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Mutual funds give people the sense that they're investing with the big boys and that they're really not at a disadvantage entering the stock market.

Mutual funds were created to make investing easy, so consumers wouldn't have to be burdened with picking individual stocks.

I just don't like mutual funds. I think they're a rip-off.

I'm sometimes accused of being hostile to mutual funds. That's not fair, really. There is a place for them. Still, I am hostile to one thing, which is trying to use funds to time your way in and out of the market. That's a recipe for very bad results.

Mutual funds have historically offered safety and diversification. And they spare you the responsibility of picking individual stocks.

Mutual fund managers want your money in their funds. They get paid based on assets under management.

There's accountability in the mutual fund industry. And they've been tremendous engines of wealth for people and they're going to continue to be so.

Mutual funds dare to be average. In fact, they dare to be lousy. They have long since ceased striving for anything resembling perfection when it comes to managing your money.

The thing to do with mutual funds is to buy a couple of decent ones, set up an investment plan and then never, ever think about them again, except maybe once a quarter or so when you take a peek at your statements to make sure that you have not accidentally been buying the Fidelity Peace-in-the-Middle-East fund.

The best argument for mutual funds is that they offer safety and diversification. But they don't necessarily offer safety and diversification.