Fund Evaluator:
GMO Global Asset Allocation III (GMWAX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Global Moderate Allocation Over the Last Year
| 22.3% | Cohen & Steers Real Assets Z (RAPZX) |
| 20.4% | Vanguard Global Wellington Admiral (VGWAX) |
| 20.3% | VALIC Company I Global Strategy (VGLSX) |
| 20.3% | Vanguard Global Wellington Investor (VGWLX) |
| 18.8% | TOPS® Managed Risk Mod Agrsv ETF 2 () |
Fund Details
GMO Global Asset Allocation III Overview
GMO Global Asset Allocation III (GMWAX) is an actively managed Allocation Global Moderate Allocation fund. GMO launched the fund in 1996.
The investment seeks total return greater than that of GMO Global Asset Allocation Index, an internally maintained index computed by GMO, consisting of 65% MSCI ACWI and 35% Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Index. Under normal circumstances, GMO intends to invest not more than 85% of the fund's net assets in the Equity funds. It is permitted to invest in any asset class, including, for example, U.S. and non-U.S. equities, U.S. and non-U.S. fixed income securities of any credit quality, or maturity, and commodities.
About GMO Global Asset Allocation III (GMWAX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 18.53 years: John Thorndike (2019), Ben Inker (1996). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. GMO Global Asset Allocation III has securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 0.0% 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.
GMO Global Asset Allocation III is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. GMO Global Asset Allocation III has 0.0% 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 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). GMO Global Asset Allocation III has 0.0% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $610 million in total assets, which is below the $959 million average for the Global 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.
GMWAX 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 GMO Global Asset Allocation III expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Global Moderate Allocation category. GMO Global Asset Allocation III has an expense ratio of 0.84%, which is 20% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a B. 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. GMO Global Asset Allocation III has a portfolio turnover rate of 25%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 65% for the Global Moderate Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, GMO Global Asset Allocation III returned 1.7%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Global Moderate Allocation category had an average return of 1.6%. 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.
GMO Global Asset Allocation III has a trailing yield of 4.34%, which is above the 2.59% category average. The fund normally distributes its income semi-annually 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.
GMO Global Asset Allocation III Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 14.7%, 4.8 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 23.3% over the past year (grade of A), 16.8% over the past three years (grade of A) and 8.4% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 8.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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 GMO Global Asset Allocation III, including its riskiness, submit your email to unlock the rest of the article.
Gain access to exclusive AAII member-only content.
GMWAX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 8/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| GMWAX Return (NAV) | 1.7% | 2.5% | 23.3% | 16.8% | 8.4% | 8.0% |
| GMWAX Grade | B | B | A | A | A | B |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.8% | 8.2% | 3.5% | 2.2% | 0.6% |
| Global Moderate Allocation Avg | 1.6% | 1.7% | 15.1% | 13.3% | 6.3% | 7.4% |
| GMWAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.7% |
GMWAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| GMWAX Return (NAV) | 14.7% | 23.4% | 5.1% | 16.1% | -12.7% | 7.0% | 6.1% | 17.7% | -7.3% | 15.7% | 5.6% |
| GMWAX Grade | A | A | F | A | B | F | D | C | D | B | D |
| +/- Category | 4.8% | 7.3% | -3.3% | 3.9% | 0.7% | -4.6% | -3.6% | 0.0% | -0.1% | 1.7% | -1.0% |
| Global Moderate Allocation Avg | 9.9% | 16.1% | 8.4% | 12.2% | -13.4% | 11.6% | 9.8% | 17.7% | -7.1% | 14.0% | 6.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 8.9% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.73 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (48% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.89 |
| R-Squared: | 84% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 4.3% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Semi-Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $676 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 611 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | C |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 25% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 29.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 18.5 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Inker Ben (1996), Thorndike John (2019) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of )
| # of Holdings: | |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 0.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 0.0% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.0% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | GMO |
| Phone Number: | 617-346-7646 |
| Website: | www.gmo.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | October 22, 1996 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.84% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.04% |
| Share Class: | GMO Global Asset Allocation III |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
