We offer a wide choice of share and unit classes to meet the needs of financial professionals and shareholders.
For information on commission schedules, ongoing service fees and other compensation options, go to Financial Professional Compensation.
Available only through fee-based programs
Many broker-dealers offer fee-based programs that allow investors to purchase mutual funds for an annual asset-based fee, instead of paying commissions or sales charges. Class F-1 shares are primarily available through certain financial services platforms that support self-directed investors. Class F-2, F-3, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 and ABLE-F-2 shares are used in fee-based programs at most broker-dealers.
Class 529-F-1 shares are designed for Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firms and certain broker-dealer fee-based financial professionals who are registered with American Funds as an RIA/Investment Advisor Representative with the permission of their home office. The broker-dealer firm must also be registered with the SEC as an RIA firm.
No Sales Charge
Class F-1, F-2, F-3, 529-F-1, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 and ABLE-F-2 shares do not have an up-front or contingent deferred sales charge.
Annual Expenses
Class F-2 shares do not include a 12b-1 fee but are subject to sub-transfer agency fees. Class F-3 shares do not include 12b-1 or sub-transfer agency fees. You can find expenses for individual funds on the F-1, F-2, F-3, 529 F-1, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 and ABLE-F-2 fund pages. These expenses will vary among the funds.
Maximum Investments
Investments in CollegeAmerica are limited to $500,000 per beneficiary.1
Fund Purchase Restrictions
Class 529-F-1, 529-F-2, 529-F-3 and ABLE-F-2 shares are not available for tax-exempt bond funds.
Front-end sales charge
For many investors, especially those with significant account balances, Class A, 529-A and ABLE-A shares are the most cost-effective way to own American Funds. Class A shares are available in regular mutual fund accounts, IRAs, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs and certain retirement plans.
Up-Front Sales Charge
Class A and 529-A shares are sold with a sales charge up front. The sales charge is reduced for larger purchases and account values. Find out more about reducing the sales charge.
Sales Charges and Breakpoints for Class A Shares
Equity Fund Sales Charges
Purchase amount and account value
Growth funds
Growth-and-income funds
Equity-income funds
Balanced funds
Less than $25,000
5.75%
$25,000 to $50,000
5.00%
$50,000 to $100,000
4.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
Bond Fund Sales Charges
Purchase amount and account value
American Funds Inflation Linked Bond Fund℠
American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund®
Intermediate Bond Fund of America®
Limited Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America®
Short-Term Bond Fund of America®
American Funds Tax-Exempt Fund of New York®
American High-Income Municipal Bond Fund®
The Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America®
The Tax-Exempt Fund of California®
All other bond funds
Less than $25,000
2.50%
3.75%
3.75%
$25,000 to $50,000
2.50%
3.75%
3.75%
$50,000 to $100,000
2.50%
3.75%
3.75%
$100,000 to $250,000
2.50%
3.50%
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
2.50%
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
0.00%†
0.00%†
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
0.00%†
0.00%†
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%†
0.00%†
0.00%*
Portfolio Series Fund Sales Charge
Purchase amount and account value
American Funds Preservation Portfolio℠
American Funds Tax-Exempt Preservation Portfolio℠
American Funds Tax-Aware Conservative Growth and Income Portfolio℠
All other American Funds Portfolio Series℠ funds
Less than $25,000
2.50%
3.75%
5.75%
$25,000 to $50,000
2.50%
3.75%
5.00%
$50,000 to $100,000
2.50%
3.75%
4.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
2.50%
3.50%
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
2.50%
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
0.00%†
2.00%
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
0.00%†
1.50%
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%†
0.00%*
0.00%*
Retirement Income Portfolio Series Fund Sales Charge
Purchase amount and account value
All American Funds Retirement Income Portfolio SeriesSM funds
Less than $25,000
5.75%
$25,000 to $50,000
5.00%
$50,000 to $100,000
4.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
Retirement Target Date Fund Sales Charge
Purchase amount and account value
All American Funds Target Date Retirement Series® funds
Less than $25,000
5.75%
$25,000 to $50,000
5.00%
$50,000 to $100,000
4.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
There is no sales charge on purchases of American Funds U.S. Government Money Market Fund℠ Class A shares.
Annual Expenses
You can find expenses for individual funds on the A fund pages.
Sales Charges and Breakpoints for Class 529-A and ABLE-A Shares
Equity Fund Sales Charges
Purchase amount and account value
Growth funds
Growth-and-income funds
Equity-income funds
Balanced funds
Less than $25,000
3.50%
$25,000 to $50,000
3.50%
$50,000 to $100,000
3.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
Bond Fund Sales Charges
Purchase amount and account value
American Funds Inflation Linked Bond Fund℠
Intermediate Bond Fund of America®
Short-Term Bond Fund of America®
All other bond funds
Less than $25,000
2.50%
3.50%
$25,000 to $50,000
2.50%
3.50%
$50,000 to $100,000
2.50%
3.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
2.50%
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
0.00%*
Portfolio Series Fund Sales Charge
Purchase amount and account value
American Funds Preservation Portfolio℠
All other American Funds Portfolio Series℠ funds
Less than $25,000
2.50%
3.50%
$25,000 to $50,000
2.50%
3.50%
$50,000 to $100,000
2.50%
3.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
2.50%
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
0.00%*
College Target Date Fund Sales Charge
Purchase amount and account value
American Funds College Enrollment Fund®
All other American Funds College Target Date Series® funds
Less than $100,000
2.50%
3.50%
$100,000 to $250,000
2.50%
3.50%
$250,000 to $500,000
2.50%
2.50%
$500,000 to $750,000
2.00%
2.00%
$750,000 to $1 million
1.50%
1.50%
$1 million and above
0.00%*
0.00%*
There is no sales charge on purchases of American Funds U.S. Government Money Market Fund℠ Class 529-A and ABLE-A shares.
Annual Expenses
You can find expenses for individual funds on the 529-A fund pages.
Maximum Investments
Investments in CollegeAmerica® and ABLEAmerica℠ are limited to $500,000 per beneficiary.*
No sales charge and higher expenses
No Sales Charge
Class C and 529-C shares — often called load-level shares — do not have a sales charge up front. However, a contingent deferred sales charge of 1% may be applied on shares redeemed within 1 year of purchase. The CDSC is based on the original purchase amount or the current market value of the shares being sold, whichever is less.
Annual Expenses
Class C and 529-C share expenses are higher than Class A and 529-A share expenses. You can find expenses for individual funds on the C and 529 C-1 fund pages.
Conversion
Class C shares convert to Class A shares after 8 years. Previously, Class C shares converted to Class F-1 shares in the month of the 10th anniversary of purchase through June 30, 2020. Class 529-C shares convert to Class 529-A shares after 5 years. Previously, Class 529-C shares converted to Class 529-A shares in the 10th anniversary of purchase through June 30, 2020. A proportional amount of dividends and capital gains, which are not subject to the CDSC, will be converted in this nontaxable event.
Maximum Investments
Class C share purchases may not exceed $500,000, and investments in CollegeAmerica are limited to $500,000 per beneficiary.1 For example, investors who are eligible to invest in Class A and 529-A shares without a sales charge ($1 million breakpoint) may not purchase Class C and 529-C shares.
Fund Purchase Restrictions
Class 529-C shares are not available for tax-exempt bond funds. American Funds Short-Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund does not offer Class C shares. Class C and 529-C American Funds US Government Money Market Fund, Intermediate Bond Fund of America, American Funds Inflation Linked Bond Fund ®, and Class C shares of Limited Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America® may be acquired only by exchanging from Class C or 529-C shares of other American Funds; direct purchases are not permitted.
Redemption Order
Appreciation on all shares is redeemed first, followed by shares purchased with reinvested dividends and capital gains (all exempt from the CDSC). Thereafter, shares are redeemed on a first-in, first-out basis.
Available only through employer-sponsored 529 plans
No Sales Charge
Class 529-E shares, which can be offered in eligible employer-sponsored college savings plans, do not have an up-front or contingent deferred sales charge.
Annual Expenses
You can find expenses for individual funds on the All Funds page.
Maximum Investments
Investments in CollegeAmerica are limited to $500,000 per beneficiary.1
Fund Purchase Restrictions
Class 529-E shares are not available for tax-exempt bond funds.
General information for share classes except Class R shares and unit classes
Minimum Investments
The minimum initial investment is typically $250 for each fund, and the minimum subsequent investment is $50. (The money market fund and state-specific tax-exempt bond funds require an initial investment of at least $1,000.) However, minimum initial and subsequent investments are reduced to $25 for retirement plan purchases through payroll deduction and Class 529-E share purchases.
Exchanges
Generally, shares of American Funds may be exchanged into shares of other American Funds of the same share class without a sales charge. However, exchanges from American Funds U.S. Government Money Market Fund Class A shares, which don’t have an initial sales charge, may be subject to the new fund’s sales charge.
Class A shares of American Funds U.S. Government Money Market Fund can be exchanged into other share classes; however, they may not be exchanged into Class C and 529-C shares of Intermediate Bond Fund of America and Short-Term Bond Fund of America, and Class C shares of Limited Term Tax-Exempt Bond Fund of America.
Class 529 shares can be exchanged within the same share class twice every calendar year or when the beneficiary is changed. Class F-1, A and C shares generally may be exchanged into the corresponding 529 share class without a sales charge, but such exchanges from UGMA or UTMA custodial accounts may create significant legal and tax consequences.
When determining contingent deferred sales charges, the length of time that shares have been owned is measured from the date of original purchase and is not affected by exchanges.
Under certain circumstances, an investor may move from one share class to another. Fund prospectuses and statements of additional information contain more information.
Exchange privileges are subject to change or termination.
Cross-Reinvesting
Generally, distributions paid by one fund may be cross-reinvested into another fund of the same share class. Investors must have at least $5,000 invested in the fund from which distributions are paid or have met the minimum initial investment requirement for the receiving fund. Cross-reinvestments from the money market fund into other funds may be subject to the appropriate sales charge. Cross-reinvesting is not available for 529 share classes.
Eight retirement plan share classes
Our Class R shares provide flexibility in retirement plan pricing. The 8 share classes are differentiated by the ways plan sponsors and participants pay for plan services.
Class R shares are available to 401(k), 403(b), 457, deferred compensation, defined benefit, money purchase pension and profit-sharing retirement plans that require recordkeeping and administrative services. They are not available in retail accounts or IRAs, SEPs and SIMPLE IRAs.
No Sales Charge
Class R shares do not have an up-front or contingent deferred sales charge.
Annual Expenses
Each R share class has a distinct expense structure. Share classes with lower expenses require plan sponsors to pay for certain services out of pocket, while share classes with higher expenses can cover some or all of the plan service costs.
Suggested Target Markets and Average Annual Expenses for Class R Shares
Share class
Suggested plan size (assets)
Plan costs
Average expense ratio1
R-1
Less than $1 million
Plan sponsor pays most recordkeeping costs separately
1.44%‡,§
R-2
Less than $3 million
Plan sponsor wants all or part of recordkeeping costs to be covered by plan assets
1.46%‡,§
R-2E
Less than $4 million
Plan sponsor wants part of recordkeeping costs to be covered by plan assets
1.16%‡,§
R-3
Less than $5 million
Plan sponsor wants part of recordkeeping costs to be covered by plan assets
1.01%‡,§
R-4
Greater than $5 million
Plan sponsor pays most recordkeeping costs separately.
0.71%‡,§
R-5E
Any size
Plan sponsor pays most expenses separately, including financial professional compensation.
0.53%‡,§
R-5
Any size
Plan sponsor pays most expenses separately, including financial professional compensation
0.44%‡,§
R-6
Any size
Plan sponsor pays all expenses separately, including financial professional compensation
0.37%‡,§
Availability
Class R-1 shares are available for sponsors who use a third-party platform.
Eight pricing options for RecordkeeperDirect-Multifund2
Our 8 unit classes provide flexibility in RecordkeeperDirect®-Multifund plan pricing, which determines how plan sponsors and participants pay for plan services. Unit classes 1 through 6 are for commission-based financial professionals, and four of the unit classes have a higher upfront commission option. Unit classes 7 and 8 are for fee-based financial professionals.
Unit classes are available to 401(k), money purchase pension and profit-sharing retirement plans in the American Funds RecordkeeperDirect-Multifund program. RecordkeeperDirect-Multifund is closed to new plans as of February 1, 2017.
No Sales Charge
Unit classes do not have an up-front or contingent deferred sales charge.
Annual Expenses
Each unit class has a distinct expense structure. Unit classes with lower expenses require plan sponsors to pay for certain services out-of-pocket, while unit classes with higher expenses can cover some or all of the plan service costs. You can find expenses for individual funds on the Retirement Planning Center.
Unit Class Average Annual Expenses
Unit class
Average expense ratio1
1
1.72%ǁ
2
1.52%ǁ
3
1.42%ǁ
4
1.27%ǁ
5
1.07%ǁ
6
0.87%ǁ
7
0.62%ǁ
8
0.42%ǁ
* A 1% contingent deferred sales charge may be assessed on redemptions within 18 months of purchase.
† A 0.75% contingent deferred sales charge may be assessed on redemptions within 18 months of purchase.
‡ The average expense ratio (including dealer compensation) for each share class is based on the average daily net assets of all American Funds, excluding tax-exempt funds, American Funds College Target Date Series, American Funds Insurance Series, American Funds Target Date Retirement Series and Portfolio Series funds, as of the funds’ prospectuses available at the time of publication. Accordingly, more weight is given to funds that are larger in size and less weight to smaller funds. Please see each fund’s most recent prospectus for details. For funds that are available to qualified retirement plans, the actual expense ratios range from: 0.41% to 1.99% for R-1; 1.35% to 1.97% for R-2; 1.07% to 1.72% for R-2E; 0.91% to 1.53% for R-3; 0.61% to 1.23% for R-4; 0.39% to 1.02% for R-5E; 0.31% to 0.93% for R-5; and 0.25% to 1.00% for R-6.
§ Average Average expense ratios are based on the average daily net assets of all American Funds, excluding tax-exempt funds and funds of funds, as of the funds’ prospectuses available as of 12/31/2019. Accordingly, more weight is given to funds that are larger in size and less weight to smaller funds. Please see each fund’s prospectus for details.
ǁ The average expense ratio shown for each unit class is the sum of (1) the weighted average operating expense for all funded investments (excluding the Fixed Account) in the program as of 12/31/2019, and (2) the variable asset charge (“program charge”), which ranges from 0.14% to 1.44%, depending on the unit class, and is for administrative, service and other fees on the variable assets. Actual expense ratios of all investments (excluding the Fixed Account), which are as of each fund’s prospectus available at the time of publication, range from 1.48% to 2.90% for unit class 1; 1.28% to 2.70% for unit class 2; 1.18% to 2.60% for unit class 3; 1.03% to 2.45% for unit class 4; 0.83 to 2.25% for unit class 5; 0.63% to 2.05% for unit class 6; 0.38% to 1.80% for unit class 7; and 0.18% to 1.60% for unit class 8.