Beyond Morningstar: Seven Other Great Fund Web Sites

MaxFunds -- MaxFunds uses its free content to support its MaxAdvisor service, which gives investors advice on how to maximize mutual fund returns for $129.95 a year. But this isn't to say the free content isn't worth checking out. "Confessions of a Mutual Fund Insider," a diary written by co-founder Jonas Ferris, dishes the dirt about the mutual fund using well-written anecdotes, a nice change of pace from the straight commentary and bullet points other sites use. The "Ask Max" column is also worth a read, since it routinely covers those basic questions that investors either assume they already know or are too scared to ask, such as "What's a P/E ratio?" MaxFunds also deserves kudos for its slick design and frequent updates.

Research, Tools and Information Sources

Lipper -- Outside of Morningstar, fund managers are sure to check out Lipper's research, which has been detailing the trends and issues in the mutual fund industry for a quarter of a century. Lipper is invaluable for its oft-updated research on recent market trends, a steady flow of information about the big mutual fund winners and losers, and where smart money is being put to work. The site design is a bit clunky, requiring users to pick a home country, then find much of the information by wandering through the site. The easiest way to find what you're looking for is by checking out the press release archive and scanning the headlines, which are listed in order of publication.

National Securities Corporation Mutual Fund Information and Research -- For every high-profile fund family like Janus, there's an Albermarle Investment Trust that you've never heard of. With thousands of funds out there and hundreds of fund families, simply finding the contact information for a mutual fund company can be a nightmare. Scott Ulves, an account representative for National Securities Corporation, has compiled an alphabetical list of 625 fund families, including their toll-free numbers and Web addresses. The site may not have the flashiest design, but it is free, loads fast and doesn't have any annoying pop-up ads. Every once in a while, one of the links will be dead, but Ulves regularly fixes these mistakes with help from the 10,000 visitors who come each month. This site is a great place to start looking at fund companies, since it's easy to navigate and links over to Yahoo!'s more comprehensive mutual fund pages, which can be maddening to figure out.

The SEC Mutual Fund Cost Calculator -- The Securities and Exchange Commission may not have caught Enron, Global Crossing and others before investors lost their shirts, but they do provide a rather nifty calculator that makes it easy to compare funds. Just type in the length of time you plan to hold the fund, how much you've invested, your expected rate of return and the assorted fees associated with a fund and the calculator will tell you how much your costs will be. The Java application walks you through the entire process, step by step, while explaining intimidating concepts such as deferred sales charges. Anyone who's ever tried to compare a no-load fund with high yearly expenses with a fund that has upfront charges and no yearly expenses can get an answer in minutes, without the headache.

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