Fidelity Balanced Fund
Figures last verified October 31, 2026
Actively managed ~60% stocks / 40% bonds, with the equity sleeve run growth-tilted by sector specialists.
FBALX is the 60/40 with Fidelity's personality: the stock side leans growthier and techier than balanced-fund tradition, which has powered it past most peers — and past Vanguard's stately Wellington — across the growth-led 2010s and 2020s. Credit where due: among active balanced funds, its long-term record is near the top of the class.
The two honest asterisks: the growth tilt giveth and taketh away (2022 was unkind), and 0.44% is roughly six times VBIAX's fee for the same basic job. The index-fund argument writes itself. The counterargument is that FBALX has, so far, out-earned its fee — the rarest claim in this industry — and a one-fund investor who'll actually hold it through a bad growth year could do far worse.
A one-fund 60/40 with a growth lean and a solid record.
FBALX alternatives & comparable funds
If you’re weighing FBALX against the field, these are the funds most investors line it up against — same job, different provider, slightly different terms.
| Fund | Family | Expense Ratio | Minimum |
|---|---|---|---|
| FBALX — Fidelity Balanced Fund | Fidelity | 0.44% | $0 |
| VBIAX — Vanguard Balanced Index Fu… | Vanguard | 0.07% | $3,000 |
| FPURX — Fidelity Puritan Fund | Fidelity | 0.47% | $0 |
| VWELX — Vanguard Wellington Fund I… | Vanguard | 0.24% | $3,000 |
| PRWCX — T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Fund | T. Rowe Price | 0.71% | $2,500 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the expense ratio of FBALX?
FBALX (Fidelity Balanced Fund) has an expense ratio of 0.44%, which works out to roughly $44 per year for every $10,000 invested. That is moderate — cheap for an actively managed fund, but several times what a comparable index fund charges.
What is the minimum investment for FBALX?
FBALX has no minimum initial investment — you can start with any amount.
What does FBALX invest in?
Actively managed ~60% stocks / 40% bonds, with the equity sleeve run growth-tilted by sector specialists. It falls in the balanced / allocation category and is an actively managed fund.
What are good alternatives to FBALX?
The funds most often compared with FBALX are VBIAX, FPURX, VWELX — broadly similar exposure from different providers, with small differences in fee, minimum, and portability that usually come down to which brokerage holds your account.
Expense ratio and minimum for FBALX drawn from Fidelity fund documentation; last verified October 31, 2026. Figures change — confirm against the official prospectus before investing. This review is editorial opinion, not investment advice.