Challenging Year for Mutual Fund Investors

Here are the top ten mutual funds by size, and the return to owning them (including dividends) from January 1, 2015 through December 13, 2015. 

If you are feeling bad about your investments this year, you have a lot of company with the professionals running these funds. The average return (equal weighted) for these funds is a loss of 0.26%. So the smartest people in the world, with the best information, are being beaten by a snail. 

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen has kept interest rates at 0% (for now)

Name	Ticker	YTD return
Vanguard Total Stock Market	VTSMX	0.64%
Vanguard 500 Index Fund	VFIAX	1.67%
PIMCO Total Return	PTTRX	0.98%
American Funds Growth Fund of America	AGTHX	5.88%
American Funds EuroPacific Growth	AEPGX	-0.49%
Fidelity Contrafund	FCNTX	7.24%
Franklin Income	FKINX	-7.37%
Vanguard Wellington Fund	VWELX	0.28%
Dodge & Cox International Stock	DODFX	-11.41%
Fidelity Cash Reserves	FDRXX	0.01%

Name

Ticker

YTD return

Vanguard Total Stock Market

VTSMX

0.64%

Vanguard 500 Index Fund

VFIAX

1.67%

PIMCO Total Return

PTTRX

0.98%

American Funds Growth Fund of America

AGTHX

5.88%

American Funds EuroPacific Growth

AEPGX

-0.49%

Fidelity Contrafund

FCNTX

7.24%

Franklin Income

FKINX

-7.37%

Vanguard Wellington Fund

VWELX

0.28%

Dodge & Cox International Stock

DODFX

-11.41%

Fidelity Cash Reserves

FDRXX

0.01%