15 Best No-Load Mutual Funds for 2009 and Beyond

Within the stock trading community, mutual funds tend to be looked down upon. Mainly because these funds are commonly associated with high costs and low performances.

Now that banks have cut their 5% savings interest rates down to below 2, there are actually some enticing no-load mutual funds available for people looking to make more than what their banks currently offer.

To even the playing field…

A mutual fund is essentially a collection of money from several investors, which is then invested and managed by some investment firm.

Originally, mutual funds were looked down upon because of their high commissions and fees with lackluster returns; however, with the popularity of no-load mutual funds, now investors can avoid paying commission for every share traded.

Many people are now also looking at ETF’s as a substitute to mutual funds.

Below are the best 15 no-load mutual funds as rated by Kiplinger’s. Use MorningStar to conduct market research and look up symbol data.

No-Load U.S. Stock Mutual Funds

• Baron Small Cap (BSCFX)
• CMG Focus (CGMFX)
• Dodge & Cox Stock (DODGX)
• Fidelity Contrafund (FCNTX)
• Longleaf Partners (LLPFX)
• Selected American Sahres S (SLASX)
• T. Rowe Price Equity Income (PRFDX)
• T. Rowe Price Mid-Cap Growth
• T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Growth

No-Load International Stock Mutual Funds

• Artio International Equity II A (JETAX)
• Dodge & Cox Int’l Stock (DODFX)

No-Load Bond Mutual Funds

• Dodge & Cox Income (DODIX)
• Harbor Bond Institutional (HABDX)
• Loomis Sayles Bond (LSBRX)
• Vanguard Infl-Protected Secs (VIPSX)

Check out the best brokerages and commissions for mutual fund investing.