If you've been stuck searching for Mutual Fund Bond funds, consider American Funds Tax-Advantaged Income F1 (TAIFX Quick QuoteTAIFX - Free Report) as a possibility. TAIFX possesses a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank of 2 (Buy), which is based on nine forecasting factors like size, cost, and past performance.

History of Fund/Manager

American Funds is based in Los Angeles, CA, and is the manager of TAIFX. American Funds Tax-Advantaged Income F1 debuted in May of 2012. Since then, TAIFX has accumulated assets of about $272 million, according to the most recently available information. A team of investment professionals is the fund's current manager.

Performance

Of course, investors look for strong performance in funds. TAIFX has a 5-year annualized total return of 8.99% and is in the top third among its category peers. Investors who prefer analyzing shorter time frames should look at its 3-year annualized total return of 10.58%, which places it in the middle third during this time-frame.

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. Over the past three years, TAIFX's standard deviation comes in at 8.77%, compared to the category average of 14.08%. The fund's standard deviation over the past 5 years is 7.32% compared to the category average of 11.59%. This makes the fund less volatile than its peers over the past half-decade.

Expenses

For investors, taking a closer look at cost-related metrics is key, since costs are increasingly important for mutual fund investing. Competition is heating up in this space, and a lower cost product will likely outperform its otherwise identical counterpart, all things being equal. In terms of fees, TAIFX is a no load fund. It has an expense ratio of 0.38% compared to the category average of 0.80%. From a cost perspective, TAIFX is actually cheaper than its peers.

This fund requires a minimum initial investment of $250, and each subsequent investment should be at least $50.

Bottom Line

Overall, American Funds Tax-Advantaged Income F1 ( TAIFX ) has a high Zacks Mutual Fund rank, and in conjunction with its comparatively strong performance, average downside risk, and lower fees, American Funds Tax-Advantaged Income F1 ( TAIFX ) looks like a good potential choice for investors right now.

This could just be the start of your research on TAIFXin the Mutual Fund Bond category. Consider going to www.zacks.com/funds/mutual-funds for additional information about this fund, and all the others that we rank as well for additional information. If you are more of a stock investor, make sure to also check out our Zacks Rank, and our full suite of tools we have available for novice and professional investors alike.