Fund Evaluator:
NYLI Balanced Class C (MBACX)
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Best Performing in Moderate Allocation Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
NYLI Balanced Class C Overview
NYLI Balanced Class C (MBACX) is an actively managed Allocation Moderate Allocation fund. New York Life Investment Management LLC launched the fund in 2002.
The investment seeks total return. The fund invests approximately 60% of its assets (net assets plus any borrowings for investment purposes) in stocks and 40% of its assets in fixed-income securities (such as bonds) and cash equivalents. Although this 60/40 ratio may vary, the manager has adopted a fundamental policy that it will be a "balanced" fund. The fund may invest up to 20% of its net assets in foreign securities, but only in such securities that the Subadvisor for the fixed-income portion of the fund, and the Subadvisor for the equity portion of the fund, in accordance with each Subadvisor's investment process.
About NYLI Balanced Class C (MBACX)
There are 11 members of the management team with an average tenure of 1.92 years: Neil Moriarty (2026), Migene Kim (2025), Michael DePalma (2026), Amit Soni (2026), Lesya Paisley (2026), Adam Illfelder (2021), Cameron White (2026), Betsy George (2025), Ravi Gill (2025), Theodore Aronson (2026), Jonathan Swaney (2017). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Russell 1000 Value TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. NYLI Balanced Class C has 257 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 26.2% 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.
NYLI Balanced Class C is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. NYLI Balanced Class C has 5.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 59.7%. There is 4.1% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 35.0% (33.6% domestic bond, 1.4% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). NYLI Balanced Class C has 1.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $3 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the Moderate Allocation 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.
MBACX 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 NYLI Balanced Class C expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Moderate Allocation category. NYLI Balanced Class C has an expense ratio of 2.08%, which is 109% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. NYLI Balanced Class C has a portfolio turnover rate of 201%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 52% for the Moderate Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, NYLI Balanced Class C returned 2.5%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Moderate Allocation category had an average return of -0.3%. 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.
NYLI Balanced Class C has a trailing yield of 0.90%, which is below the 1.97% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly and its capital gains 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.
NYLI Balanced Class C Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 7.1%, 0.6 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of B. The fund has returned 13.4% over the past year (grade of C), 8.6% over the past three years (grade of F) and 5.0% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 5.9% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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MBACX 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 |
|
| MBACX Return (NAV) | 2.5% | 3.0% | 13.4% | 8.6% | 5.0% | 5.9% |
| MBACX Grade | A | A | C | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | 2.8% | 0.9% | 0.4% | -3.4% | -1.6% | -2.6% |
| Moderate Allocation Avg | -0.3% | 2.1% | 13.1% | 12.0% | 6.6% | 8.5% |
| MBACX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.7% | 1.2% | 2.1% | 1.6% |
MBACX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MBACX Return (NAV) | 7.1% | 10.0% | 6.4% | 6.1% | -7.0% | 15.4% | 6.4% | 15.3% | -8.6% | 8.6% | 8.9% |
| MBACX Grade | B | F | F | F | A | B | F | F | F | F | B |
| +/- Category | 0.6% | -3.4% | -5.8% | -8.2% | 7.0% | 1.1% | -6.6% | -4.6% | -3.5% | -5.2% | 1.2% |
| Moderate Allocation Avg | 6.4% | 13.4% | 12.2% | 14.3% | -14.0% | 14.4% | 12.9% | 19.8% | -5.1% | 13.8% | 7.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 8.1% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.66 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.88 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (9% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.75 |
| R-Squared: | 76% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 0.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Quarterly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $448 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 3 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 201% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 11 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 9.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 1.9 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Swaney Jonathan (2017), Illfelder Adam (2021), George Betsy (2025), Gill Ravi (2025), Kim Migene (2025), DePalma Michael (2026), Moriarty Neil (2026), Paisley Lesya (2026), Aronson Theodore (2026), White Cameron (2026), Soni Amit (2026) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 257 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 26.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 59.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 4.1% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 33.6% |
| Foreign Bond: | 1.4% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 1.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | New York Life Investment Management LLC |
| Phone Number: | 800-624-6782 |
| Website: | www.mainstayinvestments.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 30, 2002 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 1.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 2.08% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.99% |
| Share Class: | NYLI Balanced Class I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
