The 12 Worst Mutual Funds!

[Midpack]

Hopefully no one here owns any of these - though lots of someones had to. What stuck out to me was the high expenses associated with these 'wunderfunds' in light of the recent discussions here on 401k fees stemming from The Retirement Gamble show on PBS a few weeks back. Note the expense ratios for the privilege of these awful returns - talk about 'adding insult to injury...' Some are contrarian or sector funds, but some don't appear that unusual.

Nerd Wallet listed what it considers to be the 12 worst-performing mutual funds based on fees and performance. They are (with five-year annualized returns and net expense ratios):

1. Oppenheimer Commodity Strategy Total Return, -14.61 percent, 2.12 percent.
2. Rydex Inverse Government Long Bond Strategy, -13.7 percent, 2.4 percent.
3. Ivy Global Natural Resources Fund, -12.6 percent, 2.2 percent.
4. Rydex Inverse S&P 500 Strategy, -12.06 percent, 2.42 percent.
5. Federated Prudent Bear, -10.48 percent, 2.5 percent.
6. DWS Gold & Precious Metals, -10.16 percent, 2.03 percent.
7. ALPS/Red Rocks Listed Private Equity, -9.45 percent, 3.28 percent.
8. Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets Equity, -8.84 percent, 2.51 percent.
9. DWS Latin America Equity, -8.74 percent, 2.53 percent.
10. Dreyfus Emerging Markets, -8.42 percent, 2.57 percent.
11. Rydex Precious Metals, -8.27 percent, 2.26 percent.
12. AllianceBernstein International Value, -8.07 percent, 2.17 percent.

'Dirty Dozen': Singling Out 12 Worst Mutual Funds

 

[heeyy_joe]

That's why they make the BIG BUCKS.

 

[ls99]

Mercifully, I never heard of any of them. And positive that none of my stuff invested in them.

 

[Chuckanut]

Several of those funds were among the few I could choose from in my 403b.
Wasn't I a lucky guy!
I got my 403b money out of there and into my Vanguard IRA as soon as I could.

 

[SumDay]

Frankly I'm shocked I don't have something in each one!

 

[cranberryjoe]

Fortunately I don't recognize any of those funds, even from the days when I didn't know or care about expense ratios.

 

[Animorph]

Several of those funds were among the few I could choose from in my 403b.
Wasn't I a lucky guy!
I got my 403b money out of there and into my Vanguard IRA as soon as I could.

I figured that and helpful broker advisors would be the main reason these jokes survived. Morningstar has a similar list every few years.

 

[killingme]

Frightening that two precious metals funds made the list. What did the managers invest in. recycled computer metals or aluminum foil?!?!?!?

 

[rbmrtn]

Frightening that two precious metals funds made the list. What did the managers invest in. recycled computer metals or aluminum foil?!?!?!?

Mostly they invest in stocks related to PMs like miners, not the PM itself.

 

[mickeyd]

That's why they make the BIG BUCKS.

Well at least 12 fund managers are doing well.

 

[dtbach]

How many folks do you think got talked into those wonderful funds? But I guess some have to be on the bottom.

 

[Midpack]

Well at least 12 fund managers are doing well.

That's the rub...