Balanced funds: avant-garde (vgstx) vs. fidelity (fbalx)

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Balanced funds are aimed at investors looking for a mix of security, income and modest capital appreciation, with exposure to both growth and value. Investors who want to diversify their asset allocation may find these funds attractive because they strike a balance between long-term capital appreciation and capital retention. In addition, by providing income through dividend-paying stocks and fixed-income instruments, these investments typically have much lower volatility than pure growth strategies.


There are hundreds of mutual funds that fall into this category of combined values and growth. While many of these funds have similar profiles, some stand out for their longevity and consistency of returns. The best funds in this group also offer low expense ratios, quality management teams and limited asset turnover. The following is an analysis of two attractive funds in this category that have long and successful records.

Key to take with key

Balanced funds provide investors with portfolios allocated to growth and value stocks, as well as a bond component. This mix provides for low risk and greater diversification, which is what many investors want. Here, we look at just two popular options among the many balanced funds. that investors can choose.

Vanguard STAR Investor Shares (VGSTX)


Vanguard STAR Investor Shares (“VGSTX”) is part of the Vanguard Fund Family Moderate Allocation category. The fund began trading on March 29, 1985 and received a four-star rating from Morningstar for three years, five and 10 years. VGSTX is structured as a mutual fund, which means that it invests in other Vanguard mutual funds. It pursues a diversified approach to investment and allocates 60-70% of its assets to mutual funds that invest in equities, 20-30% of its assets to funds that invest in bonds and 10-20% to funds that invest in short-instruments. long-term, fixed income. VGSTX has a minimum required initial investment of $ 1,000 and a net expense ratio of 0.31%. The fund has generated above average returns over several time horizons.


Its three-year investors ranked 27th in the top 861 funds in this period, while it ranked 25th in a five-year period, among the 745 funds included in its peers. . The fund's 10-year results ranked 22nd among the 500 funds in its category. VGSTX has been rated by Morningstar as having a medium risk for its three-, five-, and 10-year category. VGSTX is managed by William Coleman, who joined Vanguard in 2006 and began managing the fund in 2013. Because the fund allocates its assets to other Vanguard mutual funds, investors benefit from risk diversification among several managers with different strategies.


Balanced loyalty fund (FBALX)


The Balanced Fidelity Fund (“FBALX”) is in the category of moderate allocation of the Fidelity fund family. The fund received a five-star Morningstar rating for three years and a five-star rating for five and 10 years. Its strategy is to target income and capital gains while taking moderate risks. FBALX invests approximately 60% of its assets in equities and the remainder in fixed income securities, including high-yield debt securities. The Fund allocates at least 25% of the total assets to senior tranches of fixed income securities, including preferred stocks. FBALX, which started trading on November 6, 1986, has an annual expense ratio of 0.53% and a minimum required initial investment of $ 2,500. Like VGSTX, it has performed extremely well over several periods of time relative to its peer group.


The fund's three-year results ranked sixth in the top 861 funds ranked during this period. Its five-year performance ranked it ninth among the 745 funds in its category. The fund obtained the 17th highest 10-year return out of the 500 funds classified in its category. Tobias Welo has been the fund's director since November 14, 2011.

Comparison of VGSTX and FBALX

Like most index investments, moderate allocation funds are ideal for long-term investors who buy and hold. Moderate allocation funds allow investors to benefit from both growth and value investments without the need for business cycles. Both VGSTX and FBALX are attractive opportunities in this category and have strengths. Because VGSTX is a fund of funds, investors benefit from diversification from different management styles, which FBALX does not offer. In addition, VGSTX has lower fees than FBALX. However, FBALX performed slightly better than VGSTX, both in the intermediate and longer time intervals. The two funds have similar allocation strategies, which makes a very close decision between them.
 
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