Fund Evaluator:
American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E (CWMEX)
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Best Performing in Large Value Over the Last Year
| 38.6% | American Beacon Man Lg Cp Value Inv (BWLIX) |
| 37.5% | LSV Conservative Value Equity Investor (LVAVX) |
| 36.8% | PGIM Quant Solutions Large-Cap Val Z (SUVZX) |
| 36.0% | Fidelity Advisor Blue Chip Value Z (FFVPX) |
| 35.9% | Fidelity Blue Chip Value (FBCVX) |
Fund Details
American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E Overview
American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E (CWMEX) is an actively managed U.S. Equity Large Value fund. Capital Group launched the fund in 2002.
The investment seeks to produce income and to provide an opportunity for growth of principal consistent with sound common stock investing. The fund invests primarily in common stocks of established companies that are listed on, or meet the financial listing requirements of, the New York Stock Exchange and have a strong record of earnings and dividends. Its advisor strives to maintain a fully invested, diversified portfolio, consisting primarily of high-quality common stocks.
About American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E (CWMEX)
There are 8 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.67 years: Eric Stern (2014), Irfan Furniturewala (2015), Mark Casey (2016), Jin Lee (2014), Diana Wagner (2014), Aline Avzaradel (2021), Emme Kozloff (2016), Alan Berro (1997). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: S&P 500 (TR) index with a weighting of 100%. American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E has 197 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 28.5% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E is part of the Equity global asset class and is within the U.S. Equity fund group. American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E has 6.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 89.8%. There is 6.2% allocated to foreign stock, and 1.1% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E has 2.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $119 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Large Value category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
CWMEX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Large Value category. American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E has an expense ratio of 0.84%, which is 9% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E has a portfolio turnover rate of 32%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 62% for the Large Value category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E returned 1.5%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Large Value category had an average return of 2.9%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E has a trailing yield of 0.96%, which is below the 1.20% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains semi-annually.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
American Funds Washington Mutual 529-E Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 8.8%, 5.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 15.7% over the past year (grade of F), 16.7% over the past three years (grade of B) and 12.1% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 12.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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CWMEX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| CWMEX Return (NAV) | 1.5% | 4.9% | 15.7% | 16.7% | 12.1% | 12.9% |
| CWMEX Grade | D | D | F | B | B | A |
| +/- Category | -1.3% | -1.3% | -8.1% | 1.1% | 1.2% | 1.6% |
| Large Value Avg | 2.9% | 6.2% | 23.8% | 15.7% | 10.9% | 11.3% |
| CWMEX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.4% | 2.3% | 2.0% | 1.9% |
CWMEX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| CWMEX Return (NAV) | 8.8% | 16.8% | 18.7% | 16.9% | -8.7% | 28.2% | 7.4% | 25.2% | -3.3% | 19.8% | 13.0% |
| CWMEX Grade | F | B | A | A | D | B | B | C | A | A | D |
| +/- Category | -5.5% | 1.7% | 4.6% | 5.0% | -2.7% | 2.4% | 3.6% | -0.4% | 5.2% | 3.4% | -1.5% |
| Large Value Avg | 14.3% | 15.2% | 14.1% | 11.8% | -6.0% | 25.8% | 3.8% | 25.6% | -8.5% | 16.4% | 14.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 10.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.86 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.88 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (8% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.75 |
| R-Squared: | 86% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 1.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Total Assets: | $219016 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 119 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Other |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 32% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 8 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 29.1 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 12.7 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Berro Alan (1997), Lee Jin (2014), Wagner Diana (2014), Stern Eric (2014), Furniturewala Irfan (2015), Casey Mark (2016), Kozloff Emme (2016), Avzaradel Aline (2021) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 197 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 28.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 89.8% |
| Foreign Stock: | 6.2% |
| Preferred Stock: | 1.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Capital Group |
| Phone Number: | 800-421-4225 |
| Website: | www.americanfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | March 1, 2002 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 250 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.50% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.84% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.93% |
| Share Class: | American Funds Washington Mutual A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
