Best mutual fund web sites ranked

There's a lot of great information on mutual funds at your fingertips on the web.

But some mutual fund web sites are more reliable than others. Sometimes, it's hard to access the information you need, or data are out of date. Some sites also have more self help information than others.

Dalbar, a Boston based market research firm, issues quarterly ratings of mutual fund websites. The most recent report says these mutual fund companies have the best sites:

T. Rowe Price

Wells Fargo

Fidelity Investments

Franklin Templeton

Vanguard

American Century

USAA

The Dalbar report also said that many web sites strengthened their login security measures. For example:

Smith Barney introduced a new authentication process. Users must answer a series of security questions when suspicious activity is detected. This process was implemented to thwart any unauthorized attempts at accessing account sensitive material.

The Hartford encourages consumers to create a personal user ID rather than log in with sensitive information, such as a social security number or tax identification number. Users also are asked to select a security question in the event a password is misplaced or stolen.

J.P. Morgan prompts shareholders to choose a password reset question and establish an account user name. While users can log into their accounts with a social security number or tax identification number, J.P. Morgan strongly advises against it.

Spouses Gail Liberman and Alan Lavine are syndicated columnists. You can purchase Alan Lavine & Gail Liberman's latest book Quick Steps to Financial Stability (QUE Publishing 2006) online at www.moneycouple.com or at your local bookstore. E-mail them at [email protected] .