Many funds, one admirable trait: consistency

rcarrick@globeandmail.com

What we're looking at

An all-star team of widely available funds in all categories, as defined by their consistency in the short and long term.

Our screen

The funds on this list (ranked by assets) have accomplished something impressive - first quartile returns in the 12 months, five years and 10 years to July 31. Quartiles divide funds in a category in four groupings - first quartile is the elite. Excluded from the list were funds with high upfront minimum purchase requirements, pooled funds and segregated funds.

What we found

Before we get into details, let's take a moment to appreciate what these funds have done through the challenging market conditions of the past several years. There have been moments where conservative funds have shone during this period, and moments where a more performance-oriented approach has worked best. These funds have mastered their environment through everything we've seen, and that's impressive.

In this list, you'll find the most popular funds that made it through our screen. Notice how TD Asset Management and Dynamic Funds dominate the Top 10 with four funds apiece.

Don't assume the funds on this list are right for you simply because of their admirable consistency. Take TD Canadian Equity and Dynamic Power Canadian Growth, for example. Both fell hard in 2008 - worse than average for their categories, and worse than the S&P/TSX composite index. Buy-and-hold investors have been well rewarded with these funds, but past experience shows you have to be able to withstand a nasty dip.

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