I am 21 years old and I need some mutual fund help.  I am currently invested in OINCX, OCGCX, and OGHCX.  Are these good mutual funds. Seems like the expense ratios are high.

Hi Leonard,

Its great that youre getting started on investing so early in your career.  Time is one of the most valuable things you can give your investment portfolio due to the substantial benefits of compounding returns.

There are a number of factors you should consider when judging whether or not mutual funds are good and whether or not they are good for you personally.

Factors that make a mutual fund good

1.  Low expense ratio   This is the percent of assets under management that the fund manager takes each year as a fee for managing the fund.  If a fund has an expense ratio of 1% and you invest $1,000, every year the fund manager will take $10.  This fee is taken by adjusting the price per share of the mutual fund so you wont actually see a $10 charge, but youll still be effectively paying it.  There are great index funds (funds that passively invest in the market index) that charge about 0.10% and great actively managed funds (managers decide which stocks or bonds to invest in) that charge 0.75% or less.  If your fund is charging more, youre probably paying too much.

2.  Strong Performance   One of the main reasons to choose a mutual fund over picking stocks yourself is to let a professional do the work for you (youre paying for it with your expense ratio!) so be sure to look at a funds performance.  For an index fund, look at how closely the performance of the fund tracks the market index (Beta = 1 means perfect correlation).  For an actively managed fund, look at how much the fund manager has outperformed (or underperformed) the market index.  This measurement is called Alpha.  Risk taken should also be considered when evaluating an active managers performance.  The Sharpe ratio looks at a managers returns in excess of the index while adjusting for the amount of risk taken.  Its preferable to have a manager who not only can achieve high returns, but who can do so while keeping risk (volatility) as low as possible.  While past performance is no guarantee of future results, you should probably avoid index funds that havent been able to track the index or managers whose returns dont justify the risk theyve been taking.

3.  Sticks to their Area of Expertise   When Bernie Madoff was arrested for defrauding investors, it was soon revealed that many funds that were representing themselves as diversified multi-strategy funds were actually investing all their money in only Madoff.  While frauds like this are uncommon, what is common is for mutual funds to deviate significantly from their stated strategy.  This mission creep can wreak havoc on your carefully optimized portfolio so be sure to take a look at the actual stocks the funds has invested in previously to be sure your manager is honoring the mandate.  For example, if you are investing in a healthcare mutual fund and see that they have held large positions in Facebook and Apple, you should probably stay away because you have no idea what theyll invest in going forward.

To judge whether or not a mutual fund meets these criteria, weve created a mutual fund screening tool that allows you to screen and sort by Expense Ratio, Alpha, Beta, Risk-adjusted Return, and much more.  Weve also created lists of top performing mutual funds over the past decade.

Even if a mutual fund is good, it may not be good for you.  You need to consider your own circumstances before choosing a fund, including:

1.  Your age If you have many years until retirement, you can afford to take greater risks to pursue greater returns than someone who only has a few years to go.  This is because if something goes wrong your portfolio will have longer to recover or you can adjust your spending or work harder or longer to make up the loss.  These are not options you have when you are nearing retirement.  A mutual fund that is good for you would be a good risk-reward match for your age.

2.  Your risk tolerance Do you love to take risks or does having money in the stock market keep you up at night?  Make sure your mutual funds risk-reward profile matches not only your age, but also your personal risk tolerance.

3.  Your industry Do you work in technology?  If so, you may be inclined to invest heavily in technology because of your familiarity with it, but you should probably do the opposite and underinvest in technology relative to other sectors.  Regardless of your industry, if you invest heavily in the industry that signs your paycheck then you are essentially doubling down on the success of that industry.  It could do well and you will reap the benefits, but its an unnecessary risk.  If the industry tanks, you could lose both your job and your investments.  Instead, think of your income as one piece of your global portfolio and make sure you are well diversified.

4.  Your other holdings Do you have nothing but U.S. index funds in your 401k?  Then maybe the best mutual fund for you is an international or emerging markets fund.  Or maybe you are heavily concentrated in one sector or investment style, making other sectors and investment styles a more attractive addition to your portfolio.

In short, the best mutual funds are both great funds on their own, due to low expense ratios and great risk-adjusted returns, and great for your personal circumstances, meaning that they meet your risk-return needs and fill in the holes in your portfolio to make you well diversified.

So what are some good funds?  You mention three funds in your question:  OINCX, OCGCX, and OGHCX.  Lets take a look on how they stack up: