Mutual funds
Best Mutual Funds 2026: See The Benchmark-Beating Funds In Every Category
Anne stanley | 3/20/2026
The following has been excerpted and adapted from the Best Mutual Funds special report
The best mutual funds are an important option for meeting your retirement planning or other financial objectives. With about 7,500 funds available, choosing the ones that are right for you can be the tough part.
The 11th annual IBD Best Mutual Funds Awards — more than a decade of winning funds — can help you figure out which funds to buy or sell. We looked at all the mutual funds with at least a 10-year track record.
Each award-winning fund had to outperform its benchmark for the past one, three, five and 10 years. This demonstrates its ability to outperform in both the short term and long haul across bull and bear markets.
Among funds at least 10 years old, that’s a feat only 14% of eligible funds can claim.
This year, 536 funds qualified for recognition.
Best U.S. Diversified Stock Mutual Funds
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return |
3-year total return |
5-year total return |
10-year total return |
Morningstar category |
Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 |
17.88% | 23.01% | 14.42% | 14.82% | |||
| Alger Focus Equity 1 |
ALGRX | 39.97 | 45.23 | 18.62 | 20.17 | US Fund Large Growth |
0.95 |
| Alger Capital Appreciation Ptfl I-2 |
ALVOX | 32.87 | 41.23 | 16.33 | 18.17 | US Fund Large Growth |
0.93 |
| Alger Capital Instl I |
ALARX | 31.99 | 41.30 | 16.01 | 17.83 | US Fund Large Growth |
1.25 |
| Alger Capital Appreciation A |
ACAAX | 31.13 | 41.08 | 15.84 | 17.76 | US Fund Large Growth |
1.28 |
Best Growth Funds
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return |
3-year total return |
5-year total return |
10-year total return |
Morningstar category |
Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 |
17.88% | 23.01% | 14.42% | 14.82% | |||
| Alger Focus Equity 1 |
ALGRX | 39.97 | 45.23 | 18.62 | 20.17 | US Fund Large Growth |
0.95 |
| Alger Capital Appreciation Ptfl I-2 |
ALVOX | 32.87 | 41.23 | 16.33 | 18.17 | US Fund Large Growth |
0.93 |
| Alger Capital Instl I |
ALARX | 31.99 | 41.30 | 16.01 | 17.83 | US Fund Large Growth |
1.25 |
| Alger Capital Appreciation A |
ACAAX | 31.13 | 41.08 | 15.84 | 17.76 | US Fund Large Growth |
1.28 |
Best Large-Cap Funds
| Fund | Symbol | 1-year total return |
3-year total return |
5-year total return |
10-year total return |
Morningstar category |
Annual report net expense ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benchmark: S&P 500 |
17.88% | 23.01% | 14.42% | 14.82% | |||
| Alger Focus Equity 1 |
ALGRX | 39.97 | 45.23 | 18.62 | 20.17 | US Fund Large Growth |
0.95 |
| Alger Capital Appreciation Ptfl I-2 |
ALVOX | 32.87 | 41.23 | 16.33 | 18.17 | US Fund Large Growth |
0.93 |
| Alger Capital Instl I |
ALARX | 31.99 | 41.30 | 16.01 | 17.83 | US Fund Large Growth |
1.25 |
| Alger Capital Appreciation A |
ACAAX | 31.13 | 41.08 | 15.84 | 17.76 | US Fund Large Growth |
1.28 |
The list has been excerpted.
Sources: IBD, Morningstar Direct
Funds shaded in blue are in the top five in that category.
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