Thursday, February 19, 1998

Free fund info abounds on the Web

By Dian Vujovich

Q: You recently wrote about popular mutual fund Web sites. But what about other, perhaps less self-serving sites that carry information about mutual funds? -- Betty, via the Internet

A: Yes, there are a number of good online sources for mutual fund information. Some, like The Street (www.thestreet.com), have a subscription rate that must be paid after a two-week free viewing period. But there are a handful of excellent free sites worth your visit. This column will highlight free sites only.

These sites have all the data you're looking for -- plus a lot more -- presented in a suitable style. Below, in alphabetical order, are the names, Web addresses and a point or two about some great Web sites containing solid mutual-fund data.

-- Fund Alarm (www.fundalarm.com). This site with an attitude contains data on more than 1,400 mutual funds. Visit it and you'll find plenty of tabloid-type commentary, plus fund news and an interesting section on changes in mutual fund portfolio managers.

Fund Alarm also has a "3-ALARM" system that points out laggard funds that have underperformed. "For those who like viewing train wrecks," the site reads.

On Feb. 4, when I visited this site, there were 27 funds listed on the brink of meeting Fund Alarm's criteria for underperformance. Three funds on the list were the AARP Growth & Income Fund, Vista Capital Growth Fund, and the Fidelity Emerging Growth Fund.

-- Investor Guide (www.investorguide.com). The mutual funds pages here provide an incredible source of news and data from the industry's most recognized companies. You can research Morningstar data, or the performance data from CNN's, Lipper Analytical Services and Forbes magazine. Or read the Wall Street Journal's fund performance reports, review Kiplinger's Top Funds, or the annual fund guides of Worth and Money magazines. There's also a section on closed-end funds.

-- Morningstar (www.morningstar.net/). From the brand name that helped make mutual funds household words, a stop or two here might find you canceling your hard copy subscription to use only their on-line service. Why? Because, depending on your needs, there is plenty of fund information available for free.

Along with fund performance numbers, readers can screen funds and come up with a list that meets their investing criteria based on past performance. It's got all the bells and whistles you'd expect, plus commentary from Russ Kinnel, Morningstar Fund Spy.

-- Mutual Funds Interactive (www.brill.com/ or www.mutualfundsinteractive.com). This site has been around for a few years and has billed itself as "The Web's No. 1 Mutual Fund Resource." While you can find daily news, weather, sports and market reports, you also can read nationally recognized fund columnists including James L. Tyson, Al Lavine, Gail Liberman and me.

You also can search the site's business-only book lists and order books at a discount, review newsletters, learn about investing in mutual funds and much more. If you're looking for a good starting point for fund information, Mutual Funds Interactive is a great place.

-- Smart Money (dowjones.com/smart/) and Quicken (www.quicken.com/investments/mutual funds/). These are two of the more popular mutual-fund sites. Like the others mentioned, they offer readers valuable insights and resources, and it's all for free.

Copyright1998 NEWSPAPER ENTERPRISE ASSN.

Dian Vujovich is the author of "Straight Talk About Mutual Funds" and "Straight Talk About Investing for Your Retirement," both of which are published by McGraw Hill. Send questions to her in care of this newspaper, or via e-mail at MisMutualaol.com.