ABALX vs VBIAX: 9% overlap

American Funds American Balanced A and Vanguard Balanced Index Admiral share 8.9% of their portfolios by weight — computed as Σ min(wA, wB) over every holding both funds own.

Hold both, 50/50
1.9Effective Funds

You would hold two tickers and get the diversification of 1.9. Two funds that shared nothing would score 2.0; two identical funds score 1.0.

Overlap
8.9%
ABALX expense ratio
0.56%
VBIAX expense ratio
0.07%

Top shared holdings

ABALX and VBIAX hold 386 of the same securities. The ten contributing most to the overlap figure:

Holdingin ABALXin VBIAXΔ
AGENCY-MBS2.7%8.1%5.3%
LLY1.3%0.7%0.6%
IBM0.4%0.2%0.2%
46647P0.2%0.2%0.0%
06051G0.2%0.2%0.0%
TMO0.3%0.2%0.1%
DIS0.2%0.2%0.1%
T0.2%0.2%0.0%
68389X0.4%0.1%0.3%
95000U0.2%0.1%0.1%

Where ABALX and VBIAX differ

Sector weights as a share of each fund, ordered by the size of the gap rather than the size of the sector — two funds that overlap heavily still usually diverge somewhere.

SectorABALXVBIAXΔ
Unclassified22.7%55.1%32.4pp
Information Technology16.0%1.0%+15.0pp
Treasuries12.3%19.1%6.9pp
Health Care6.7%1.2%+5.5pp
MBS Pass-Through2.7%8.1%5.3pp
Financials8.9%3.6%+5.3pp
Industrials6.0%0.7%+5.2pp
Communication Services5.1%0.5%+4.6pp

Δ is ABALX minus VBIAX, in percentage points. Sector data is not published by every issuer, so “Unclassified” is a real category rather than a gap in the table.

What each fund holds alone

Only in ABALX
1,052 positions

85.5% of ABALX by weight, held in no part of VBIAX.

Only in VBIAX
4,732 positions

82.1% of VBIAX by weight, held in no part of ABALX.

A large count with a small weight is the usual shape: the positions one fund adds are typically its smallest ones.

Concentration and cost

ABALXVBIAX
Top 10 holdings36.3%45.2%
Positions held1,4395,119
Cost per $10,000 held, per year$56$7

Cost is the expense ratio applied to $10,000; it excludes any brokerage commission, bid-ask spread or tax consequence. Figures are facts about the funds, not a suggestion about which to hold.

Frequently asked

How much do ABALX and VBIAX overlap?

ABALX and VBIAX overlap 8.9% by portfolio weight — largely distinct portfolios. They share 386 holdings. The figure comes from current issuer holdings files (ABALX as of 2026-03-31, VBIAX as of 2026-03-31).

How is the overlap between ABALX and VBIAX calculated?

As the sum of the smaller weight in each fund, over every holding both funds own: Σ min(wA, wB). If ABALX holds a stock at 6% and VBIAX holds the same stock at 4%, 4% counts as shared. The result is bounded between 0% and 100%, and it is computed after looking through any fund-of-funds to the underlying holdings.

Is it redundant to hold both ABALX and VBIAX?

That depends on your goals — we state facts, not advice. At 8.9% overlap, each fund still contributes meaningfully distinct exposure.

What does ABALX own that VBIAX doesn't?

ABALX holds 1,439 positions and VBIAX holds 5,119; 1,052 of ABALX's positions don't appear in VBIAX at all, and they are 85.5% of ABALX by weight.

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Sources: issuer holdings files, ABALX as of 2026-03-31, VBIAX as of 2026-03-31. Weights are fractions of each fund. Diagnostics, not advice.