Index funds just make good sense for most investors. However, if you're looking for one to buy, there's a huge number of them to choose from. How do you find the best one to own?

Here's a rundown of the three biggest things to consider before putting your long-term money to work this way.

Not all mutual funds are built the same. While many of them can be bought and then sold for free, many of them also impose an up-front sales charge called a "load." In some cases, these loads can be as high as 5.75% of the amount you're investing, although many loads are in the 1% to 2% range these days.

Continue reading

Source Fool.com