As the Web matures sites that help fund investors track the industry continue to appear. The issue for investors is finding the ones that are most helpful.

The Wall Street Journal highlighted some of those sites, including the online fund fee and breakpoint tools recently unveiled by the NASD and other sites operated by non-regulators.

The paper also points shareholders to an entrepreneur-run Web site that also looks at fund fees. That site is PersonalFund.com. It is designed to help shareholders estimate the costs of ownership for a fund. Unlike the NASD site, it also allows the user to estimate the tax consequences that come with the fund.

It will also allow shareholders to estimate the costs of switching between funds, and how long a transfer will make to pay off.

The paper also tells shareholders that they should research the fund’s portfolio managers and recommenders Morningstar.com for the task. Users of the service should pay special attention to Morningstar’s stewardship grades, says the paper.

Another recommended site is BetterInvesting.org, which is run by an investment club organization. That site shows funds’ asset and sector allocation weightings.

For exchange-traded fund investors the paper also recommended IndexInvesting.com  

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