3 Great Balanced Funds | Morningstar [Video]

Jason Kephart: Investing is hard. Is inflation going to chill out? Are we in another tech bubble? What the heck is going on in emerging-markets stocks? If you’d rather spend your free time doing something fun instead of pondering the mysteries of the financial markets, then a balanced fund could be the right choice for you. If you’re investing for the long term, balanced funds, like the classic 60/40, can be your whole portfolio or the foundation you build around. Here are three of our favorites:

1. Vanguard Balanced Index VBINX
2. T. Rowe Price Balanced RPBAX
3. BlackRock Global Allocation MALOX

First is Vanguard Balanced Index. It’s the quintessential 60/40 portfolio, which is alive and well despite all the haters. The 60/40 portfolio is like grandma’s cooking: It goes out of style but never for long. This fund invests 60% of its money in a portfolio that mimics Vanguard US Total Stock Market and 40% in one …