TheStreet.com Ratings' Top Vanguard Funds

There are five Vanguard funds below that fall into one or more of these categories.

As a side issue, readers may notice that the Vanguard Energy Fund(VGENX Quote) is in our list of top-rated funds, despite its horrendous one-month return of negative 14.5%. The reason for this is that our models factor in a fund's long-term results, as given by its three-year return. So in this, and other similar cases, the rating our model gives to a fund is being influenced more by the three-year return than the near-term performance.

In a market such as this, it is inevitable that mathematical models will be sorely tested and produce contradictory results. Hence, human interpretation is needed.

The bottom line: Stick to the one- and three-month returns when making investment decisions. The market three years ago is nothing like the one we face today and into 2009.

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