Rock, Paper, Scissors?How do most investors decide what mutual funds to buy? Many buy what their brokers or bankers sell them. Others prefer to do it on their own, and rely upon “expert” ratings services in their decision-making. The chart below shows how five different and eminently reputable mutual fund ratings services rate four actual mutual funds (names withheld to protect the foolish).*DFA, Inc. Clearly, there seems to be some meaningful disagreement among these financial powerhouses’ analysis regarding the worth of these funds. If these titans can’t even agree, how is a “do-it-yourselfer” supposed to make a decision? First, the investor must fully understand the strategic investment methodology they desire to use. Then, they must examine how a particular fund fits (or doesn’t) into that particular strategy. Then, if they are using actively managed funds, they must constantly monitor relative performance, style drift, management changes, ...