MFLens Methodology
How We Rank Funds
Why consistency across market cycles beats a single trailing return number — and exactly how we calculate it.
The Problem with Trailing Returns
When you see “18% CAGR over 5 years,” it sounds impressive. But that single number hides a crucial question: was this consistent, or did it all happen in one big run?
What other platforms show
18%
5-Year CAGR — a single snapshot
Year 1−22%
Year 2−8%
Year 3+12%
Year 4+42%
Year 5+28%
3 of 5 years were negative — but the 5Y number still looks great.
What MFLens measures
Instead of one snapshot, we check every rolling 3-year window since 2010:
2010 → 2013Beat benchmark ✓
2011 → 2014Beat benchmark ✓
2012 → 2015Lagged benchmark ✗
2013 → 2016Beat benchmark ✓
2014 → 2017Beat benchmark ✓
2015 → 2018Lagged benchmark ✗
· · · more windows · · ·
If a fund wins 13 of 16 windows, Consistency Score = 81%.