Across My Desk

wonder no longer. One industry source says they've found that best.

DALBAR, a Boston-based financial services industry research firm, evaluated

over 200 mutual funds web sites and came up with six that provide their

customers with the best online service.

The research, done on a quarterly basis, revealed that the big winners in the

last quarter of 2004 were:

Fidelity; Lincoln Financial; Strong; Franklin Templeton; Vanguard; and AIM

Investments.

Sites that had improved include Putnam and MFS.

The Fidelity Magellan Fund (FMAGX) has lost some of its luster. Once the

largest fund around (in assets), Magellan's performance has lagged over the past

few years. As a result, assets have poured out instead of in.

With a bias toward growth stocks--- in an investment arena that has rewarded

small-cap and value stocks over the past few years--- Magellan's performance

has lagged its peers in four of the past five years, trailed the S&P 500 Index

by 3 percent in 2003 and 2004 and lost 27 percent of its net assets since

1999, say the pros at Morningstar.

But don't count the fund down and out. Large-cap companies will come back in

vogue again. And when they do, who knows Magellan could be back on

top---again.