For better or worse, Vanguard and Fidelity rule the retirement plan world. The mutual fund-behemoths accounted for more than half of the spots in a BrightScope listing of most commonly-offered funds in retirement plans.
The San Diego-based firm ranked the top three mutual funds in each of the following categories: allocation, alterative assets, bonds, cash/stable value, international stock, large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap.
They are:
Allocation Funds:
1. Vanguard Wellington
2. Fidelity Freedom 2020
3. Fidelity Freedom 2030
Alternative Asset Funds:
1. Vanguard REIT Index
2. Fidelity Real Estate Investment
3. Invesco Real Estate
Bond Funds:
1. PIMCO Total Return
2. Vanguard Total Bond Market Index
3. Fidelity Spartan US Bond Index
Cash/Stable Value Funds:
1. Vanguard Prime Money Market
2. Fidelity Retirement Money Market
3. Fidelity Institutional Money Market
International Stock Funds:
1. American Funds EuroPacific Growth
2. Dodge & Cox International Stock
3. Fidelity Diversified International
Large Cap Stock Funds:
1. Vanguard Institutional Index
2. Fidelity Contrafund
3. Fidelity Spartan 500 Index
Mid Cap Stock Funds:
1. Fidelity Low-Priced Stock
2. Vanguard Extended Market Index
3. Vanguard Mid-Capitalization Index
Small Cap Stock Funds:
1. Vanguard Small Cap Index
2. Vanguard Explorer
3. T. Rowe Price New Horizons
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.
