Fund Evaluator:

BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl Overview

BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl (LEJIX) is an actively managed Allocation Target-Date 2035 fund. BlackRock launched the fund in 2020.

The investment seeks to provide for retirement outcomes based on quantitatively measured risk. The fund allocates and reallocates its assets among a combination of equity and bond index funds, including those that seek to maximize exposure to companies with higher environmental, social and governance ("ESG") ratings as measured by MSCI, Inc., and money market funds in proportions based on its own comprehensive investment strategy. Under normal circumstances, it invests primarily in affiliated open-end index funds and affiliated ETFs. The fund is designed for investors expecting to retire or to begin withdrawing assets around the year 2035.

About BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl (LEJIX)

There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 3.74 years: Christopher Chung (2020), Peter Tsang (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.

The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: MSCI USA NR USD index with a weighting of 100% and Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl has 12 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 99.8% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.

BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl has 26.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 38.2%. There is 23.7% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 37.4% (34.6% domestic bond, 2.8% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl has 0.7% of the portfolio in cash.

Assets Under Management

The fund has $637 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Target-Date 2035 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.

LEJIX 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 BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Target-Date 2035 category. BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl has an expense ratio of 0.25%, which is 62% 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. BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl has a portfolio turnover rate of 12%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 23% for the Target-Date 2035 category.

Recently, in the month of July 2026, BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl returned -0.7%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Target-Date 2035 category had an average return of -0.7%. 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.

BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl has a trailing yield of 1.81%, which is below the 2.30% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.

BlackRock LifePath ESG Index 2035 Instl Grades

Year to date, the fund has returned 7.3%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 15.1% over the past year (grade of C), 12.5% over the past three years (grade of D) and 6.6% per year over the past five years (grade of C).

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