FZFLX vs SBNYX Fund Comparison

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

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Minafi's Take on FZFLX vs SBNYX

Here's an in depth look at the differences between Fidelity® SAI Small-Mid Cap 500 Index Fund ($FZFLX) and Western Asset New York Municipals Fund Class A ($SBNYX).

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.

83% FI Score
  • fzflx
  • Mutual Fund
  • US Stocks
  • Mid-Cap Blend

Fidelity® SAI Small-Mid Cap 500 Index Fund

Expenses: 0.08% (Better than 1% of similar funds)

This is an OK choice for a Mid-Cap Blend US Stocks fund. See why »

45% FI Score
  • sbnyx
  • Mutual Fund
  • Bond
  • Municipal Bond

Western Asset New York Municipals Fund Class A

Expenses: 0.76% (Better than 0% of similar funds)

This is a bad choice for a Municipal Bond Bond fund. See why »

Both $FZFLX and $SBNYX 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

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.

FZFLX SBNYX
Market Score 8.1 /10 4.7 /10
Category Score 5.0 /10 8.0 /10
Total 13.1 12.7

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: $FZFLX

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, FZFLX has an expense ratio of 0.08% while SBNYX has an expense ratio of 0.76%.

Winner: $FZFLX

Fund Size Comparison

One place these two funds differ is in their total assets under management. This 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.

In the case of these two funds, FZFLX is a large fund with 1.48 Billion in assets under management. SBNYX, on the other hand, is a small fund with 540 Million in assets under management.

Winner: $FZFLX, Fidelity® SAI Small-Mid Cap 500 Index Fund

Which Should You Choose? FZFLX or SBNYX?

Comparing these two funds isn't an apples to apples comparison. FZFLX is a US Stocks Mid-Cap Blend fund, while SBNYX is a Bond Municipal Bond fund.

If you're aiming to build a diversified, low-fee, tax-optimized portfolio you likely won't be choosing between these two funds since they're different enough.

Running both of these funds through Minafi's FI Score algorithm, gives FZFLX a score of 83 and SBNYX a score of 45.

Winner: Neither, I'd research more funds if you're looking to invest for retirement.

$FZFLX

Fidelity® SAI Small-Mid Cap 500 Index Fund

83

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 9 /10
Expense Rating 9 /10
Market Score 8 /10
Category Score 5 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Aug-12-2015
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.080%
Net Assets 1.48 Billion
Yield 1.91%
Holdings
Description Info
Market US Stocks
Category Mid-Cap Blend
Sectors
  • Basic Materials 3.89%
  • Communication Services 3.67%
  • Consumer Cyclical 13.69%
  • Consumer Defensive 3.20%
  • Energy 2.19%
  • Financial Services 13.75%
  • Healthcare 10.59%
  • Industrials 13.11%
  • Real Estate 13.49%
  • Technology 18.99%
  • Utilities 3.41%
Regions
  • Asia Emerging 0.29%
  • Latin America 0.19%
  • North America 99.25%
  • United Kingdom 0.28%

$SBNYX

Western Asset New York Municipals Fund Class A

45

Read More
Ratings
Rating Type Rating
Expense Ratio Score 5 /10
Expense Rating 2 /10
Market Score 5 /10
Category Score 8 /10
Overview
Overview Details
Fund Type Mutual Fund
Inception Date Jan-16-1987
Exchange NMFQS
Expense Ratio 0.760%
Net Assets 540 Million
Yield 3.12%
Holdings
Description Info
Market Bond
Category Municipal Bond
Sectors
  • Advance Refunded 5.21%
  • Cash & Equivalents -1.29%
  • Education 10.45%
  • Health 6.55%
  • Housing 1.64%
  • Industrial 11.47%
  • Miscellaneous Revenue 27.35%
  • Municipal 101.29%
  • Other 0.00%
  • State and Local General Obligation 3.85%
  • Tobacco 0.00%
  • Transportation 24.29%
  • Utilities 3.78%
  • Water & Sewer 6.69%

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