Fund Evaluator:
Transam Short-Term Bond R4 (TAAUX)
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Fund Details
Transam Short-Term Bond R4 Overview
Transam Short-Term Bond R4 (TAAUX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Short-Term Bond fund. Transamerica launched the fund in 2022.
The investment seeks a high level of income consistent with minimal fluctuation in principal value and liquidity. The fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets (plus the amount of borrowings, if any, for investment purposes) in fixed-income securities. The fund's portfolio weighted average duration will typically range from 1 to 2.5 years. The manager expects to typically invest no more than 10% of its net assets, but may invest up to 20% of its net assets, in high-yield debt securities (commonly known as "junk bonds").
About Transam Short-Term Bond R4 (TAAUX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.12 years: Brian Westhoff (2016), Tyler Knight (2017), Sivakumar Rajan (2022), Norbert King (2017). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: Bloomberg US Universal TR USD index with a weighting of 100% and ICE BofA 1-3Y US Corp&Govt TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Transam Short-Term Bond R4 has 371 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 17.4% 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.
Transam Short-Term Bond R4 is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Transam Short-Term Bond R4 has 16.1% 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 97.1% (81.1% domestic bond, 16.1% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Transam Short-Term Bond R4 has 2.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $37 million in total assets, which is below the $904 million average for the Short-Term Bond 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.
TAAUX 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 Transam Short-Term Bond R4 expense ratio is above average compared to funds in the Short-Term Bond category. Transam Short-Term Bond R4 has an expense ratio of 0.65%, which is 2% lower than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. 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. Transam Short-Term Bond R4 has a portfolio turnover rate of 58%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 135% for the Short-Term Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Transam Short-Term Bond R4 returned 0.0%, which earned it a grade of C, as the Short-Term Bond category had an average return of -0.0%. 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.
Transam Short-Term Bond R4 has a trailing yield of 4.04%, which is below the 4.16% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly 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.
Transam Short-Term Bond R4 Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 1.0%, 0.1 percentage points better than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 3.2% over the past year (grade of C), 4.9% over the past three years (grade of C) and 2.4% per year over the past five years (grade of B) and 2.5% per year over the past 10 years (grade of B).
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TAAUX 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 |
|
| TAAUX Return (NAV) | 0.0% | 0.4% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 2.4% | 2.5% |
| TAAUX Grade | C | C | C | C | B | B |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | 0.1% | -0.2% | -0.1% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | -0.0% | 0.3% | 3.4% | 5.0% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
| TAAUX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.6% | 1.6% | na | na |
TAAUX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| TAAUX Return (NAV) | 1.0% | 5.5% | 4.9% | 5.4% | -3.7% | 0.1% | 3.3% | 5.1% | 0.9% | 2.1% | 3.2% |
| TAAUX Grade | C | D | C | C | A | B | D | B | C | B | A |
| +/- Category | 0.1% | -0.4% | 0.0% | -0.2% | 1.3% | 0.2% | -0.8% | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.7% |
| Short-Term Bond Avg | 0.9% | 5.9% | 4.9% | 5.6% | -5.0% | -0.0% | 4.2% | 4.8% | 0.7% | 1.9% | 2.5% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 1.6% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.13 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.81 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (29% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.25 |
| R-Squared: | 84% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Limited Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 4.0% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $3551 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 37 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Retirement |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 58% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 10.4 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Westhoff Brian (2016), Knight Tyler (2017), King Norbert (2017), Rajan Sivakumar (2022) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 371 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 17.4% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 16.1% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 81.1% |
| Foreign Bond: | 16.1% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 2.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Transamerica |
| Phone Number: | 888-233-4339 |
| Website: | www.transamericafunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 9, 2022 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $5,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $5,000 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.65% ( Rating : Above Avg ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.66% |
| Share Class: | Transamerica Short-Term Bond I2 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
