Best of the Big Fund Families

Many investors might look to a single fund family to populate their portfolio, either out of compulsion -- if, for example, their 401(k) plan offers only funds from one brand -- or convenience.

So, we surveyed hundreds of funds offered by Fidelity, Pimco, T. Rowe Price and Vanguard, prominent purveyors of no-load mutual funds. In picking our favorites, we considered management approach, past performance, volatility and more. In the process, we also learned something about what each firm does best.

Fidelity: Where Stars Shine Bright

We review ten leaders and laggards from the shop's hundreds of funds.

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Vanguard: Low-Fee Champion

Of course, the index funds of this venerated family are legendary. But here are our favorite actively-managed picks.

T. Rowe Price: Consistently Good

Consistency and a focus on the long haul are hallmarks of this 76-year-old firm..

Nellie joined Kiplinger in August 2011 after a seven-year stint in Hong Kong. There, she worked for the Wall Street Journal Asia, where as lifestyle editor, she launched and edited Scene Asia, an online guide to food, wine, entertainment and the arts in Asia. Prior to that, she was an editor at Weekend Journal, the Friday lifestyle section of the Wall Street Journal Asia. Kiplinger isn't Nellie's first foray into personal finance: She has also worked at SmartMoney (rising from fact-checker to senior writer), and she was a senior editor at Money.