• Manning & Napier Equity (EXEYX) isn't well-known, but is an efficient fund run by a personal money-management firm that can invest in any size stock or exchange-traded fund. It avoids trouble and has below-average risk. Three-year annualized return: 17 percent.

Benz suggests:

• Selected American Shares "S" (SLASX) is a large-cap growth and value fund that can be an anchor for an individual's portfolio. Favoring the financial sector, its management team invests sensibly and is shareholder-friendly. It is a go-to pick for U.S. equities. Three-year annualized return: 13 percent.

• Dodge & Cox International Stock Fund (DODFX), so long as it remains open (there has been talk it might close to new investment), is a successful large-cap value fund with low costs that is shareholder-friendly. Three-year annualized return: 26 percent.

• Vanguard Target Retirement 2025 Fund (VTTVX), one example of that firm's target choices that aim toward a specific year, invests in shifts assets among Vanguard's Total Stock Market, European Stock Index, Pacific Stock Index, Emerging Markets Stock Index and Total Bond Market Index funds. Three-year annualized return: 11 percent. Morningstar's favorite target-date funds are from Vanguard and T. Rowe Price.

• Fidelity Spartan Total Market Index Fund (FSTMX) is a broad index fund that is attractively priced with a focus on large- and mid-cap domestic shares. Benz notes that choosing several index funds such as this one gives the investor control over asset allocation. Three-year annualized return: 13 percent.

Lowell's recommendations represent one fund family, but his investment mix could hold true for any fund group:

• Fidelity Dividend Growth Fund (FDGFX), a large-cap growth and value fund, is an anchor that is outstanding at picking defensive stocks. It concentrates on health-care stocks, but also financial, technology and consumer names. Its multinational holdings provide growth. Three-year annualized return: 10 percent.

• Fidelity International Discovery (FIGRX) is a diversified large-cap international fund that carefully dissects the fundamentals of companies in which it invests. It concentrates in Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia and Spain. It rarely has more than 15 percent of total assets in its top stocks. Three-year annualized return: 23 percent.

• Fidelity Leveraged Company Stock Fund (FLVCX) concentrates on small- to large-cap stocks of companies you'd find in a junk bond fund, so it is not without volatility or risk. Nonetheless, it has a remarkable track record of defending assets in downdrafts and gaining twice as much as its benchmark (the Leveraged Equity Index) in market revivals. Three-year annualized return: 25 percent.

• Fidelity International Small Cap Opportunity (FSCOX), launched in 2005, it has experienced management that concentrates on small- and mid-cap names in established markets such as Europe, Japan and the Pacific Rim. It discovers the least-followed names, and its superior knowledge boosts performance. One-year return: 34 percent.

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Andrew Leckey answers questions only through the column. Address inquiries to Andrew Leckey, P.O. Box 874702, Tempe, Ariz. 85287-4702, or by e-mail at andrewinv@aol.com.