Fund Evaluator:
Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A (TPDAX)
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Best Performing in Global Moderate Allocation Over the Last Year
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Fund Details
Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A Overview
Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A (TPDAX) is an actively managed Allocation Global Moderate Allocation fund. Timothy Plan launched the fund in 2009.
The investment seeks the protection of principal through aggressive, proactive reactions to prevailing economic conditions. The fund will invest varying percentages of its total assets in Real Estate Investment Trusts, Commodities-based securities, Various Fixed Income securities, TIPS and cash and cash equivalents. During times of significant market upheaval, it may take large, small, or even no position in any one or more of the Asset Classes, may invest in gold and other eligible precious metals to the maximum extent allowed, and/or may hold some or all of the fund's assets in cash and/or cash equivalents. The fund is non-diversified.
About Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A (TPDAX)
There are 10 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.07 years: Adam De Chiara (2011), Bruce Garrison (2020), Matthew Werner (2020), Matthew Routh (2022), Arthur Ally (2009), Justin Martin (2022), Douglas Daly (2025), Greg Ally (2025), Brian Mumbert (2025), J. Scott McDonald (2009). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 4 primary benchmarks: Russell 3000 TR USD index with a weighting of 100%, Bloomberg US Treasury 1-3 Yr TR USD index with a weighting of 33%, MSCI US REIT GR USD index with a weighting of 34% and Bloomberg Commodity TR USD index with a weighting of 33%. Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A has 207 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 55.0% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a nondiversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A has 11.5% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 35.4%. There is 11.5% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 18.4% (18.4% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A has 5.3% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $54 million in total assets, which is below the $947 million average for the Global 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.
TPDAX 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 Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Global Moderate Allocation category. Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A has an expense ratio of 1.34%, which is 28% 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. Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A has a portfolio turnover rate of 50%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.0 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 64% for the Global Moderate Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A returned 1.7%, which earned it a grade of A, as the Global Moderate Allocation category had an average return of 0.3%. 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.
Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A has a trailing yield of 0.74%, which is below the 2.61% 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.
Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 7.7%, 0.5 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of C. The fund has returned 21.4% over the past year (grade of A), 13.0% over the past three years (grade of B) and 8.0% per year over the past five years (grade of A) and 6.4% per year over the past 10 years (grade of D).
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TPDAX 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 |
|
| TPDAX Return (NAV) | 1.7% | -4.3% | 21.4% | 13.0% | 8.0% | 6.4% |
| TPDAX Grade | A | F | A | B | A | D |
| +/- Category | 1.4% | -6.4% | 5.4% | 1.1% | 1.8% | -0.9% |
| Global Moderate Allocation Avg | 0.3% | 2.1% | 16.0% | 11.9% | 6.2% | 7.3% |
| TPDAX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
TPDAX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| TPDAX Return (NAV) | 7.7% | 24.0% | 5.3% | 7.7% | -5.6% | 12.1% | 8.8% | 13.8% | -7.2% | 4.1% | 9.2% |
| TPDAX Grade | C | A | F | F | A | B | D | F | D | F | A |
| +/- Category | -0.5% | 7.8% | -3.2% | -4.5% | 7.8% | 0.5% | -1.0% | -3.9% | -0.1% | -9.9% | 2.5% |
| Global Moderate Allocation Avg | 8.1% | 16.1% | 8.4% | 12.2% | -13.4% | 11.6% | 9.8% | 17.7% | -7.1% | 14.0% | 6.6% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 9.3% |
| Total Risk Index: | 0.76 - Below Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.02 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Grade: | D (68% Rank) |
| Beta: | 0.58 |
| R-Squared: | 34% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Value |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.7% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Annually |
| Total Assets: | $107 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 54 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | A |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 50% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 10 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 16.8 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Ally Arthur (2009), McDonald J. Scott (2009), De Chiara Adam (2011), Garrison Bruce (2020), Werner Matthew (2020), Routh Matthew (2022), Martin Justin (2022), Ally Greg (2025), Mumbert Brian (2025), Daly Douglas (2025) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 3/31/26)
| # of Holdings: | 207 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 55.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | Yes |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 11.5% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 35.4% |
| Foreign Stock: | 11.5% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 18.4% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 29.4% |
| Cash: | 5.3% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Timothy Plan |
| Phone Number: | 800-846-7526 |
| Website: | www.timothyplan.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | November 4, 2009 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | No |
| Front Load Maximum: | 5.50% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | 0.25% |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.34% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.04% |
| Share Class: | Timothy Plan Defensive Strategies A |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
