How the Kiplinger 25 Fared in 2020

(Image credit: Illustration by Maria Hergueta)

A year ago, the last time we published our annual update of the Kiplinger 25, our favorite actively managed no-load funds, we were in the throes of a bear-market downturn—and still in the Kiplinger offices, debating whether to shut the doors and work virtually or keep calm and carry on. The market recovered (and then some), but we’re still hunkering at home.

As the world moves toward a new normal, it’s a good time to get one’s ducks in a row, so to speak. In many ways, the markets have simply come full circle. Just as before the pandemic began, stock and bond prices are high, yields are low, and the picture of a new economic and business cycle is beginning to come into focus.

But the past 12 months have been a wild ride, both for markets overall and for the Kip 25 funds. The period was marked by the end of the bear market and the beginning of a rocky, tech-driven recovery, punctuated by a shift toward small companies and economically sensitive sectors such as energy and financials after the election and the release of COVID-19 vaccines. All told, however, we’re happy with our funds. Our diversified U.S. stock funds, on average, beat the S&P 500 index; our foreign stock funds trounced the MSCI EAFE index of stocks in foreign developed countries; and our bond funds, overall, delivered bigger gains than the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond index.

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How our funds fared

For the 12-month period ending March 5, the S&P 500 index climbed 29.3%. That’s a 74.6% recovery from its bottom in late March 2020. Foreign markets did well, too, with the MSCI EAFE index gaining 18.6% over the past 12 months. And though a terrible liquidity crunch hit bonds during the market downturn last year—buying or selling almost every type of fixed-income security became nearly impossible—massive bond buying by the Federal Reserve helped buoy debt markets. Even so, recent market conditions have weighed on the Bloomberg Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond index, which is down 0.3%.

Kip 25 highlights: Seven of our diversified U.S. stock funds beat the S&P 500 over the past 12 months, including one value-oriented fund (Dodge & Cox Stock) and all three of our small-company stock funds. The best performer was Wasatch Small Cap Value (symbol WMCVX), with a 52.9% gain. Primecap Odyssey Growth (POGRX) snapped out of a funk and returned 41.0%. Lowlights include our dividend stock funds, which continue to lag the broad market, including T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth (PRDGX) and Vanguard Equity-Income (VEIPX).

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Our foreign stock funds together returned an average of 26.2% over the past 12 months—but it was lopsided. Baron Emerging Markets (BEXFX) climbed a whopping 40.7% (beating its index); Fidelity International Growth (FIGFX) rose 20.6%. Meanwhile, Janus Henderson Global Equity Income (HFQTX) was held back by a value-priced, dividend focus.

Finally, our bond funds prevailed over the Agg index, too, with an average 1.9% return. Four funds had solid returns: Fidelity Strategic Income (FADMX), Metropolitan West Total Return Bond (MWTRX), Vanguard High-Yield Corporate (VWEHX) and Vanguard Short-Term Investment Grade (VFSTX). TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond (TSBRX) missed beating the Agg index by 0.03 percentage point. And Fidelity New Markets Income lost ground but beat the 1.6% loss of the JPM Emerging Markets Bond Global index.

We’re making three changes to the Kip 25 roster this year: We’re cutting Fidelity New Markets Income after a string of manager changes and poor performance that has persisted since before longtime manager John Carlson left in 2019. Its replacement, Vanguard Emerging Markets Bond (VEMBX), has a short résumé, but it impresses. T. Rowe Price Blue Chip Growth is losing its longtime manager, Larry Puglia. After 27 years, he will retire in October. We wish him—and new manager Paul Greene—well. But we’re moving on with Fidelity Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX). Finally, we are replacing AMG TimesSquare International SmallCap with Brown Capital Management International Small Company (BCSVX). We’ve been patient with the AMG fund, but Brown Capital’s offering has performed better and with less volatility.

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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.