Fund Evaluator:

DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I Overview

DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I (DGTSX) is an actively managed Allocation Global Conservative Allocation fund. Dimensional Fund Advisors launched the fund in 2003.

The investment seeks total return consistent with current income and preservation of capital with some capital appreciation. The fund generally invests its assets in domestic and international equity underlying funds and fixed income underlying funds to achieve an allocation of approximately 5% to 45% (with a target allocation of approximately 25%) of the portfolio's assets to domestic and international equity underlying funds and approximately 55% to 95% (with a target allocation of approximately 75%) of the portfolio's assets to fixed income underlying funds.

About DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I (DGTSX)

There are 6 members of the management team with an average tenure of 12.82 years: Jed Fogdall (2010), Allen Pu (2017), David Plecha (2003), Mary Phillips (2017), Ashish Bhagwanjee (2021), Joseph Kolerich (2012). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 3 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg Global Aggregate TR Hdg USD index with a weighting of 100%, S&P Global BMI NR USD index with a weighting of 25% and ICE BofA 1-3Y Gbl Govt TR USD index with a weighting of 75%. DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I has 12 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 100.0% 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 Allocation 25/75 I is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I has 39.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 17.6%. There is 6.6% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 59.1% (26.5% domestic bond, 32.6% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I has 16.7% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $658 million in total assets, which is above the $272 million average for the Global Conservative 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.

DGTSX 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 Allocation 25/75 I expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Global Conservative Allocation category. DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I has an expense ratio of 0.24%, which is 76% 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 Allocation 25/75 I has a portfolio turnover rate of 10%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 49% for the Global Conservative Allocation category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I returned -0.1%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Global Conservative Allocation category had an average return of -0.6%. 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 Allocation 25/75 I has a trailing yield of 3.22%, which is below the 3.59% 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.

DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 4.2%, 1.0 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 8.0% over the past year (grade of B), 7.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 4.2% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 4.8% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).

For more mutual fund grades, analysis and screening tools to help your investment discovery, join AAII for a $2, full-access trial. Learn more here: https://invest.aaii.com/membership.

Otherwise, for more information about DFA Global Allocation 25/75 I, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.