Make the Most of Your Retirement with These Top-Ranked Mutual Funds

Wednesday, Mar 4, 2026 9:02 am ET2min read
Aime RobotAime Summary

- Zacks Mutual Fund Rank identifies three low-cost, high-performing funds ideal for retirement-focused long-term investors.

- Top picks include RFEBX (1.07% expense, 14.83% 5Y returns), TILHX (0.41% expense, 11.28% 5Y returns), and VGRTX (1.19% expense, 12.99% 5Y returns).

- The report also highlights AI's "second wave" potential, identifying under-the-radar companies poised for exponential growth in the next AI-driven economic transformation.

It is never too late to invest in mutual funds for retirement. As such, if you plan to invest in some of the best funds, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank can provide you with valuable guidance.

The easiest, most reliable way to judge a mutual fund's quality over time is by analyzing its performance, diversification, and fees. The Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, which covers over 19,000 mutual funds, has helped us identify three outstanding options that are perfect for any long-term investors' portfolios that is retirement-focused.

Let's take a look at some of our top-ranked mutual funds with the lowest fees.

American Funds Fundamentl Invs R2E (RFEBX): 1.07% expense ratio and 0.24% management fee. RFEBX is classified as a Large Cap Blend fund. More often than not, Large Cap Blend mutual funds invest in companies with a market cap of over $10 billion. Buying stakes in bigger companies offer these funds more stability, and are well-suited for investors with a "buy and hold" mindset. With annual returns of 14.83% over the last five years, this fund is a winner.

Nuveen LargeCap Growth I (TILHX). Expense ratio: 0.41%. Management fee: 0.39%. TILHX is a Large Cap Growth option; these mutual funds purchase stakes in numerous large U.S. companies that are expected to develop and grow at a faster rate than other large-cap stocks. This fund has managed to produce a robust 11.28% over the last five years.

JPMorgan US Value R2 (VGRTX): 1.19% expense ratio and 0.4% management fee. VGRTX is a part of the Large Cap Value category, and invests in equities with a market capitalization of $10 billion or more, but whose share prices do not reflect their intrinsic value. The fund is mainly invested in equities, has a long reputation of salutary performance, and has yearly returns of 12.99% over the last five years.

We hope that your investment advisor (if you use one) has you invested in one or all of the top-ranked mutual funds we've reviewed. But if that isn't the case, it might be time to have a conversation or reconsider this vitally important relationship.

Free Report: Profiting from the 2nd Wave of AI Explosion

The next phase of the AI explosion is poised to create significant wealth for investors, especially those who get in early. It will add literally trillion of dollars to the economy and revolutionize nearly every part of our lives.

Investors who bought shares like Nvidia at the right time have had a shot at huge gains.

But the rocket ride in the "first wave" of AI stocks may soon come to an end. The sharp upward trajectory of these stocks will begin to level off, leaving exponential growth to a new wave of cutting-edge companies.

Zacks' AI Boom 2.0: The Second Wave report reveals 4 under-the-radar companies that may soon be shining stars of AI’s next leap forward.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research

Zacks is the leading investment research firm focusing on equities earnings estimates and stock analysis for the individual investor, including stock picks, stock screening, portfolio stock tracker and stock screeners. Copyright 2006-2026 Zacks Equity Research, Inc. editor@zacks.com (Manaing editor) webmaster@zacks.com (Webmaster)

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