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BALCX vs. VFORX
Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility

BALCX vs. VFORX

Last updated May 12, 2025

Compare and contrast key facts about American Funds American Balanced Fund Class C (BALCX) and Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund (VFORX).

BALCX is managed by American Funds. It was launched on Jul 26, 1975. VFORX is managed by Vanguard. It was launched on Jun 7, 2006.

Scroll down to visually compare performance, riskiness, drawdowns, and other indicators and decide which better suits your portfolio: BALCX or VFORX.

Correlation

The correlation between BALCX and VFORX is 0.40, which is considered to be low. This implies their price changes are not closely related. A low correlation is generally favorable for portfolio diversification, as it helps to reduce overall risk by spreading it across multiple assets with different performance patterns.

Performance

BALCX vs. VFORX - Performance Comparison

The chart below illustrates the hypothetical performance of a $10,000 investment in American Funds American Balanced Fund Class C (BALCX) and Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund (VFORX). The values are adjusted to include any dividend payments, if applicable.

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Key characteristics

Daily Std Dev

BALCX:

4.38%

VFORX:

3.73%

Max Drawdown

BALCX:

-0.38%

VFORX:

-0.32%

Current Drawdown

BALCX:

-0.09%

VFORX:

0.00%

Returns By Period

BALCX

YTD

N/A

1M

N/A

6M

N/A

1Y

N/A

5Y*

N/A

10Y*

N/A

VFORX

YTD

N/A

1M

N/A

6M

N/A

1Y

N/A

5Y*

N/A

10Y*

N/A

*Annualized

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BALCX vs. VFORX - Expense Ratio Comparison

BALCX has a 1.31% expense ratio, which is higher than VFORX's 0.08% expense ratio.

BALCX
American Funds American Balanced Fund Class C
VFORX
Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund

Risk-Adjusted Performance

BALCX vs. VFORX — Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank

Compare risk-adjusted metric ranks to identify better-performing investments over the past 12 months.
BALCX
The Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank of BALCX is 4343
Overall Rank
The Sharpe Ratio Rank of BALCX is 4242
Sharpe Ratio Rank
The Sortino Ratio Rank of BALCX is 4141
Sortino Ratio Rank
The Omega Ratio Rank of BALCX is 4141
Omega Ratio Rank
The Calmar Ratio Rank of BALCX is 4848
Calmar Ratio Rank
The Martin Ratio Rank of BALCX is 4242
Martin Ratio Rank
VFORX
The Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank of VFORX is 7171
Overall Rank
The Sharpe Ratio Rank of VFORX is 6969
Sharpe Ratio Rank
The Sortino Ratio Rank of VFORX is 6969
Sortino Ratio Rank
The Omega Ratio Rank of VFORX is 7070
Omega Ratio Rank
The Calmar Ratio Rank of VFORX is 7171
Calmar Ratio Rank
The Martin Ratio Rank of VFORX is 7878
Martin Ratio Rank
The risk-adjusted ranks indicate the investment's position relative to the market. A rank closer to 100 signifies top-performing investments, while a rank closer to 0 might suggest underperformance, based on the selected ratio. The values are calculated based on the past 12 months of returns.

BALCX vs. VFORX - Risk-Adjusted Performance Comparison

This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for American Funds American Balanced Fund Class C (BALCX) and Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund (VFORX). Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.

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Dividends

BALCX vs. VFORX - Dividend Comparison

BALCX's dividend yield for the trailing twelve months is around 6.48%, more than VFORX's 2.60% yield.

TTM20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
BALCX
American Funds American Balanced Fund Class C		6.48%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%
VFORX
Vanguard Target Retirement 2040 Fund		2.60%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%

Drawdowns

BALCX vs. VFORX - Drawdown Comparison

The maximum BALCX drawdown since its inception was -0.38%, which is greater than VFORX's maximum drawdown of -0.32%. Use the drawdown chart below to compare losses from any high point for BALCX and VFORX. For additional features, visit the drawdowns tool.

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Volatility

BALCX vs. VFORX - Volatility Comparison

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