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There is never a wrong time to invest in mutual funds for retirement. So, if you're still looking for the best mutual funds, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank can be a great guide.

The easiest, most reliable way to judge a mutual fund's quality over time is by analyzing its performance, diversification, and fees. The Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, which covers over 19,000 mutual funds, has helped us identify three outstanding options that are perfect for any long-term investors' portfolios that is retirement-focused.

Here are the funds that have achieved the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and have low fees.

American Century Large Company Value I

(ALVSX): 0.64% expense ratio and 0.63% management fee. ALVSX is a Large Cap Value mutual fund, which invests in stocks with a market cap of $10 billion of more, but whose share prices do not reflect their intrinsic value. ALVSX has achieved five-year annual returns of an astounding 12.31%.

Nationwide HighMark Small Cap Core IS

(NWGSX): 0.88% expense ratio and 0.75% management fee. NWGSX is a Small Cap Blend mutual fund, allowing investors a way to diversify their funds among various types of small-cap stocks. NWGSX, with annual returns of 9.42% over the last five years, is a well-diversified fund with a long track record of success.

RMB Smid Cap I

(RMBMX). Expense ratio: 0.8%. Management fee: 0.7%. Five year annual return: 12.78%. RMBMX is a Mid Cap Blend mutual fund that typically features a portfolio filled with stocks of various sizes and styles; it allows for a diversification strategy focusing on companies with market caps between $2 billion and $10 billion.

These examples highlight the fact that there are some astonishingly good mutual funds out there. If your advisor has you in the good ones, bravo! If not, you may need to have a talk.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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