NEW YORK (MONEY Magazine) - Big fund companies do their best to make investing effortless. With just one call to an 800 number you can assemble a complete portfolio, or instantly move your assets from, say, a tech fund to an international bond portfolio.

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But if it's performance you're after, you may be better off spreading your investments among several smaller, specialized fund groups.

The best of these "boutique" shops -- roughly speaking, firms with less than $5 billion in mutual fund assets -- offer two key advantages.

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