Compare Financial Products Side by Side
Pick up to three listings from the directory, then weigh them against each other on the attributes that decide the choice — fees, minimums, features, regulation and ratings.
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What you're comparing
You have 2 listings in the compare tray: Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) (S&P 500 mutual fund) and American Funds American Balanced (ABALX) (Balanced fund). Below, each row shows the attribute, what it measures, and which listing leads when the value can be ranked numerically.
| Rating | 4.8 (290) | 4.3 (110) |
|---|---|---|
Expense ratio (lower is better) Annual cost as a percentage of assets — compounds heavily inside long-horizon retirement accounts. | 0.015% | 0.55% |
Minimum (lower is better) Initial deposit required to open the fund; can be a hard barrier inside taxable brokerage accounts. | $0 | $250 |
Load Sales charge at purchase or sale — most modern funds are no-load, but legacy share classes still carry one. | None | 5.75% (A share) |
Category Morningstar style and asset-class bucket; lets you compare against true peers, not the whole market. | Large blend | Moderate allocation |
| Regulation | SEC, Investment Company Act 1940 | SEC, Investment Company Act 1940 |
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| Headquarters | Boston, MA, United States | Los Angeles, CA, United States |
| Founded | 2011 | 1975 |
| License | — | — |
| Experience level | Beginner | Beginner |
| Visit | — | — |
Bottom line
Across the attributes that can be ranked numerically: Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) leads on expense ratio (0.015%); Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) leads on minimum ($0). Use this as a starting point — your own situation (account type, deposit size, jurisdiction) decides which of those leads actually matters.
How to use this comparison
Side-by-side comparisons make trade-offs visible — but only if you compare on the dimensions that actually drive the decision. A 0.10% expense-ratio difference between two near-identical broad-market ETFs is real, but rarely the deciding factor for a $5,000 investment. A 5-year track record difference between two robo-advisors usually matters less than whether they support the account type you need.
Before you commit to one option, write down two or three deal-breakers. Maybe it's "must support a SEP IRA". Maybe it's "must have a no-fee checking account included". Filter against those first, then look at marginal differences.
Where possible, every numeric attribute in the table is sourced from the business's own disclosures or a regulator filing. We refresh claimed and verified listings on at least a quarterly cycle; unclaimed listings rely on our last editor review, and we mark the date so you can judge how recent the information is.