Mutual fund share classes vary by when and how fees ... which explains why certain share classes are limited to company insiders. Of course, stock characteristics can also vary a bit depending ...

To find the best mutual funds for your portfolio, you'll want to decide what type of funds match your goals, choose a brokerage account and research your options, being careful to consider fees.

Index funds stay the course and can hold onto laggards that an actively managed mutual fund ... the market. These funds can also have goals that go beyond mirroring a popular stock market index.