Is Vanguard Wellesley Income Investor (VWINX) a Strong Mutual Fund Pick Right Now?

If you've been stuck searching for Allocation Balanced funds, consider Vanguard Wellesley Income Investor (VWINX) as a possibility. VWINX holds a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), which is based on various forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.ObjectiveVWINX is classified in the Allocation Balanced segment by Zacks, which is an area full of possibilities. Here, investors are able to get a good head start with diversified mutual funds, and play around with core holding options for a portfolio of funds. Allocation Balanced funds look to invest across a balance of asset types, like stocks, bonds, and cash, though including precious metals or commodities is not unusual; these funds are mostly categorized by their respective asset allocation.History of Fund/ManagerVanguard Group is based in Malvern, PA, and is the manager of VWINX. Since Vanguard Wellesley Income Investor made its debut in July of 1970, VWINX has garnered more than $8.50 billion in assets. The fund's current manager, Loren Moran, has been in charge of the fund since January of 2017.PerformanceObviously, what investors are looking for in these funds is strong performance relative to their peers. This fund carries a 5-year annualized total return of 3.94%, and it sits in the middle third among its category peers. But if you are looking for a shorter time frame, it is also worth looking at its 3-year annualized total return of 1.01%, which places it in the middle 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. Compared to the category average of 12.2%, the standard deviation of VWINX over the past three years is 9.89%. Looking at the past 5 years, the fund's standard deviation is 9.48% compared to the category average of 12.82%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.Risk FactorsInvestors should note that the fund has a 5-year beta of 0.46, so it is likely going to be less volatile than the market at large. Another factor to consider is alpha, as it reflects a portfolio's performance on a risk-adjusted basis relative to a benchmark-in this case, the S&P 500. VWINX's 5-year performance has produced a negative alpha of -3.99, which means managers in this portfolio find it difficult to pick securities that generate better-than-benchmark returns.ExpensesAs competition heats up in the mutual fund market, costs become increasingly important. Compared to its otherwise identical counterpart, a low-cost product will be an outperformer, all other things being equal. Thus, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is vital for investors. In terms of fees, VWINX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.23% compared to the category average of 0.82%. VWINX is actually cheaper than its peers when you consider factors like cost.Investors should also note that the minimum initial investment for the product is $3,000 and that each subsequent investment needs to be at $1Fees charged by investment advisors have not been taken into considiration. Returns would be less if those were included.Bottom LineOverall, Vanguard Wellesley Income Investor ( VWINX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively similar performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, Vanguard Wellesley Income Investor ( VWINX ) looks like a great potential choice for investors right now.Don't stop here for your research on Allocation Balanced funds. We also have plenty more on our site in order to help you find the best possible fund for your portfolio. Make sure to check out www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for more information about the world of funds, and feel free to compare VWINX to its peers as well for additional information. Zacks provides a full suite of tools to help you analyze your portfolio - both funds and stocks - in the most efficient way possible.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockIt's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. 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