The Kiplinger 25 is a list of our favorite no-load mutual funds. We favor funds run by seasoned managers who take a long view and have proved themselves able to weather many a storm. And we prefer low to below-average fees.
In the tables below, you can see for each of the 25 funds, expense ratios and one-year, and annualized five- and ten-year total returns (the fund's rate of return over a given period of time, including interest, capital gains, dividends and distributions).
The Kiplinger 25 Funds
Fund name |
Symbol |
One-year return |
Five-year annualized return |
10-year annualized return |
Yield |
Expense ratio |
Dean Mid Cap Value |
DALCX |
2.0% |
12.7% |
10.1% |
0.8% |
0.85% |
DF Dent Midcap Growth |
DFDMX |
-6.1 |
2.4 |
10.1 |
0.0 |
0.93 |
Dodge & Cox Stock |
DODGX |
4.7 |
13.8 |
12.3 |
1.3 |
0.51 |
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth |
FBGRX |
20.0 |
15.5 |
19.3 |
0.0 |
0.61 |
Mairs & Power Growth |
MPGFX |
5.0 |
12.1 |
12.4 |
0.8 |
0.62 |
Oberweis Small-Cap Opportunities |
OBSOX |
7.5 |
16.2 |
14.4 |
0.0 |
1.25 |
T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth |
PRDGX |
8.7 |
11.6 |
12.5 |
0.9 |
0.64 |
T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Value |
PRSVX |
0.5 |
8.5 |
9.1 |
0.8 |
0.77 |
PRIMECAP Odyssey Growth |
POGRX |
28.0 |
14.5 |
14.0 |
0.3 |
0.66 |
Vanguard Equity Income |
VEIPX |
11.4 |
13.4 |
11.5 |
2.1 |
0.27 |
Fund name |
Symbol |
One-year return |
Five-year annualized return |
10-year annualized return |
Yield |
Expense ratio |
Baron Emerging Markets |
BEXFX |
27.0% |
2.5% |
6.4% |
0.3% |
1.37% |
Brown Capital Mgmt Intl Small Co |
BCSVX |
-2.8 |
1.4 |
9.5 |
0.0 |
1.31 |
Fidelity International Growth |
FIGFX |
11.5 |
6.4 |
8.4 |
0.4 |
0.86 |
Janus Henderson Global Equity Income |
HFQTX |
23.2 |
10.3 |
7.2 |
6.9 |
0.95 |
Fund name |
Symbol |
One-year return |
Five-year annualized return |
10-year annualized return |
Yield |
Expense ratio |
Fidelity Select Health Care |
FSPHX |
9.1% |
5.3% |
9.5% |
0.0% |
0.63% |
T. Rowe Price Global Technology |
PRGTX |
26.0 |
6.3 |
15.6 |
0.0 |
0.92 |
Vanguard Wellington |
VWELX |
14.4 |
9.8 |
9.9 |
1.8 |
0.25 |
Fund name |
Symbol |
One-year return |
Five-year annualized return |
10-year annualized return |
Yield |
Expense ratio |
Baird Aggregate Bond |
BAGSX |
5.5% |
-0.3% |
2.1% |
3.8% |
0.55% |
Dodge & Cox Income |
DODIX |
6.4 |
1.2 |
3.3 |
4.3 |
0.41 |
Fidelity Interm Muni Income |
FLTMX |
4.9 |
1.5 |
2.3 |
3.0 |
0.37 |
Fidelity Strategic Income |
FADMX |
8.8 |
4.2 |
4.4 |
4.4 |
0.65 |
T. Rowe Price Floating Rate |
PRFRX |
6.1 |
6.3 |
5.1 |
6.8 |
0.76 |
Vanguard Emerging Markets Bond |
VEMBX |
11.8 |
3.9 |
N/A |
5.2 |
0.50 |
Vanguard High-Yield Corporate |
VWEHX |
8.0 |
4.2 |
5.3 |
5.7 |
0.22 |
Vanguard Short-Term Investment-Grade |
VFSTX |
6.3 |
2.2 |
2.7 |
4.1 |
0.20 |
Indexes |
One-year return |
Five-year annualized return |
10-year annualized return |
Yield |
|
S&P 500 INDEX |
15.0% |
15.3% |
14.6% |
1.2% |
|
RUSSELL 2000 INDEX* |
4.1 |
8.0 |
9.1 |
1.2 |
|
MSCI EAFE INDEX† |
24.5 |
9.3 |
7.7 |
2.8 |
|
MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX |
29.5 |
5.1 |
7.9 |
2.3 |
|
BLOOMBERG U.S. AGGREGATE BOND INDEX# |
5.7 |
-0.3 |
2.0 |
4.3 |
As of November 30, 2025. *Small-company U.S. stocks. †Foreign stocks. #High-grade U.S. bonds. N/A = Fund not in existence for the entire period.
SOURCES: Fund companies, FTSE Russell, Morningstar Inc., MSCI, S&P Dow Jones Indices. Yields listed for bond funds are SEC yields, which are net of fees; stock fund yields are the yield for the past 12 months.
