Top-Rated Stock Mutual Funds of August

Permanent Portfolio Fund (PRPFX Quote) again topped the list of best-rated open-end stock mutual funds in August. The fund held the top spot despite a 2.47% dip in August.

The Permanent Portfolio continues to be a steady, consistent winner over the long run. Its targeted mix of 20% gold, 5% silver, 10% Swiss franc assets, 15% real estate and natural resources, 15% aggressive-growth stocks and 35% U.S. government debt is designed to preserve the long-term purchasing power of fund holders. With the U.S. dollar falling again, investments in gold, silver and Swiss francs are looking up, and so are the prospects for this fund.

The second best rated stock mutual fund is the 1st Source Monogram Long/Short Fund (FMLSX Quote), which gained 3.37% in August. This fund buys stocks like Wal-Mart (WMT Quote), Waste Management (WMI Quote), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ Quote) and Alcoa (AA Quote) that it considers undervalued while it sells short stocks focused on the bank, REIT, retail and technology sectors. ...