Best Mutual Funds 2026: See The Benchmark-Beating Funds In Every Category

2026-03-20 12:51:26

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.

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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.

If you don’t see funds you own, you might look for new and better options.

The table below shows the top five best mutual funds in each category based on 10-year return, except in small-cap index funds, where only one fund was an award winner. This year, no midcap funds or value funds qualified, but we look at how that trend is changing and what investors can do to be ahead of the curve on value funds.

For more details, read about how the managers of the best mutual funds beat their benchmarks.

Best U.S. Diversified Stock Mutual Funds

See all 36 of the Best U.S. Diversified Stock Mutual Funds for 2026.

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%


Fidelity Series Growth Company
FCGSX
25.80
36.34
16.36
21.66
US Fund Large Growth
0.00%
Fidelity Growth Company Fund
FDGRX
24.34
35.93
15.33
20.67
US Fund Large Growth
0.69
Fidelity Series Blue Chip Growth
FSBDX
20.30
38.29
15.29
20.40
US Fund Large Growth
0.00
Alger Focus Equity I
ALGRX
39.97
45.23
18.62
20.17
US Fund Large Growth
0.95
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth
FBGRX
19.91
37.62
14.50
19.53
US Fund Large Growth
0.61

Best Growth Funds

See all 23 of the Best Growth Funds for 2026.

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%


Fidelity Series Growth Company
FCGSX
25.80
36.34
16.36
21.66
US Fund Large Growth
0.00%
Fidelity Growth Company Fund
FDGRX
24.34
35.93
15.33
20.67
US Fund Large Growth
0.69
Fidelity Series Blue Chip Growth
FSBDX
20.30
38.29
15.29
20.40
US Fund Large Growth
0.00
Alger Focus Equity I
ALGRX
39.97
45.23
18.62
20.17
US Fund Large Growth
0.95
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth
FBGRX
19.91
37.62
14.50
19.53
US Fund Large Growth
0.61

Best Blend Funds

See the 13 Best Blend Funds for 2026.

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%


Permanent Portfolio Aggressive Growth I
PAGRX
36.92
40.02
20.43
18.31
US Fund Large Blend
1.21%
Federated Hermes MDT All Cap Core IS
QIACX
20.24
24.86
17.04
16.25
US Fund Large Blend
0.74
Fidelity Series All-Sector Equity
FSAEX
19.75
25.63
15.41
15.77
US Fund Large Blend
0.00
Fidelity Series Large Cap Stock
FGLGX
28.44
26.86
19.08
15.71
US Fund Large Blend
0.00
Fidelity Mega Cap Stock
FGRTX
26.86
26.44
18.36
15.63
US Fund Large Blend
0.58

Best Large-Cap Funds

See all 35 of the Best Large-Cap Funds for 2026.

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%


Fidelity Series Growth Company
FCGSX
25.80
36.34
16.36
21.66
US Fund Large Growth
0.00%
Fidelity Growth Company Fund
FDGRX
24.34
35.93
15.33
20.67
US Fund Large Growth
0.69
Fidelity Series Blue Chip Growth
FSBDX
20.30
38.29
15.29
20.40
US Fund Large Growth
0.00
Alger Focus Equity I
ALGRX
39.97
45.23
18.62
20.17
US Fund Large Growth
0.95
Fidelity Blue Chip Growth
FBGRX
19.91
37.62
14.50
19.53
US Fund Large Growth
0.61

Best Small-Cap Fund

See more on the Best Small-Cap Fund for 2026.

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%


Needham Aggressive Growth Retail
NEAGX
26.51
25.79
14.69
17.07
US Fund Small Growth
1.67%

Best Sector Funds

See all 27 of the Best Sector Funds for 2026.

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%


Fidelity Select Semiconductors
FSELX
42.90
54.01
30.40
30.28
US Fund Technology
0.62%
Fidelity Advisor Semiconductors I
FELIX
45.24
54.23
30.43
30.21
US Fund Technology
0.69
Rydex Electronics Inv
RYSIX
42.04
37.16
19.30
24.13
US Fund Technology
1.38
OCM Gold Investor
OCMGX
166.69
50.73
20.55
23.42
US Fund Equity Precious Metals
2.38
Aegis Value I
AVALX
67.07
27.41
25.77
22.82
US Fund Natural Resources
1.45

Best International Stock Funds

See all 89 of the Best International Stock Funds for 2026.

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: MSCI EAFE NR USD

31.22%
17.22%
8.92%
8.18%


Kopernik Global All-Cap I
KGGIX
64.79
23.06
14.65
15.98
US Fund Foreign Small/Mid Value
1.00%
Vanguard Global Capital Cycles Investor
VGPMX
65.92
24.53
19.90
15.06
US Fund Global Large-Stock Value
0.44
Timothy Plan Israel Common Values A
TPAIX
56.27
23.24
13.27
13.66
US Fund Miscellaneous Region
1.71
Nomura Emerging Markets Instl
DEMIX
87.02
32.80
10.35
13.52
US Fund Diversified Emerging Mkts
1.18
Artisan Global Equity Investor
ARTHX
45.55
23.91
9.68
12.85
US Fund Global Large-Stock Growth
1.35

Best U.S. Taxable Bond Funds

See all 287 of the Best U.S. Taxable Bond Funds for 2026.

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: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD

7.30%
4.66%
-0.36%
2.01%


Virtus Convertible Inst
ANNPX
22.37
14.82
5.33
12.37
US Fund Convertibles
0.71%
Franklin Convertible Securities A
FISCX
13.54
13.08
5.50
12.11
US Fund Convertibles
0.81
Lord Abbett Convertible I
LCFYX
22.28
14.31
3.02
11.73
US Fund Convertibles
0.89
Fidelity Convertible Securities
FCVSX
18.38
14.53
6.96
11.38
US Fund Convertibles
0.64
Columbia Convertible Securities A
PACIX
19.58
13.58
4.12
11.20
US Fund Convertibles
1.07

Best Municipal Bond Funds

See all 27 of the Best Municipal Bond Funds for 2026.

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: Bloomberg Municipal TR USD

4.25%
3.88%
0.80%
2.34%


Colorado BondShares A Tax-Exempt
HICOX
5.27
6.88
4.09
4.58
US Fund Muni Single State Interm
0.59%
PIMCO Fixed Income Shares TE
FXIEX
5.53
6.92
2.56
3.80
US Fund High Yield Muni
0.00
American High-Income Municipal Bond A
AMHIX
4.31
6.14
2.15
3.53
US Fund High Yield Muni
0.66
AB High Income Municipal Advisor
ABTYX
4.36
5.19
1.01
3.17
US Fund High Yield Muni
0.87
AB Municipal Bond Inflation Strategy Adv
AUNYX
4.94
4.22
2.94
3.04
US Fund Muni National Short
0.50

Best International Bond Funds

See all 63 of the Best International Bond Funds for 2026.

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: Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR USD

8.17%
3.98%
-2.15%
1.26%


Eaton Vance Emerging Markets Dbt Opps R6
EELDX
17.42
14.55
7.45
8.13
US Fund Emerging Markets Bond
0.73%
American Beacon DevelopingWldIncFd-R5Cl
AGEIX
19.19
16.05
8.22
7.89
US Fund Emerging Markets Bond
1.09
GMO Emerging Country Debt III
GMCDX
22.34
17.72
6.15
7.12
US Fund Emerging Markets Bond
0.60
Franklin Emerging Market Debt Opps
FEMDX
15.69
14.31
6.70
6.96
US Fund Emerging Markets Bond
1.00
Nuveen Emerging Markets Debt R6
TEDNX
13.83
11.64
3.38
6.05
US Fund Emerging Markets Bond
0.61

Best Index Funds

See the seven Best Index Funds for 2026.

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 TR USD

17.88%
23.01%
14.42%
14.82%


Victory NASDAQ-100 Index
USNQX
20.58
32.67
14.82
19.17
US Fund Large Growth
0.42%
VALIC Company I NASDAQ-100 Index
VCNIX
20.42
32.58
14.73
19.06
US Fund Large Growth
0.42
Shelton Nasdaq-100 Index Investor
NASDX
20.78
32.75
14.95
18.99
US Fund Large Growth
0.52
Voya Russell Large Cap Growth Idx Port I
IRLNX
18.12
32.40
16.24
18.65
US Fund Large Growth
0.43
Nuveen Large Cap Gr Idx R6
TILIX
18.50
31.09
15.26
18.06
US Fund Large Growth
0.05

Sources: IBD, Morningstar Direct

Fund is closed to new investors

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