485BPOS 2012-12-28 0001505612 2013-01-01 AMERICAN FUNDS GLOBAL BALANCED FUND false 2012-12-28 2013-01-01 <tt>The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells <br />securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate <br />may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when <br />fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected <br />in annual fund operating expenses or in the example, affect the fund's investment <br />results. During the most recent fiscal year, the fund's portfolio turnover rate <br />was 62% of the average value of its portfolio.</tt> <div style="display:none">~ http://www.americanfunds.com/role/ExpenseExample_S000031109Member column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact * column rr_ProspectusShareClassAxis compact * row primary compact * ~</div> <tt>This fund seeks the balanced accomplishment of three objectives: long-term<br />growth of capital, conservation of principal and current income.</tt> <tt>This example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund <br />with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.<br /> <br />The example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods<br />indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The<br />example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that <br />the fund's operating expenses remain the same.</tt> <tt>As a balanced fund with global scope, the fund seeks to invest in equity and<br />debt securities around the world that offer the opportunity for growth and/or<br />provide dividend income, while also constructing the portfolio to protect<br />principal and limit volatility. The fund will allocate its assets among various<br />countries, including the United States (but in no fewer than three countries).<br />Under normal market conditions, the fund will invest significantly (at least 40%<br />of its net assets - unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the<br />fund's investment adviser, in which case the fund would invest at least 30% of<br />its net assets) in issuers outside the United States.<br /> <br />The fund's ability to invest in issuers outside the United States includes<br />investing in emerging country issuers.<br /> <br />Normally the fund will maintain at least 45% of the value of its assets in<br />common stocks and other equity investments. Although the fund's equity<br />investments focus on medium to larger capitalization companies, the fund's<br />investments are not limited to a particular capitalization size.<br /> <br />Normally the fund will invest at least 25% of the value of its assets in bonds<br />and other debt securities (including money market instruments). These will<br />consist of investment-grade securities (rated Baa3 or better or BBB- or better<br />by Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations designated by the<br />fund's investment adviser or unrated but determined to be of equivalent quality<br />by the fund's investment adviser).<br /> <br />The fund may invest in bonds and other debt securities, including securities<br />issued and guaranteed by the U.S. government, securities issued by federal<br />agencies and instrumentalities and securities backed by mortgages or other<br />assets. The fund may also invest in securities of governments, agencies,<br />corporations and other entities domiciled outside the United States. These<br />investments will typically be denominated in currencies other than U.S. dollars.<br /> <br />The investment adviser uses a system of multiple portfolio counselors in<br />managing the fund's assets. Under this approach, the portfolio of the fund is<br />divided into segments managed by individual counselors who decide how their<br />respective segments will be invested.<br /> <br />The fund relies on the professional judgment of its investment adviser to make<br />decisions about the fund's portfolio investments. The basic investment philosophy <br />of the investment adviser is to seek to invest in attractively valued securities <br />that, in its opinion, represent good, long-term investment opportunities. The <br />investment adviser believes that an important way to accomplish this is through <br />fundamental analysis, which may include meeting with company executives and <br />employees, suppliers, customers and competitors. Securities may be sold when the <br />investment adviser believes that they no longer represent relatively attractive <br />investment opportunities.</tt> American Funds Global Balanced FundSM You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in American Funds. Example Information regarding investment results is not available as of the date of this prospectus because the fund does not have a full calendar year of investment operations. Investment objectives You may lose money by investing in the fund. Principal risks Shareholder fees (fees paid directly from your investment) Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be: 0.62 Investment results 25000 Annual fund operating expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment) Portfolio turnover <tt>This section describes the principal risks associated with the fund's principal<br />investment strategies. You may lose money by investing in the fund. The<br />likelihood of loss may be greater if you invest for a shorter period of time.<br />Investors in the fund should have a long-term perspective and be able to<br />tolerate potentially sharp declines in value.<br /> <br />Market conditions - The prices of, and the income generated by, the common<br />stocks, bonds and other securities held by the fund may decline due to market<br />conditions and other factors, including those directly involving the issuers <br />of securities held by the fund.<br /> <br />Investing in growth-oriented stocks - Growth-oriented stocks may involve larger<br />price swings and greater potential for loss than other types of investments.<br /> <br />Investing in income-oriented stocks - Income provided by the fund may be reduced<br />by changes in the dividend policies of, and the capital resources available at,<br />the companies in which the fund invests.<br /> <br />Investing outside the United States - Securities of issuers domiciled outside<br />the United States, or with significant operations outside the United States, may<br />lose value because of adverse political, social, economic or market developments<br />in the countries or regions in which the issuer operates. These securities may<br />also lose value due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates against the<br />U.S. dollar and/or currencies of other countries. Securities markets in certain<br />countries may be more volatile and/or less liquid than those in the United<br />States. Investments outside the United States may also be subject to different<br />settlement and accounting practices and different regulatory, legal and<br />reporting standards, and may be more difficult to value, than those in the<br />United States. The risks of investing outside the United States may be<br />heightened in connection with investments in emerging markets.<br /> <br />Investing in emerging markets - Investing in emerging markets may involve risks<br />in addition to and greater than those generally associated with investing in<br />developed countries. For instance, developing countries may have less developed<br />legal and accounting systems than those in developed countries. The governments<br />of these countries may be less stable and more likely to impose capital controls, <br />nationalize a company or industry, place restrictions on foreign ownership and <br />on withdrawing sale proceeds of securities from the country, and/or impose <br />punitive taxes that could adversely affect the prices of securities. In addition, <br />the economies of these countries may be dependent on relatively few industries <br />that are more susceptible to local and global changes. Securities markets in <br />these countries can also be relatively small and have substantially lower <br />trading volumes. As a result, securities issued in these countries may be more <br />volatile and less liquid, and may be more difficult to value, than securities <br />issued in countries with more developed economies and/or markets. Additionally, <br />there may be increased settlement risks for transactions in local securities.<br />&#xA0;&#xA0;<br />Investing in bonds - Rising interest rates will generally cause the prices of<br />bonds and other debt securities to fall. Longer maturity debt securities may be<br />subject to greater price fluctuations than shorter maturity debt securities. In<br />addition, falling interest rates may cause an issuer to redeem, call or<br />refinance a security before its stated maturity, which may result in the fund<br />having to reinvest the proceeds in lower yielding securities.<br /> <br />Bonds and other debt securities are subject to credit risk, which is the<br />possibility that the credit strength of an issuer will weaken and/or an issuer<br />of a debt security will fail to make timely payments of principal or interest<br />and the security will go into default. Credit risk is gauged, in part, by the<br />credit ratings of the securities in which the fund invests. However, ratings are<br />only the opinions of the rating agencies issuing them and are not guarantees as<br />to credit quality or an evaluation of market risk.<br /> <br />Investing in mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities - Many types of bonds<br />and other debt securities, including mortgage-backed securities, are subject to<br />prepayment risk as well as the risks associated with investing in debt<br />securities in general. If interest rates fall and the loans underlying these<br />securities are prepaid faster than expected, the fund may have to reinvest the<br />prepaid principal in lower yielding securities, thus reducing the fund's income.<br />Conversely, if interest rates increase and the loans underlying the securities<br />are prepaid more slowly than expected, the expected duration of the securities<br />may be extended, reducing the cash flow for potential reinvestment in higher<br />yielding securities.<br /> <br />Thinly traded securities - There may be little trading in the secondary market<br />for particular bonds or other debt securities, which may make them more<br />difficult to value, acquire or sell.<br /> <br />Management - The investment adviser to the fund actively manages the fund's<br />investments. Consequently, the fund is subject to the risk that the methods and<br />analyses employed by the investment adviser in this process may not produce the<br />desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its investment<br />results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.<br /> <br />Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or<br />guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental <br />agency, entity or person. You should consider how this fund fits into your overall <br />investment program.</tt> Fees and expenses of the fund Principal investment strategies <tt>Information regarding investment results is not available as of the date of this<br />prospectus because the fund does not have a full calendar year of investment<br />operations.</tt> <tt>This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold<br />shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your<br />family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $25,000 in American<br />Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your<br />financial professional and in the "Sales charge reductions and waivers" section<br />on page 26 of the prospectus and on page 63 of the fund's statement of<br />additional information.</tt> <div style="display:none">~ http://www.americanfunds.com/role/OperatingExpensesData_S000031109Member column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact * column rr_ProspectusShareClassAxis compact * row primary compact * ~</div> For the share classes listed below, you would pay the following if you did not redeem your shares: Your investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other governmental agency, entity or person. <div style="display:none">~ http://www.americanfunds.com/role/ExpenseExampleNoRedemption_S000031109Member column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact * column rr_ProspectusShareClassAxis compact * row primary compact * ~</div> <div style="display:none">~ http://www.americanfunds.com/role/ShareholderFeesData_S000031109Member column dei_LegalEntityAxis compact * column rr_ProspectusShareClassAxis compact * row primary compact * ~</div> CBFEX 0 0.0000 149 442 1635 755 0.0025 0.0052 0.00 0.0050 0.0127 10 0.0000 CBFCX 0 0.0000 306 206 614 2246 1047 0.0031 0.0052 2246 614 1047 0.00 0.0100 0.0183 10 0.0100 CBFBX 0 0.0000 707 207 1017 2033 1252 0.0032 0.0052 2033 617 1052 0.00 0.0100 0.0184 10 0.0500 CBFAX 0 0.0575 689 908 1811 1144 0.0030 0.0052 0.00 0.0016 0.0098 10 0.0100 GBLFX 0 0.0000 74 230 894 401 0.0020 0.0052 0.00 0.0000 0.0072 0.0000 GBLEX 0 0.0000 98 306 1178 531 0.0019 0.0052 0.00 0.0025 0.0096 0.0000 GBLCX 0 0.0000 279 179 554 2073 954 0.0024 0.0052 2073 554 954 0.00 0.0100 0.0176 0.0100 GBLBX 0 0.0000 674 174 939 1807 1128 0.0019 0.0052 1807 539 928 0.00 0.0100 0.0171 0.0500 RGBGX 0 0.0000 64 202 786 351 0.0011 0.0052 0.00 0.0000 0.0063 0.0000 RGBFX 0 0.0000 67 211 822 368 0.0014 0.0052 0.00 0.0000 0.0066 0.0000 RGBEX 0 0.0000 94 293 1131 509 0.0017 0.0052 0.00 0.0023 0.0092 0.0000 RGBCX 0 0.0000 125 390 1489 676 0.0023 0.0052 0.00 0.0048 0.0123 0.0000 RGBBX 0 0.0000 168 520 1955 897 0.0041 0.0052 0.00 0.0072 0.0165 0.0000 RGBLX 0 0.0000 159 493 1856 850 0.0016 0.0052 0.00 0.0088 0.0156 0.0000 CBFFX 0 0.0000 104 301 1118 514 0.0030 0.0052 0.00 0.0000 0.0082 10 0.0000 GBLAX 0 0.0575 663 848 1630 1050 0.0019 0.0052 0.00 0.0020 0.0091 0.0100 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096495Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096496Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096497Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096498Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096499Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096500Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096501Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096502Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096503Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096504Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096505Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096506Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096507Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096508Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096509Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Memberck0001505612:C000096510Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 ck0001505612:SummaryS000031109Memberck0001505612:S000031109Member 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 0001505612 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 pure iso4217:USD A contingent deferred sales charge of 1.00% applies on certain redemptions within one year following purchases of $1 million or more made without an initial sales charge.