Fund Evaluator:
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 (PLRTX)
Follow This Fund
Best Performing in Target-Date 2035 Over the Last Year
| 17.5% | Fidelity Advisor Freedom Blend 2035 Z (FHSDX) |
| 17.0% | Fidelity Advisor Sust Trgt Dt 2035 Z (FSXRX) |
| 17.0% | T. Rowe Price Retirement 2035 (TRRJX) |
| 16.4% | Voya Index Solution 2035 Port Z (VSZDX) |
| 15.9% | Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 Fund (VTTHX) |
Fund Details
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 Overview
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 (PLRTX) is an actively managed Allocation Target-Date 2035 fund. Principal Funds launched the fund in 2015.
The investment seeks a total return consisting of long-term growth of capital and current income. The fund operates as a "target date fund" that invests according to an asset allocation strategy designed for investors having a retirement investment goal close to the year in 2035. It is a fund of funds and invests in underlying funds of Principal Exchange-Traded Funds (“PETF”) and Principal Funds, Inc. (“PFI”), with a majority of the fund’s assets invested in index funds.
About Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 (PLRTX)
There are 5 members of the management team with an average tenure of 5.02 years: Todd Jablonski (2025), Scott Smith (2017), James Fennessey (2014), May Tong (2025), Chad Severin (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P Target Date 2035 TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and S&P Composite 1500 (TR) USD index with a weighting of 100%. Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 has 10 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.
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 has 23.1% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 46.1%. There is 20.4% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.1% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 32.9% (30.2% domestic bond, 2.7% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 has 0.5% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $407 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.
PLRTX 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 Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 expense ratio is below average compared to funds in the Target-Date 2035 category. Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 has an expense ratio of 0.29%, which is 56% 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. Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 has a portfolio turnover rate of 28%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 23% for the Target-Date 2035 category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 returned -0.5%, which earned it a grade of B, 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.
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 has a trailing yield of 2.47%, which is above the 2.30% 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.
Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 R6 Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 7.1%, 0.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 15.2% over the past year (grade of C), 12.7% over the past three years (grade of C) and 6.8% per year over the past five years (grade of C) and 9.2% per year over the past 10 years (grade of C).
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PLRTX 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 |
|
| PLRTX Return (NAV) | -0.5% | 2.6% | 15.2% | 12.7% | 6.8% | 9.2% |
| PLRTX Grade | B | A | C | C | C | C |
| +/- Category | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
| Target-Date 2035 Avg | -0.7% | 2.3% | 14.7% | 12.6% | 6.6% | 9.0% |
| PLRTX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1.3% |
PLRTX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| PLRTX Return (NAV) | 7.1% | 15.7% | 11.8% | 16.5% | -17.3% | 15.7% | 15.0% | 22.8% | -7.9% | 18.0% | 8.4% |
| PLRTX Grade | D | D | B | C | C | A | C | C | D | D | B |
| +/- Category | -0.2% | -0.0% | 0.6% | 0.2% | -0.6% | 1.7% | 0.6% | 0.3% | -0.6% | -0.8% | 0.8% |
| Target-Date 2035 Avg | 7.2% | 15.7% | 11.2% | 16.2% | -16.7% | 13.9% | 14.4% | 22.5% | -7.3% | 18.9% | 7.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 9.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.78 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | C (41% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.99 |
| R-Squared: | 95% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Large-Cap Blend |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 2.5% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $1241 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 408 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Retirement |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 28% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 5 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 11.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 5.0 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Fennessey James (2014), Smith Scott (2017), Jablonski Todd (2025), Tong May (2025), Severin Chad (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 10 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 100.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 23.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 46.1% |
| Foreign Stock: | 20.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.1% |
| Domestic Bond: | 30.2% |
| Foreign Bond: | 2.7% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 0.5% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Principal Funds |
| Phone Number: | 800-222-5852 |
| Website: | www.principalfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | August 24, 2015 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| 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 (%): | 0.29% ( Rating : Below Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | Principal LifeTime Hybrid 2035 Instl |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
