The Big Screen: What's in a Name When It Comes to Your Mutual Fund?

Imagine buying a pint of chocolate ice cream, only to find it filled with rich, creamy and totally unwanted vanilla when you get home.

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That's the kind of unwelcome surprise some fund investors could get when picking through the tech and growth fund bins. In the wake of the Nasdaq's collapse, there are tech funds out there that don't actually have much of their money in that sagging sector. At the same time, there are several sizable growth funds that still have nearly every penny riding on the tech sector. Today the Big Screen checks out a few funds in both camps to illustrate why it's always a good idea to look beyond a fund's name and into its portfolio to make sure the fund you're buying is the fund you want.

Though the situation is troubling, it's not shocking. Right or wrong, it's routine for fund charters to give fund managers more than a little leeway in what they can and cannot invest in. With the average tech fund having lost more than half its value over the past 12 months, according to Morningstar, it's not surprising that some tech managers have used that leeway to invest outside the tech realm. ...