Fund Evaluator:

DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl Overview

DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl (DFAAX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Inflation-Protected Bond fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 2021.

The investment seeks inflation protection and maximize total returns. The fund will pursue its investment objective by investing in a universe of U.S. and foreign debt securities, including inflation-protected securities, and derivative instruments. It primarily invests in securities that mature within twenty years from the date of settlement, but may, as in the case of mortgage-backed securities, invest in securities with longer maturities. Under normal circumstances, the fund will generally maintain a weighted average duration between three and ten years.

About DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl (DFAAX)

There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.27 years: David Plecha (2021), Lovell Shao (2021), Joseph Kolerich (2021). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR Hdg USD index with a weighting of 100%. DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl has 446 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 16.0% 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.

DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl has 71.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 0.0%. There is 0.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 83.3% (11.8% domestic bond, 71.5% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl has 16.7% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $316 million in total assets, which is below the $869 million average for the Inflation-Protected Bond 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.

DFAAX 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 DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Inflation-Protected Bond category. DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl has an expense ratio of 0.29%, which is 60% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a A. 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. DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 59%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 72% for the Inflation-Protected Bond category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl returned -0.9%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Inflation-Protected Bond category had an average return of -0.8%. 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.

DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl has a trailing yield of 4.61%, which is above the 4.20% category average. The fund normally distributes its income quarterly.

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.

DFA Global Core Plus Real Return Instl Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 1.9%, 1.7 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 3.2% over the past year (grade of A), 5.7% over the past three years (grade of A) and 1.8% per year over the past five years (grade of A).

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