Editorial Methodology
How we source data, produce content, and keep it accurate.
Our Editorial Standards
CompareMutualFunds.com is an independent financial education site. We do not receive compensation from fund companies, brokerages, or financial advisors in exchange for coverage, rankings, or recommendations.
All articles are reviewed for factual accuracy before publication. Our goal is to present information that is clear, balanced, and useful to individual investors — not to promote any particular fund, fund family, or investment strategy.
CompareMutualFunds.com does not provide personalized financial advice. Content on this site is for educational purposes only. See our disclosures for full details.
Fund Data Sources
Where Our Data Comes From
- Returns & Performance:Historical returns (1-year, 3-year, 5-year, 10-year) are sourced from public financial data providers using official fund prospectus and SEC filing data. Returns reflect calendar-year or trailing periods as noted.
- Expense Ratios:Sourced from fund prospectuses and public SEC EDGAR filings. The expense ratio reflects the annual operating cost of the fund as reported by the fund company.
- AUM & Fund Size:Assets under management are sourced from public fund filings and updated regularly.
- Minimum Investment:Sourced from fund prospectuses. Minimums can change — always verify with the fund company or your brokerage before investing.
- Morningstar Ratings:Where shown, star ratings are sourced from publicly available Morningstar data. Ratings are based on risk-adjusted returns relative to category peers.
Update Frequency
Our fund database is refreshed on a regular schedule:
- •Performance data — updated weekly from public financial data feeds
- •Expense ratios — updated when funds file prospectus amendments (typically annually)
- •Holdings data — updated quarterly following fund disclosures
Data shown on fund pages reflects the most recent update. The "last updated" date on each fund page indicates when data was last refreshed.
How We Write Articles
Articles on CompareMutualFunds.com are written to answer real questions that individual investors ask — not to game search rankings or push a particular viewpoint.
Research process: Before writing, we research current fund data, recent regulatory guidance where applicable (SEC, FINRA), and existing coverage to identify gaps and ensure accuracy.
Comparison articles: When comparing two funds, we pull live data from our database for both. We aim to present the tradeoffs fairly — there is rarely a universally "better" fund, and our articles try to reflect that.
Review: All articles are reviewed by the editorial team before publication. The publication date and last-updated date are shown on each article.
Updates: When fund data changes materially (expense ratio cuts, major performance shifts, fund closures), we update affected articles and reflect the new date.
Corrections Policy
We take accuracy seriously. If you believe any data or information on this site is incorrect, please let us know. We will review the concern and issue a correction promptly if warranted.
Corrections are noted in the article where relevant.
Affiliate & Commercial Relationships
CompareMutualFunds.com may earn a commission if you open an account or make a purchase through certain links on this site. These relationships never influence our editorial content, rankings, or recommendations.
Affiliate relationships are disclosed where present. See our full disclosures page for details.