Thumbs Down: What Now for Funds?

Tip:

The mutual fund scandals havephysician-investors hunting forfunds that they can put their moneyinto without worrying about beingjabbed by market timing or otherhigh-level shenanigans. What to lookfor, fund watchers say, are funds thathave trading controls like high minimuminvestments and penalties forshort-term investors. Also, look forcompanies that close hot funds tonew investors and don't open newfunds at the drop of a hat. Some ofthe fund families that meet these criteriaare Vanguard, Fidelity, AmericanFunds, and T. Rowe Price. Eventhe top fund families have some laggardsin their portfolio. Look forfunds with good long-term past performanceand low expenses.