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Is TAIFX a Strong Bond Fund Right Now?

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If investors are looking at the Mutual Fund Bond fund category, American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income F-1 (TAIFX - Free Report) could be a potential option. TAIFX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

American Funds is responsible for TAIFX, and the company is based out of Los Angeles, CA. American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income F-1 made its debut in May of 2012, and since then, TAIFX has accumulated about $281 million in assets, per the most up-to-date date available. The fund's current manager is a team of investment professionals.

Performance

Obviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 3.83%, and is in the top third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 2.36%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.

When looking at a fund's performance, it is also important to note the standard deviation of the returns. The lower the standard deviation, the less volatility the fund experiences. Compared to the category average of 15.49%, the standard deviation of TAIFX over the past three years is 10.92%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 9.17% compared to the category average of 13.52%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, TAIFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.38% compared to the category average of 0.79%. From a cost perspective, TAIFX is actually cheaper than its peers.

Investors need to be aware that with this product, the minimum initial investment is $250; each subsequent investment needs to be at least $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income F-1 ( TAIFX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income F-1 ( TAIFX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

Don't stop here for your research on Mutual Fund Bond funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare TAIFX to its peers as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.


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