1.   Almost all fund families allow free switching over the phone or Internet.

2.   Almost every major fund family has similar offerings.

3.   Among the top performers at that time were no-load offerings from the American Century, USAA, Dreyfus, and Fidelity fund families.

4.   Analysts, however, expect Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter to keep their fund families separate, at least during the first year or two.

5.   And even Fidelity, the fund family known for entrepreneurial stock picking, will soon expand its index fund offerings.

6.   Another avenue you might consider to defer the tax liabilities on the taxable savings is a variable annuity program, available through many fund families including Vanguard.

7.   Another investor mistake concerns those easy telephone switches within a fund family.

8.   Are there other fund families to consider?

9.   As for your final question, you have nothing to worry about in having all your retirement savings account within one fund family.

10.   As for fund selection, almost any large fund family can provide funds in these categories.