[pyotr]

I like to look up the main portfolio directors and find out what makes him/her tick. Basically hoping to find a Peter Lynch or Warren Buffet rather than some sleaze-ball. If I can't figure out who/what the directors are, I'd always go for the index funds and in general this is the best bet. The lower the expense ratio the better (comparably within fund families) with these index funds. I think everybody should have the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index fund or iff you can afford to buy $10,000 at a time, the Fidelity Spartan versions, or the TRowePrice versions are just as good. Alternatively one of those automated retirement funds set for your age like the VTHRX or the FFFEX for me or whatever your retirement time will be.

I like the VBMFX (Vanguard total bond market index fund) because it allows me to have some percentage of my money in the bond market. Its expense ratio is 0.2% versus 0.3% for the VMPXX (treasury money market fund). I was for a time tempted with one of those new fangled ETFs like the IEF, SHF or the LQD with its lower published expense ratios, but I'd like to see some more performance history from these funds. What do you guys know about these?