Principal Tax-Exempt Bond Fund (PTEAX) belongs to the Municipal Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with PTEAX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to PTEAX
PTEAX charges 0.73% annually. There are 326 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.01%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Asset SMASh Series TF Fund | 0.01% | — | Dec 2015 | PTEAX vs LSMSX | |
| Nuveen Municipal Total Return Managed Accounts | 0.05% | — | May 2007 | PTEAX vs NMTRX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 0.05% | — | Feb 2021 | PTEAX vs FHMIX | |
| Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares | 0.05% | 12.30B | Sep 1994 | PTEAX vs VTMFX | |
| Strategic Advisers Municipal Bond Fund | 0.06% | — | Jun 2021 | PTEAX vs FSMUX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to PTEAX
PTEAX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 70. There are 291 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher risk-adjusted ranks, going as high as 100.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | 100 | — | Dec 2002 | PTEAX vs ATOIX | |
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 100 | — | Aug 2002 | PTEAX vs DFSMX | |
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 100 | — | Apr 2022 | PTEAX vs DFABX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 99 | — | Feb 2021 | PTEAX vs FHMIX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | 99 | — | Apr 2016 | PTEAX vs TFCYX |
Top Performing PTEAX Alternatives (YTD)
PTEAX is at 0.02% YTD. There are 367 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 11.94%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. | 11.94% | — | Apr 1998 | PTEAX vs NMI | |
| BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund | 7.21% | — | Oct 1992 | PTEAX vs MIY | |
| Nuveen New York AMT Free Quality Municipal Income | 7.15% | — | Nov 2002 | PTEAX vs NRK | |
| Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares | 4.40% | 12.30B | Sep 1994 | PTEAX vs VTMFX | |
| AllianceBernstein National Municipal Income Fund | 3.80% | — | Nov 2001 | PTEAX vs AFB |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to PTEAX
PTEAX has 2.93% 1-year volatility. There are 293 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower 1-year volatility, going as low as 0.54%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.54% | — | Aug 2002 | PTEAX vs DFSMX | |
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 0.56% | — | Apr 2022 | PTEAX vs DFABX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.59% | — | Apr 2007 | PTEAX vs DFCMX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.63% | — | May 2016 | PTEAX vs USMSX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.65% | — | May 2016 | PTEAX vs USMTX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to PTEAX
PTEAX has a 1-year max drawdown of -3.10%. There are 369 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as 0.00%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock Allocation Target Shares | 0.00% | — | May 2021 | PTEAX vs BATVX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | -0.10% | — | Feb 2021 | PTEAX vs FHMIX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | -0.10% | — | Apr 2016 | PTEAX vs TFCYX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2002 | PTEAX vs ATOIX | |
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | -0.11% | — | Apr 2022 | PTEAX vs DFABX |
Other Mutual Funds from Principal
The 10 most viewed Principal mutual funds shown here include PCBIX, PLSAX, PLGIX and span 6 categories.
| Symbol | Name | Category | Risk / Return Rank | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Principal MidCap Fund Institutional Class | Mid Cap Growth Equities | 1 | -3.74% | — | Dec 2000 | PTEAX vs PCBIX | |
| Principal LargeCap S&P 500 Index Fund Class A | S&P 500 | 60 | 9.18% | — | Feb 2001 | PTEAX vs PLSAX | |
| Principal LargeCap Growth Fund I | Large Cap Growth Equities | 5 | -1.62% | — | Dec 2000 | PTEAX vs PLGIX | |
| Principal MidCap R6 | Mid Cap Growth Equities | 1 | -3.68% | — | Nov 2016 | PTEAX vs PMAQX | |
| Principal LifeTime 2055 Fund | Target Retirement Date | 49 | 8.75% | — | Feb 2008 | PTEAX vs LTFIX | |
| Principal Capital Appreciation Fund | Large Cap Blend Equities | 42 | 8.06% | — | Nov 1986 | PTEAX vs CMNWX | |
| Principal Blue Chip Fund | Large Cap Growth Equities | 2 | -2.47% | — | Jun 2012 | PTEAX vs PBCKX | |
| Principal Global Multi-Strategy Fund | Multistrategy | 97 | 5.75% | — | Oct 2011 | PTEAX vs PSMIX | |
| Principal LifeTime 2045 Fund | Target Retirement Date | 49 | 7.81% | — | Feb 2008 | PTEAX vs LTRIX | |
| Principal LifeTime 2040 Fund | Target Retirement Date | 49 | 6.90% | — | Feb 2001 | PTEAX vs PTDIX |
Often Compared With PTEAX
Investors most often compare PTEAX with PMDIX, SACAX, PHTYX. These 20 comparison targets span 11 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare PTEAX with Any Fund or Stock
Compare PTEAX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair PTEAX with funds that move differently
Principal Tax-Exempt Bond Fund alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to PTEAX.
Explore PTEAX Diversifiers