends to have wilder swings. Whichever funds you choose, be patient. Whether the recovery takes another five months or five years, you can be sure that the low fees, consistent strategies and trustworthy management of the MONEY 70 funds will keep working in your favor.the hedging contracts that had prevented the company from taking full advantage of the recent upswing in gold prices were hurting the company's bottom line and its share price. For many years, Barrick has engaged in hedging selling much of its production at pre-determined prices. That guaranteed a certain minimum price for its gold but prevented it from taking full advantage of rising gold prices. "The gold hedge book has been a particular concern among our shareholders and the broader market, which we believe has obscured the many positive developments within the company," Barrick CEO Aaron Regent said in a statement. "As a result of today's decision, we have addressed that concern and maintained our financial flexibility." The company announced in 2003 that it would end its hedging program within 10 years. Barrick Gold is the world's largest producer of gold. the hedging contracts that had prevented the company from taking full advantage of the recent upswing in gold prices were hurting the company's bottom line and its share price. For many years, Barrick has engaged in hedging selling much of its production at pre-determined prices. That guaranteed a certain minimum price for its gold but prevented it from taking full advantage of rising gold prices. "The gold hedge book has been a particular concern among our shareholders and the broader market, which we believe has obscured the many positive developments within the company," Barrick CEO Aaron Regent said in a statement. "As a result of today's decision, we have addressed that concern and maintained our financial flexibility." The company announced in 2003 that it would end its hedging program within 10 years. Barrick Gold is the world's largest producer of gold. the hedging contracts that had prevented the company from taking full advantage of the recent upswing in gold prices were hurting the company's bottom line and its share price. For many years, Barrick has engaged in hedging selling much of its production at pre-determined prices. That guaranteed a certain minimum price for its gold but prevented it from taking full advantage of rising gold prices. "The gold hedge book has been a particular concern among our shareholders and the broader market, which we believe has obscured the many positive developments within the company," Barrick CEO Aaron Regent said in a statement. "As a result of today's decision, we have addressed that concern and maintained our financial flexibility." The company announced in 2003 that it would end its hedging program within 10 years. Barrick Gold is the world's largest producer of gold. the hedging contracts that had prevented the company from taking full advantage of the recent upswing in gold prices were hurting the company's bottom line and its share price. For many years, Barrick has engaged in hedging selling much of its production at pre-determined prices. That guaranteed a certain minimum price for its gold but prevented it from taking full advantage of rising gold prices. "The gold hedge book has been a particular concern among our shareholders and the broader market, which we believe has obscured the many positive developments within the company," Barrick CEO Aaron Regent said in a statement. "As a result of today's decision, we have addressed that concern and maintained our financial flexibility." The company announced in 2003 that it would end its hedging program within 10 years. Barrick Gold is the world's largest producer of gold.