Fund Evaluator:
Transamerica Core Bond R (TMBRX)
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Fund Details
Transamerica Core Bond R Overview
Transamerica Core Bond R (TMBRX) is an actively managed Taxable Bond Intermediate Core Bond fund. Transamerica launched the fund in 2017.
The investment seeks to achieve maximum total return. The fund normally invests primarily in investment grade debt securities, which may include: investment grade corporate securities, U.S. government obligations, mortgage-backed securities guaranteed by U.S. government agencies and instrumentalities, and private residential mortgage-backed securities. Under normal circumstances, it 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 3 to 10 years.
About Transamerica Core Bond R (TMBRX)
There are 4 members of the management team with an average tenure of 8.41 years: Brian Westhoff (2014), Tyler Knight (2015), Sivakumar Rajan (2017), Daniel Belton (2025). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 1 primary benchmark: Bloomberg US Agg Bond TR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Transamerica Core Bond R has 514 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 19.3% 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.
Transamerica Core Bond R is part of the Fixed Income global asset class and is within the Taxable Bond fund group. Transamerica Core Bond R has 6.8% 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 84.1% (77.3% domestic bond, 6.8% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Transamerica Core Bond R has 15.9% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $11 million in total assets, which is below the $3 billion average for the Intermediate Core 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.
TMBRX 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 Transamerica Core Bond R expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Intermediate Core Bond category. Transamerica Core Bond R has an expense ratio of 0.92%, which is 62% 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. Transamerica Core Bond R has a portfolio turnover rate of 75%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 151% for the Intermediate Core Bond category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Transamerica Core Bond R returned -1.4%, which earned it a grade of D, as the Intermediate Core Bond category had an average return of -1.3%. 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.
Transamerica Core Bond R has a trailing yield of 3.85%, which is below the 4.04% category average. The fund normally distributes its income monthly.
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.
Transamerica Core Bond R Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned -0.9%, 0.2 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of D. The fund has returned 2.1% over the past year (grade of F), 3.3% over the past three years (grade of F) and -0.8% per year over the past five years (grade of D) and 1.0% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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TMBRX 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 |
|
| TMBRX Return (NAV) | -1.4% | -0.9% | 2.1% | 3.3% | -0.8% | 1.0% |
| TMBRX Grade | D | D | F | F | D | D |
| +/- Category | -0.1% | -0.1% | -0.4% | -0.4% | -0.3% | -0.3% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -1.3% | -0.8% | 2.5% | 3.7% | -0.5% | 1.4% |
| TMBRX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.5% | 1.6% | 1.4% | na |
TMBRX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| TMBRX Return (NAV) | -0.9% | 6.6% | 1.0% | 5.4% | -13.6% | -1.4% | 7.2% | 8.5% | -1.2% | 3.8% | 3.0% |
| TMBRX Grade | D | F | D | D | C | C | D | C | F | B | B |
| +/- Category | -0.2% | -0.5% | -0.5% | -0.3% | -0.4% | 0.0% | -0.9% | -0.0% | -0.8% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Intermediate Core Bond Avg | -0.7% | 7.0% | 1.6% | 5.6% | -13.2% | -1.5% | 8.1% | 8.5% | -0.4% | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 5.5% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.45 - Low |
| Category Risk Index: | 0.99 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | B (28% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.98 |
| R-Squared: | 99% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | na |
| Bond Investment Style: | High Quality Moderate Sensitivity |
| Yield: | 3.9% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Monthly |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | |
| Total Assets: | $1676 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 11 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Retirement |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 75% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 4 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 12.3 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 8.4 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Westhoff Brian (2014), Knight Tyler (2015), Rajan Sivakumar (2017), Belton Daniel (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 514 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 19.3% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 6.8% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Stock: | 0.0% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 77.3% |
| Foreign Bond: | 6.8% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 0.0% |
| Cash: | 15.9% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Transamerica |
| Phone Number: | 888-233-4339 |
| Website: | www.transamericafunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | March 24, 2017 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.50% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 0.92% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 0.57% |
| Share Class: | Transamerica Core Bond R4 |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
