By Jonathan Burton

“In searching for top mutual-fund companies to invest with, don’t ignore the little guy. The best performing small firms often do better than similarly high ranking large firms, regardless of whether they own small cap stocks or follow a value or growth investment style. Forty percent of money managers in the top 25 percent of their peers have less than 2 billion in total assets under wraps according to research from financial-services firm Northern Trust Corp…These managers can be agile when buying and selling stocks, so they may be better able to ride bull runs and sidestep a bear’s swipe.”