The Daily Screen: The Best Real Estate Funds

Real estate funds might not have eye-popping long-term returns, but they can be a port in a stormy market like this one.

Coming Back After years of underperformance, real estate funds are beating the indices
	Average Real Estate Fund	S&P 500
YTD Return	17.2%	-5.7%
1-Year Return	19.9	-2.3
5-Year Return*	10.1	20
10-Year Return*	11	18.4
Source: Morningstar. *Annualized. Performance through Nov. 20.

Real estate funds, the focus of today's Daily Screen, can be a good way to diversify your portfolio because they don't tend to rise and fall with the S&P 500 index. They also offer a steady stream of income, which can help keep your portfolio afloat when stock prices head south. We'll take a look at the leading real estate funds over the past three years and some of their top picks, but first let's walk through what these funds buy. ...