Some portfolio managers say long-term records separate skilled stock pickers from the merely lucky ones.
Individual stocks with long-term records can also be vetted for downside risk.
Despite impressive long-term records, Mr. Soros and Mr. Robertson could not keep up the pace the last two years.
"There are better options in funds with better long-term records and lower expenses," said Catherine Hickey, an analyst at Morningstar.
Still, the sell-off in the market has been so widespread that even funds with good long-term records have lost significant amounts.
Alexander M. Grant Jr., manager of the RS Tax-Exempt fund, said investors should seek funds with holdings of high-grade issuers with good long-term records.
While investors may do well to favor index funds in large-cap or value-oriented market sectors, they may want actively managed funds with strong long-term records when investing in small-cap growth stocks.
Understanding the different impacts from 1.5C or 2C of warming has been made more urgent by the recent run of record temperatures, with 2014 and 2015 breaking long-term records and recent months smashing previous highs.
Caxton, run by Bruce Kovner, is down 3percentt for the month but remains up for the year (both Mr. Kovner and Mr. Pallota have extraordinary long-term records).
Their observations were confirmed when they reviewed the long-term records of a retired Fish and Wildlife Service biologist, Leonard McDaniel, who had counted birds on the refuge's 20 to 30 leks every spring.
Consistent dividend payers also have strong long-term records, according to a recent study by Standard & Poor's, analyzing 47 stocks it now recommends that have consistently increased dividends in the last 10 years.
