I prefer no load mutual funds such as those at TRowe Price and Vanguard.
Go to your local library and ask the reference desk for their volume of Morningstar reports.
Morningstar ranks mutual funds on a scale of 1 (poor to 5 (very good) stars.
You also get their independent analyst's opinions on the various funds.
If you are a novice I suggest going to Yahoo finance/ education first and read up on investing.
http://finance.yahoo.com/education
