Been doing some digging into good mutual funds to buy lately, and I found a few Lazard offerings that actually caught my attention. These aren't the flashy growth plays everyone talks about, but if you're serious about building something solid for the long term, they're worth considering.

Lazard manages over $254 billion globally, so they've got the resources and research infrastructure to back up what they're doing. What I like about their approach is they're not trying to chase every market trend. They use actual global investment research and adapt to market volatility with different strategies depending on the fund.

The three that stood out to me are the Emerging Markets Equity Portfolio (LZOEX), Global Listed Infrastructure Portfolio (GLFOX), and Enhanced Opportunities Open (LEOOX). All three have solid Zacks rankings, reasonable fees compared to their categories, and you don't need crazy capital to get in.

Let me break down each one. LZOEX focuses on emerging market companies that have strong fundamentals and decent valuations. James Donald's been running it since 2001, so there's real experience there. Looking at the holdings from last fall, you've got exposure to names like Taiwan Semiconductor, SK hynix, and China Construction Bank. The fund pulled in 22.9% over three years and 12.5% over five years. Expense ratio sits at 1.33%, which is pretty clean. If you're looking at good mutual funds to buy for emerging market exposure, this one deserves a look.

GFLOX is the infrastructure play. John Mulquiney's been managing it since 2009. This fund invests in utilities, pipelines, toll roads, airports, that kind of essential infrastructure. Holdings include National Grid, Snam, and Ferrovial. Both three and five-year returns came in at 13% each, and the expense ratio is 1.21%. Infrastructure funds tend to be more stable, less sexy than growth plays, but that's kind of the point if you want good mutual funds to buy for a balanced portfolio.

LEOOX is different - it's into convertible bonds and preferred securities, including some lower-rated debt mostly from US companies. Frank Bianco's been leading it since 2014. This one's more conservative with 8.7% three-year and 5.2% five-year returns, but it's got that lower volatility profile. Expense ratio is 1.60%.

What I noticed across all three is they keep fees down and they've all maintained that top Zacks ranking. Minimum entry is under $5000 for each, which is reasonable. If you're serious about finding good mutual funds to buy without overthinking it, these three give you diversification across emerging markets, infrastructure, and fixed income alternatives. Not the most exciting portfolio, but sometimes boring is exactly what works.