A look at 4 highly rated funds investing in REITs

By The Associated Press

Below are four mutual funds that invest primarily in real estate investment trusts and are highly rated by Morningstar.

Each has a minimum initial investment of $3,000 or less, making them accessible to most average investors. Each also has a gold or silver medal rating under Morningstar's analyst ratings, a subjective system which attempts to gauge a fund's performance prospects, not just its past record. The scale runs from gold to silver, bronze, neutral and negative.

Fund
Morningstar analyst rating
12-month return
3-year annualized return
5-year annualized return
Expense ratio

T. Rowe Price Real Estate (TRREX)
Gold
12.3%
35.1%
2.1%
0.78%

Vanguard REIT
Index (VGSIX)
Silver
14.2
34.6
3.2
0.24

ING Global Real Estate (IGLAX)
Silver
3.4
17.3
-1.9
1.31

JPMorgan U.S. Real Estate (SUSIX)
Silver
11.5
33.9
0.9
1.17

Returns through July 18, 2012

Source: Morningstar

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