She has three she feels are a nice mix for her target audience, divorced women. The Yachtman Fund has a conservative allocation and modest appreciation. It is a large value fund that does not have a lot of turnover.
She also likes the Janus Triton Fund, a small growth fund with higher turnover. "It tends to favor up-and-coming growth companies and faster-growing companies and can counter the large-cap fund," Vasileff says.
Vanguard Prime Cap Fund is another she likes because it is one of the highest-rated Vanguard funds. It is a large growth fund with a long history and low turnover. "It is fairly middle-of-the-road conservative," she adds.
Leuthold Core Fund moves in and out of sectors when necessary, which makes it one of the favorites for James Holtzman, CFP, an advisor and shareholder with Legend Financial Advisors in Pittsburgh.
"I have been using this fund for 15 years. It is not overly expensive, has a good standard deviation and a good return," he says. "Leuthold is good at giving advisors information on what they are doing and they will close [a fund] if it becomes too big and unwieldy." It is an aggressive fund with a diverse mix of large-, small- and medium-cap investments.
Another fund Holtzman likes is Ivy Asset Strategy, which is mostly large cap and is fairly aggressive. The fund changes holdings frequently but is good at informing advisors on its activities, he says. It has the ability to hedge its bets and sell when it needs to.
Sam McFall, investment analyst and investment officer with Bryn Mawr Trust in Bryn Mawr, Pa., says his firm recently added BBH Core Select Fund to some of its clients' portfolios because it invests in mega-cap companies that will not be impacted as much by the cyclical nature of the market.
It has a strong track record for good returns and can be the anchor for U.S. large-cap exposure, he says.
The firm also recently added Legg Mason Brandywine Global Opportunities Bond Fund to its mix because it is a high-quality fund that is truly global, iand includes U.S. debt, McFall says.
"By bringing in a high-quality fund of this type, you may lose a little on the return but you reduce risk. We are looking for small boutique managers who add value to our portfolios," he notes.