Fixed-income funds invest in bonds and other fixed-income instruments, such as mortgage-backed securities. There is a wide array of different types of fixed-income funds, ranging from funds that invest in high-grade debt, such as Treasury notes and...

    Equity-income funds invest primarily in stocks that pay high dividends. These present some potential for capital appreciation but much less stability than a balanced fund or than many types of fixed-income funds.Risk:...

? Junk-bond funds invest in the debt of companies that have borrowed heavily and thus need to pay premium interest rates to borrow more. These funds pose greater risks to your principal than traditional fixed-income funds; however, they also...

Vanguard Group Inc. is noted for its low fees and index funds. The company offers dozens of stock-index, bond-index, international-index, and money market funds. If you want to put the bulk of your investment money in index funds, it's tough to do...

Fidelity Investments is the place to go for vast variety. The company offers hundreds of different funds, ranging from your basic growth funds to a wide array of sector funds. Some of the company's funds are no-load; others charge either front-end...