The Kiplinger 25 is a list of our favorite no-load mutual funds. We favor funds run by seasoned managers who take a long view and have proved themselves able to weather many a storm. And we prefer low to below-average fees.
See Also: 25 Best Mutual Funds for Low Fees
In the tables below, you can see for each of the 25 funds, expense ratios and one-year, and annualized three-, five-, 10- and 20-year total returns (the fund’s rate of return over a given period of time, including interest, capital gains, dividends and distributions).
Click the ticker symbol for its daily market snapshot.
Data through April 30, 2023
Large-Company Stock Funds
| FUND NAME | SYMBOL | 1-YR RETURN |
3-YR RETURN |
5-YR RETURN |
10-YR RETURN |
20-YR RETURN |
EXPENSE RATIO |
| Dodge & Cox Stock | DODGX | 1.95% | 18.48% | 9.52% | 11.28% | 9.91% | 0.51% |
| Fidelity Blue Chip Growth | FBGRX | -1.78 | 13.22 | 13.59 | 15.45 | 11.49 | 0.76 |
| Mairs & Power Growth | MPGFX | 2.30 | 12.95 | 10.76 | 10.53 | 9.96 | 0.61 |
| Primecap Odyssey Growth | POGRX | 3.89 | 13.54 | 7.22 | 11.62 | — | 0.65 |
| T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth | PRDGX | 3.89 | 14.61 | 11.80 | 11.93 | 10.13 | 0.64 |
| Vanguard Equity-Income | VEIPX | 2.25 | 15.01 | 9.32 | 10.19 | 9.78 | 0.28 |
S&P 500-Stock Index | — | 2.66% | 14.52% | 11.45% | 12.20% | 10.02% | — |
Data through April 30, 2023
Small- and Midsize-Company Stock Funds
| FUND NAME | SYMBOL | 1-YR RETURN |
3-YR RETURN |
5-YR RETURN |
10-YR RETURN |
20-YR RETURN |
EXPENSE RATIO |
| DF Dent Midcap Growth | DFDMX | -2.40% | 4.76% | 8.29% | 10.96% | —% | 0.85% |
| Parnassus Mid Cap | PARMX | -6.07 | 7.72 | 5.19 | 8.15 | — | 0.96 |
| T. Rowe Price QM U.S. Small-Cap Growth Equity | PRDSX | 3.86 | 9.67 | 6.87 | 10.36 | 10.75 | 0.80 |
| T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Value | PRSVX | -6.32 | 13.77 | 4.95 | 7.84 | 9.80 | 0.79 |
Russell 2000 Index | — | -3.65% | 11.90% | 4.15% | 7.88% | 9.17% | — |
Data through April 30, 2023
International Stock Funds
| FUND NAME | SYMBOL | 1-YR RETURN |
3-YR RETURN |
5-YR RETURN |
10-YR RETURN |
20-YR RETURN |
EXPENSE RATIO |
| Baron Emerging Markets | BEXFX | -5.85% | 3.17% | -2.50% | 2.34% | —% | 1.38% |
| Brown Capital Management International Small Company | BCSVX | 3.02 | 8.74 | 6.12 | — | — | 1.30 |
| Fidelity International Growth | FIGFX | 7.83 | 9.38 | 6.83 | 6.85 | — | 1.01 |
| Janus Henderson Global Equity Income | HFQTX | 4.04 | 11.78 | 3.35 | 4.67 | — | 1.01 |
MSCI EAFE Index | — | 8.42% | 11.68% | 3.63% | 4.76% | 6.97% | — |
Data through April 30, 2023
Specialized/Go-Anywhere Funds
| FUND NAME | SYMBOL | 1-YR RETURN |
3-YR RETURN |
5-YR RETURN |
10-YR RETURN |
20-YR RETURN |
EXPENSE RATIO |
| Fidelity Select Health Care Portfolio | FSPHX | 9.89% | 7.42% | 10.52% | 13.86% | 12.19% | 0.68% |
| T. Rowe Price Global Technology | PRGTX | -9.97 | -0.34 | 4.04 | 14.88 | 13.63 | 0.95 |
| TCW Enhanced Commodity Strategy N | TGABX | -16.73% | 22.82% | 5.87% | -0.24% | — | 0.75% |
Data through April 30, 2023
Bond Funds
| FUND NAME | SYMBOL | 1-YR RETURN |
3-YR RETURN |
5-YR RETURN |
10-YR RETURN |
20-YR RETURN |
EXPENSE RATIO |
| Fidelity Intermediate Municipal Income | FLTMX | 3.07% | 1.24% | 2.05% | 1.93% | 3.15% | 0.35% |
| Fidelity Strategic Income | FADMX | 0.30 | 2.87 | 2.34 | 2.66 | 5.17 | 0.68 |
| Metropolitan West Total Return | MWTRX | -1.60 | -3.18 | 1.08 | 1.25 | 4.32 | 0.65 |
| T. Rowe Price Floating Rate | PRFRX | 3.46 | 5.89 | 3.29 | 3.30 | — | 0.75 |
| TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond Fund | TSBRX | -1.49 | -2.62 | 0.80 | 1.55 | — | 0.64 |
| Vanguard Emerging Markets Bond | VEMBX | 3.19 | 3.00 | 3.65 | — | — | 0.55 |
| Vanguard High-Yield Corp | VWEHX | 2.03 | 3.55 | 3.19 | 3.69 | 5.63 | 0.23 |
| Vanguard Short-term Investment-Grade | VFSTX | 1.68 | 0.07 | 1.67 | 1.52 | 2.66 | 0.20 |
Bloomberg US Agg Bond Index | — | -0.43% | -3.15% | 1.18% | 1.32% | 3.17% | — |
Source: Morningstar Inc.