FSGCX vs FXNAX Fund Comparison

A comparison between FSGCX and FXNAX based on their expense ratio, growth, holdings and how well they match their benchmark performance.

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Minafi's Take on FSGCX vs FXNAX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Franklin Strategic Income Fund Class C ($FSGCX) and Fidelity® U.S. Bond Index Fund ($FXNAX).

To start off, here's a look at the basics of each fund. Keep an eye on the FI Score. That's a custom score from 0 to 100 that we generate based on how good this fund is for the casual investor. Most investors only need a handful of total funds in their portfolio. The higher the score, the more likely this is one of those few. Score alone isn't enough! Keep reading on to see how different (or perhaps similar) these two funds are.

47% FI Score
  • fsgcx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Bond
  • Total US Bond Market

Franklin Strategic Income Fund Class C

Expenses: 1.24% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Total US Bond Market Bond fund. See why »

97% FI Score
  • fxnax
  • Mutual Fund
  • Bond
  • Total US Bond Market

Fidelity® U.S. Bond Index Fund

Expenses: 0.03% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is a great choice for a Total US Bond Market Bond fund. See why »

Both $FSGCX and $FXNAX are categorized as Mutual Funds. Mutual funds are often offered by 401(k) platforms and are essentially the same as ETFs. Mutual funds are generally offered by an investment platform – Fidelity has Fidelity mutual funds, Vanguard has Vanguard mutual funds. Mutual funds are ideal for retirement investing since you can invest any amount. That allows you to invest every last cent and benefit from the market.

The biggest disadvantage of mutual funds is that you're usually limited to the funds on your investment platform. If you're investing on Fidelity, you'll want to pick Fidelity mutual funds (or any ETF). Same with Vanguard. Some platforms offer mutual funds from other platforms, but they may charge a purchse or redemption fee. I'd recommend using the same platform as your funds – or stick to ETFs.

To learn more about the difference between these two, you can read about the difference between ETFs and Mutual Funds.

When evaluating a fund, the first things I look at are:

  • What it invests in
  • How much it charges in fees
  • How large the fund is

Let's look into these criteria one by one and see if either of these funds stands out.

Fund Holdings Comparison

Both of these funds are Bond Total US Bond Market funds – which means they're likely both investing in about the same investments behind the scenes.

Minafi's FI Score algorithm takes into account the category and market. The more niche a fund is, the lower the score. This doesn't mean it's a worse fund, but it does mean you should stop and make sure this a fund you need to diversify your portfolio.

FSGCX FXNAX
Market Score 7.7 /10 9.6 /10
Category Score 10.0 /10 10.0 /10
Total 17.7 19.6

A score of 10 means this is a solid market and category that almost every investor will want to have investments in. The lower the score, the more specific the investment. These scores are based on when most investors would add these funds to their portfolio. A score of 10 means that this fund (or one like it) belongs in a three-fund portfolio. The lower the score, the farther down in your portfolio a fund would go.

Winner: $FXNAX

Fee Comparison

Fees are one of the biggest killers of portfolio growth. The difference between a 2% fee and a 0.04% fee over 30 years can result in your portfolio having half the total value!

If you're just getting started investing and learning how fees impact your portfolio, I'd encourage you to read through my free investment course (specifically '2.2 - All About Fees') where I go over all the different types of fees you can be charged and how to lower them.

For these two funds, FSGCX has an expense ratio of 1.24% while FXNAX has an expense ratio of 0.03%.

Winner: $FXNAX

Fund Size Comparison

Both FSGCX and FXNAX have a similar number of assets under management. FSGCX has 3.91 Billion in assets under management, while FXNAX has 50.7 Billion.

Minafi categorizes both of these funds as large funds. Fund size is a good indication of how many other investors trust this fund. A large fund by itself doesn't mean it's a good fund, but it is one thing to consider when figuring out how to choose the right fund.

Winner: tie

Which Should You Choose? FSGCX or FXNAX?

Since both of these funds are Bond Total US Bond Market funds, you'll most likely only need to invest in one of these funds – not both. Running both of these funds through Minafi's FI Score algorithm, gives FSGCX a score of 47 and FXNAX a score of 97.

In this case, one fund has a 90+ score – which the clear winner between these two.

Winner: $FXNAX, Fidelity® U.S. Bond Index Fund

$FSGCX

Franklin Strategic Income Fund Class C

47

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 3 /10
Expense Rating 0 /10
Market Score 8 /10
Category Score 10 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date May-24-1994
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 1.240%
Net Assets 3.91 Billion
Yield 4.16%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Bond
Category Total US Bond Market
Sectors
  • Agency MBS ARM 0.00%
  • Agency MBS CMO 9.84%
  • Agency MBS Pass-Through 9.06%
  • Asset-Backed 12.71%
  • Bank Loan 5.05%
  • Cash & Equivalents -25.83%
  • Commercial MBS 0.08%
  • Convertible 0.21%
  • Corporate 41.82%
  • Corporate Bond 36.56%
  • Covered Bond 0.11%
  • Government 42.17%
  • Municipal 4.32%
  • Non-Agency Residential MBS 1.81%
  • Non-U.S. Government 9.29%
  • Other 0.90%
  • Other Government Related 28.26%
  • Preferred 0.00%
  • Securitized 33.61%
  • U.S. Agency 0.00%
  • U.S. Treasury 1.01%
  • U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected 3.60%

$FXNAX

Fidelity® U.S. Bond Index Fund

97

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 10 /10
Expense Rating 10 /10
Market Score 10 /10
Category Score 10 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Mar-8-1990
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.030%
Net Assets 50.7 Billion
Yield 2.46%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Bond
Category Total US Bond Market
Sectors
  • Agency MBS ARM 0.00%
  • Agency MBS CMO 0.75%
  • Agency MBS Pass-Through 24.76%
  • Asset-Backed 0.16%
  • Bank Loan 0.00%
  • Cash & Equivalents 2.33%
  • Commercial MBS 1.23%
  • Convertible 0.64%
  • Corporate 23.48%
  • Corporate Bond 22.85%
  • Covered Bond 0.00%
  • Government 46.86%
  • Municipal 0.43%
  • Non-Agency Residential MBS 0.00%
  • Non-U.S. Government 0.83%
  • Other 0.00%
  • Other Government Related 2.22%
  • Preferred 0.00%
  • Securitized 26.90%
  • U.S. Agency 1.03%
  • U.S. Treasury 42.77%
  • U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected 0.00%

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