Fund Evaluator:
MFS Lifetime 2030 B (MLTBX)
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Best Performing in Target-Date 2030 Over the Last Year
| 15.6% | Victory Target Retirement 2030 (URTRX) |
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| 15.1% | Fidelity Advisor Sust Trgt Dt 2030 Z (FSXFX) |
| 14.5% | T. Rowe Price Retirement 2030 (TRRCX) |
| 14.3% | Voya Index Solution 2030 Port Z (VSZCX) |
Fund Details
MFS Lifetime 2030 B Overview
MFS Lifetime 2030 B (MLTBX) is an actively managed Allocation Target-Date 2030 fund. MFS launched the fund in 2005.
The investment seeks a high level of total return consistent with its asset allocation until the approximate retirement year in 2030; thereafter, the fund will seek total return through a combination of current income and capital appreciation. The fund is designed to provide diversification among different asset classes for investors with the approximate retirement year in 2030. MFS invests substantially all of its assets in other MFS mutual funds, referred to as underlying funds.
About MFS Lifetime 2030 B (MLTBX)
There are 3 members of the management team with an average tenure of 4.59 years: Ben Nastou (2023), Natalie Shapiro (2018), Erich Shigley (2023). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 6 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%, FTSE EPRA Nareit Developed NR USD index with a weighting of 2%, Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 56%, MSCI EAFE NR USD index with a weighting of 8%, S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 30% and Bloomberg Commodity TR USD index with a weighting of 2%. MFS Lifetime 2030 B has 27 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 71.2% 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.
MFS Lifetime 2030 B is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. MFS Lifetime 2030 B has 22.2% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 26.1%. There is 9.0% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.2% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 73.0% (59.8% domestic bond, 13.3% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). MFS Lifetime 2030 B has -10.2% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $475 million in total assets, which is below the $1 billion average for the Target-Date 2030 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.
MLTBX 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 MFS Lifetime 2030 B expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Target-Date 2030 category. MFS Lifetime 2030 B has an expense ratio of 1.48%, which is 125% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a F. 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. MFS Lifetime 2030 B has a portfolio turnover rate of 9%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 23% for the Target-Date 2030 category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, MFS Lifetime 2030 B returned -0.4%, which earned it a grade of B, as the Target-Date 2030 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.
MFS Lifetime 2030 B has a trailing yield of 2.30%, which is below the 2.56% category average. The fund normally distributes its income 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.
MFS Lifetime 2030 B Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 4.1%, 1.9 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 8.2% over the past year (grade of F), 8.1% over the past three years (grade of F) and 3.6% per year over the past five years (grade of F) and 6.6% per year over the past 10 years (grade of F).
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MLTBX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| MLTBX Return (NAV) | -0.4% | 1.2% | 8.2% | 8.1% | 3.6% | 6.6% |
| MLTBX Grade | B | F | F | F | F | F |
| +/- Category | 0.4% | -0.5% | -4.3% | -2.9% | -1.9% | -1.3% |
| Target-Date 2030 Avg | -0.7% | 1.8% | 12.6% | 11.0% | 5.5% | 7.9% |
| MLTBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.1% | 1.7% | 1.7% | 1.5% |
MLTBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| MLTBX Return (NAV) | 4.1% | 9.7% | 7.3% | 11.3% | -14.6% | 11.7% | 10.7% | 20.7% | -6.6% | 16.0% | 7.8% |
| MLTBX Grade | F | F | F | F | B | C | F | C | C | F | B |
| +/- Category | -1.9% | -4.3% | -2.2% | -2.9% | 1.1% | 0.1% | -2.5% | 0.3% | -0.2% | -1.0% | 0.6% |
| Target-Date 2030 Avg | 6.0% | 14.0% | 9.5% | 14.2% | -15.7% | 11.6% | 13.2% | 20.5% | -6.4% | 17.1% | 7.2% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 7.2% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.59 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.84 - Low |
| Category Risk Grade: | A (9% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.75 |
| R-Squared: | 96% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 2.3% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $638 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 0 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | B |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 9% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 3 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 7.9 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 4.6 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Shapiro Natalie (2018), Shigley Erich (2023), Nastou Ben (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 27 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 71.2% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 22.2% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 26.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 9.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.2% |
| Domestic Bond: | 59.8% |
| Foreign Bond: | 13.3% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 1.9% |
| Cash: | -10.2% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | MFS |
| Phone Number: | 800-225-2606 |
| Website: | http://www.mfs.com |
| Status: | Closed |
| Inception Date: | September 29, 2005 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 250 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 4.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 1.00% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.48% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | MFS Lifetime 2030 I |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
