American Century is leader of online pack

When Henry David Thoreau gazed out at Walden Pond and thought, "Simplify, simplify," he probably never imagined that would apply to opening online accounts. But it did, leading American Century Investments to be named the online leader among nine top mutual fund companies that sell directly to consumers. Corporate Insight, a New York-based financial services consulting firm, said the Kansas City, Mo.-based fund company achieved perfect scores on the evaluation criteria of accessibility, usability and features. "All fund selection assistance, help features and resources were streamlined into the process, minimizing excess navigation and ensuring that prospective applicants will have a smooth experience with as little or as much help as they need throughout," said Lauren Wistrom, a senior analyst at Corporate Insight and the author of the report. American Century created its online account-opening program three years ago, and more than 30% of accounts are now created online. Customers can start conventional and IRA accounts, as well as Section 529 and brokerage accounts. Other fund providers examined were Dreyfus Corp., Fidelity Investments, ING Investment Management, Janus Capital Group Inc., RS Investments, T. Rowe Price Group Inc., The Vanguard Group Inc. and Wells Fargo Investments LLC.