Fund Evaluator:
Plumb Balanced Institutional (PLIBX)
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Best Performing in Moderate Allocation Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Plumb Balanced Institutional Overview
Plumb Balanced Institutional (PLIBX) is an actively managed Allocation Moderate Allocation fund. Plumb Funds launched the fund in 2020.
The investment seeks a high total return through capital appreciation while attempting to preserve principal, and secondarily seeks current income. The fund invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks and fixed income securities. More than 50% of its assets are normally invested in common stocks. The fund invests in many types of stocks, including a blend of large company stocks, small company stocks, growth stocks, and value stocks. It also normally invests at least 25% of the fund's assets in fixed income senior securities.
About Plumb Balanced Institutional (PLIBX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 11.19 years: Nathan Plumb (2023), Thomas Plumb (2007). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100%. Plumb Balanced Institutional has 59 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 41.5% 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.
Plumb Balanced Institutional is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Plumb Balanced Institutional has 5.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 63.9%. There is 5.1% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 30.5% (30.5% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Plumb Balanced Institutional has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $31 million in total assets, which is below the $2 billion average for the 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.
PLIBX 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 Plumb Balanced Institutional expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Moderate Allocation category. Plumb Balanced Institutional has an expense ratio of 1.19%, which is 20% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a D. 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. Plumb Balanced Institutional has a portfolio turnover rate of 29%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 52% for the Moderate Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of August 2026, Plumb Balanced Institutional returned 0.7%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Moderate Allocation category had an average return of 1.4%. 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.
Plumb Balanced Institutional has a trailing yield of 0.14%, which is below the 1.95% 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.
Plumb Balanced Institutional Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 10.2%, 2.3 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of A. The fund has returned 12.6% over the past year (grade of C), 14.0% over the past three years (grade of B) and 5.7% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 10.2% per year over the past 10 years (grade of A).
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PLIBX 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 |
|
| PLIBX Return (NAV) | 0.7% | 1.1% | 12.6% | 14.0% | 5.7% | 10.2% |
| PLIBX Grade | F | C | C | B | D | A |
| +/- Category | -0.7% | -0.2% | 0.0% | 0.9% | -0.9% | 1.6% |
| Moderate Allocation Avg | 1.4% | 1.2% | 12.6% | 13.1% | 6.6% | 8.6% |
| PLIBX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 2.1% | 1.6% | 2.0% | na |
PLIBX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 8/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PLIBX Return (NAV) | 10.2% | 11.0% | 15.5% | 25.4% | -22.0% | 4.3% | 21.7% | 23.2% | -1.7% | 23.2% | 5.1% |
| PLIBX Grade | A | F | A | A | F | F | A | A | A | A | F |
| +/- Category | 2.3% | -2.4% | 3.2% | 11.1% | -8.1% | -10.1% | 8.8% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 9.4% | -2.7% |
| Moderate Allocation Avg | 8.0% | 13.4% | 12.2% | 14.3% | -14.0% | 14.4% | 12.9% | 19.8% | -5.1% | 13.8% | 7.7% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 10.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.87 - Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.16 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (98% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.94 |
| R-Squared: | 67% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.1% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $66 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 31 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 29% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 19.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 11.2 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Plumb Thomas (2007), Plumb Nathan (2023) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 59 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 41.5% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 5.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 63.9% |
| Foreign Stock: | 5.1% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 30.5% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Plumb Funds |
| Phone Number: | 866-987-7888 |
| Website: | www.plumbfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | August 3, 2020 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $2,500 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $1,000 |
| 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 (%): | 1.19% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.99% |
| Share Class: | Plumb Balanced Investor |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 50 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 50 |
