WASHINGTON, D.C. -- IN 2003, an investor that bought a few mutual funds for their 401k account had a slim 0.45% chance of buying one that would double their money every 5 years. Fast forward to 2009, and less than 4% of funds have outpaced the S&P 500 since the Housing Bubble Bursted.

Today, with over 28,000 funds available, accounting for $13 Trillion in American assets, how can any investor select the right one?

The answer is: DON'T TRY. Because, while stocks remain the best vehicle for growth and safety, the majority of investors are on the wrong side of growth.

The Shareholder Network, shareholdr.com, advocates that investors measure their performance over a 3, 5, and 10 year period against a low cost S&P 500 index fund, and if you're not outpacing its gains, then get out of your current vehicles and start buying the index fund instead.

"The baseline measuring stick for an investor should be a broad basket of stocks, generally in big name companies. We use the S&P 500. Warren Buffett uses the S&P 500. The average investor with $2,000 in the market should use the S&P 500." says managing director Matt Stiers.

Want to entire story? Visit shareholdr.com for the full 5 minute video.