By MarketWatch
BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Christine Benz, director of mutual fund analysis at Morningstar Inc., suggests that investors look past her firm's star ratings in choosing a fund, noting that the ratings are a starting point, not a buy recommendation.
That kind of thinking is why some funds that get high ratings are not the right place to put your money and why investors should focus more on the skills of the manager and the conditions in the fund rather than on the mathematical evaluation when deciding which funds to buy.
In a radio interview with MarketWatch senior columnist Chuck Jaffe, Benz put buy recommendations on Harbor International /zigman2/quotes/206708953/realtime HAINX +0.57% , T. Rowe Price Global Stock /zigman2/quotes/200134866/realtime PRGSX +0.73% , Harbor International Growth /zigman2/quotes/200319905/realtime HIIGX +0.51% , Dodge & Cox Income /zigman2/quotes/205671106/realtime DODIX +0.32% , FPA New Income /zigman2/quotes/207255469/realtime FPNIX +0.21% and Oakmark Select I /zigman2/quotes/207233272/realtime OAKLX +1.66% . She tagged Van Eck Global Hard Assets /zigman2/quotes/205107182/realtime GHACX +1.57% as a sell.
In another interview, Charles Rotblut, senior market analyst for Zacks.com, made 51Jobs his top pick but was bearish on Hewitt Associates .
Listen to the highlights from Your Money with Chuck Jaffe.
Jaffe's radio interviews feature reviews of stocks and mutual funds suggested by MarketWatch readers. To request a stock or mutual fund for review, send your name, hometown and the ticker symbols that interest you to Chuck Jaffe .