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There are plenty of choices in the Muni - Bonds category, but where should you start your research? Well, one fund that might be worth investigating is American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income F-1 (TAIFX). TAIFX bears a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.
Objective
We classify TAIFX in the Muni - Bonds category, an area rife with potential choices. Muni - Bonds funds focus their investments on debt securities issued by state and local governments. These are typically used to pay for the construction of infrastructure, the operation of public schools, and other municipal functions. These securities can come in the form of revenue bonds, which are backed by taxes, as well as " general obligation " bonds that are not backed by a defined source. Investors are usually interested that come with most municipal bonds, which can be especially important for those in higher tax brackets.
History of Fund/Manager
American Funds is responsible for TAIFX, and the company is based out of Los Angeles, CA. Since American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income F-1 made its debut in May of 2012, TAIFX has garnered more than $252 million in assets. The fund is currently managed by a team of investment professionals.
Performance
Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 6.62%, and is in the top third among its category peers. If you're interested in shorter time frames, do not dismiss looking at the fund's 3 -year annualized total return of 4.18%, which places it in the top third during this time-frame.
It is important to note that the product's returns may not reflect all its expenses. Any fees not reflected would lower the returns. Total returns do not reflect the fund's [%] sale charge. If sales charges were included, total returns would have been lower.
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. TAIFX's standard deviation over the past three years is 10.39% compared to the category average of 13.43%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 10.21% compared to the category average of 14.13%. 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 0.89%. So, TAIFX is actually cheaper than its peers from a cost perspective.