497 1 d22124d497.htm DFA TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUNDS DFA Target Date Retirement Income Funds

P R O S P E C T U S

 

September 23, 2015 (as supplemented on October 19, 2015)

Please carefully read the important information it contains before investing.

 

DFA INVESTMENT DIMENSIONS GROUP INC.

 


 

PORTFOLIOS FOR LONG-TERM INVESTORS

 

DIMENSIONAL 2015 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2020 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2025 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2030 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2035 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2040 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2045 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2050 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2055 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

DIMENSIONAL 2060 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

 

INSTITUTIONAL CLASS SHARES

 

This Prospectus describes the Institutional Class shares of the funds which:

 

Do not charge sales commissions or loads.

 

The Securities and Exchange Commission has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the

adequacy of this Prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

DIMENSIONAL 2015 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     1   

Investment Objective

     1   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     1   

Principal Investment Strategies

     1   

Principal Risks

     2   

Performance

     5   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     5   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     5   

Tax Information

     6   

DIMENSIONAL 2020 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     7   

Investment Objective

     7   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     7   

Principal Investment Strategies

     7   

Principal Risks

     8   

Performance

     11   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     11   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     11   

Tax Information

     12   

DIMENSIONAL 2025 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     13   

Investment Objective

     13   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     13   

Principal Investment Strategies

     13   

Principal Risks

     14   

Performance

     17   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     17   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     17   

Tax Information

     18   

DIMENSIONAL 2030 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     19   

Investment Objective

     19   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     19   

Principal Investment Strategies

     19   

Principal Risks

     20   

Performance

     23   

 

i


Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     23   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     23   

Tax Information

     24   

DIMENSIONAL 2035 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     25   

Investment Objective

     25   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     25   

Principal Investment Strategies

     25   

Principal Risks

     26   

Performance

     29   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     29   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     29   

Tax Information

     30   

DIMENSIONAL 2040 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     31   

Investment Objective

     31   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     31   

Principal Investment Strategies

     31   

Principal Risks

     32   

Performance

     35   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     35   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     35   

Tax Information

     36   

DIMENSIONAL 2045 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     37   

Investment Objective

     37   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     37   

Principal Investment Strategies

     37   

Principal Risks

     38   

Performance

     41   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     41   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     41   

Tax Information

     42   

DIMENSIONAL 2050 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     43   

Investment Objective

     43   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     43   

Principal Investment Strategies

     43   

 

ii


Principal Risks

     44   

Performance

     47   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     47   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     47   

Tax Information

     48   

DIMENSIONAL 2055 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     49   

Investment Objective

     49   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     49   

Principal Investment Strategies

     49   

Principal Risks

     50   

Performance

     53   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     53   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     53   

Tax Information

     54   

DIMENSIONAL 2060 TARGET DATE RETIREMENT INCOME FUND

     55   

Investment Objective

     55   

Fees and Expenses of the Portfolio

     55   

Principal Investment Strategies

     55   

Principal Risks

     56   

Performance

     59   

Investment Advisor/Portfolio Management

     59   

Purchase and Redemption of Fund Shares

     59   

Tax Information

     60   

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

     61   

Other Information

     70   

SECURITIES LOANS

     70   

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

     71   

Management Fees

     73   

Fee Waiver and Expense Assumption Agreement

     73   

DIVIDENDS, CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

     73   

PURCHASE OF SHARES

     76   

Cash Purchases

     76   

In-Kind Purchases

     77   

POLICY REGARDING EXCESSIVE OR SHORT-TERM TRADING

     78   

 

iii


VALUATION OF SHARES

     80   

Net Asset Value

     80   

Public Offering Price

     82   

EXCHANGE OF SHARES

     82   

REDEMPTION OF SHARES

     83   

Redemption Procedure

     83   

Redemption of Small Accounts

     84   

In-Kind Redemptions

     84   

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

     84   

DELIVERY OF SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS

     84   

 

iv


Dimensional 2015 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2015 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2015 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2015 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.15

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.21

*   The 2015 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2015 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 22       $ 68   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2015 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2015 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2015 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2015 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

1


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2015 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2015 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2015 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2015 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 15% to 35% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 65% to 85% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2015 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2015 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2015 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

2


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

3


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

4


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2015 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2015 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2015 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2015 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

5


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2015 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

6


Dimensional 2020 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2020 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2020 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2020 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.17

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.23

*   The 2020 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2020 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 24       $ 74   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2020 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2020 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2020 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2020 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

7


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2020 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2020 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2020 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2020 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 20% to 45% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 55% to 80% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2020 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2020 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2020 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

8


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

9


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

10


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2020 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2020 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2020 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2020 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

11


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2020 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

12


Dimensional 2025 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2025 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2025 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2025 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.19

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.25

*   The 2025 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2025 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 26       $ 80   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2025 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2025 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2025 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2025 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

13


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2025 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2025 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2025 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2025 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 30% to 55% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 45% to 70% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2025 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2025 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2025 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

14


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

15


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

16


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2025 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2025 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2025 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2025 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

17


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2025 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

18


Dimensional 2030 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2030 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2030 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2030 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.21

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.27

*   The 2030 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2030 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 28       $ 87   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2030 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2030 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2030 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2030 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

19


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2030 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2030 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2030 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2030 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 45% to 70% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 30% to 55% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2030 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2030 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2030 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

20


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

21


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

22


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2030 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2030 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2030 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2030 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

23


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2030 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

24


Dimensional 2035 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2035 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2035 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2035 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.22

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.28

*   The 2035 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2035 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 29       $ 90   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2035 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2035 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2035 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2035 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

25


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2035 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2035 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2035 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2035 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 60% to 85% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 15% to 40% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2035 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2035 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2035 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

26


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

27


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

28


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2035 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2035 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2035 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2035 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

29


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2035 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

30


Dimensional 2040 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2040 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2040 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2040 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.23

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.29

*   The 2040 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2040 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 30       $ 93   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2040 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2040 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2040 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2040 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

31


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2040 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2040 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2040 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2040 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 75% to 97% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 3% to 25% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2040 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2040 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2040 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

32


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

33


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

34


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2040 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2040 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2040 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2040 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

35


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2040 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

36


Dimensional 2045 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2045 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2045 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2045 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.23

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.29

*   The 2045 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2045 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 30       $ 93   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2045 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2045 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2045 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2045 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

37


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2045 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2045 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2045 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2045 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 75% to 97% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 3% to 25% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”) . At the 2045 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2045 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2045 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

38


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

39


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

40


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2045 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2045 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2045 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2045 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

41


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2045 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

42


Dimensional 2050 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2050 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2050 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2050 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.23

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.29

*   The 2050 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2050 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 30       $ 93   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2050 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2050 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2050 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2050 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

43


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2050 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2050 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2050 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2050 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 75% to 97% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 3% to 25% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2050 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2050 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2050 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

44


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

45


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

46


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2050 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2050 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2050 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2050 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

47


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2050 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

48


Dimensional 2055 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2055 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2055 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2055 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.23

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.29

*   The 2055 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2055 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 30       $ 93   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2055 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2055 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2055 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2055 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

49


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2055 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2055 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2055 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2055 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 75% to 97% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 3% to 25% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2055 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2055 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2055 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

50


Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

51


Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

52


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2055 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2055 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2055 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2055 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

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TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2055 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

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Dimensional 2060 Target Date Retirement Income Fund

 

INVESTMENT OBJECTIVE

 

The investment objective of the Dimensional 2060 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (the “2060 Target Date Portfolio”) is to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

FEES AND EXPENSES OF THE PORTFOLIO

 

This table describes the fees and expenses you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the 2060 Target Date Portfolio.

 

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment): None

 

Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)

 

Management Fee

     0.03

Other Expenses*

     0.03

Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses

     0.23

Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses

     0.29

*   The 2060 Target Date Portfolio is a new portfolio, so the “Other Expenses” and “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” shown are based on anticipated fees and expenses for the first full fiscal year.

 

Example

 

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the 2060 Target Date Portfolio with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Portfolio for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

 

1 Year


     3 Years

 
$ 30       $ 93   

 

Portfolio Turnover

 

A mutual fund generally pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Portfolio shares are held in a taxable account. The 2060 Target Date Portfolio does not pay transaction costs when buying and selling shares of other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”); however, the Underlying Funds pay transaction costs when buying and selling securities for their portfolio. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the 2060 Target Date Portfolio’s performance. Because the 2060 Target Date Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

 

PRINCIPAL INVESTMENT STRATEGIES

 

To achieve its investment objective, the 2060 Target Date Portfolio allocates its assets to other mutual funds managed by the Advisor (i.e., the Underlying Funds) according to an asset allocation strategy designed for

 

55


investors planning to retire in or within a few years of 2060 (the target date) and are planning to withdraw the value of the investment in the Portfolio over many years after the target date. Over time, the 2060 Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to the Underlying Funds is expected to change based on the asset allocation strategy from generally being less conservative (having a higher allocation to equity Underlying Funds) to becoming increasingly more conservative (having a lower allocation to equity Underlying Funds) until reaching the “landing point,” which is 15 years after the target date when the Portfolio reaches its final static asset allocation. The asset allocation strategy for the 2060 Target Date Portfolio reflects the need for reduced equity risk and lower volatility of the inflation-adjusted income the Portfolio may be able to support in retirement as an investor gets closer to the target date.

 

At the inception of the 2060 Target Date Portfolio, it is expected that the Portfolio will have a target allocation of 75% to 97% to equity Underlying Funds and a target allocation of approximately 3% to 25% to fixed income Underlying Funds, including exposure through those fixed income Underlying Funds to long-term and intermediate-term U.S. treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”). At the 2060 Target Date Portfolio’s inception, the Portfolio may invest in: (1) domestic equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of U.S. operating companies; (2) international equity Underlying Funds that purchase a broad and diverse portfolio of securities of companies in developed and emerging markets; and (3) fixed income Underlying Funds that may purchase U.S. and foreign debt securities such as obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, long-, intermediate- and short-term TIPS, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic and foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, obligations of supranational organizations, and inflation-protected securities. Information about the Underlying Funds in which the 2060 Target Date Portfolio may invest is described in the Portfolio’s Prospectus in the section entitled “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES.”

 

The 2060 Target Date Portfolio and certain Underlying Funds may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts for foreign or U.S. equity securities and indices, to adjust market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Underlying Funds. Certain Underlying Funds use foreign currency contracts to hedge foreign currency risks, hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. Certain Underlying Funds also may enter into credit default swaps on issuers or indices to buy or sell credit protection to hedge its credit exposure; gain market or issuer exposure without owning the underlying securities; or increase the Underlying Fund’s total return. Certain Underlying Funds also may use derivatives, such as futures contracts and options on futures contracts, for hedging interest rate exposure. Also, the Underlying Funds may lend their portfolio securities to generate additional income.

 

PRINCIPAL RISKS

 

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of a Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of a Portfolio to achieve its investment objective depends on the ability of the Underlying Funds to meet their investment objectives and on the Advisor’s decisions regarding the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds. The Portfolio may allocate assets to an Underlying Fund or asset class that underperforms other funds or asset classes. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of a Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. When a Portfolio invests in Underlying Funds, investors are exposed to a proportionate share of the expenses of those Underlying Funds in addition to the expenses of the Portfolio. Through its investments in Underlying Funds, a Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. Certain of the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments are described below.

 

Market Risk: Even a long-term investment approach cannot guarantee a profit. Economic, political, and issuer- specific events will cause the value of securities, and the Underlying Fund that owns them, to rise or fall. Because the value of your investment in the Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money.

 

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Foreign Securities and Currencies Risk: Foreign securities prices may decline or fluctuate because of: (a) economic or political actions of foreign governments, and/or (b) less regulated or liquid securities markets. Investors holding these securities may also be exposed to foreign currency risk (the possibility that foreign currency will fluctuate in value against the U.S. dollar or that a foreign government will convert, or be forced to convert, its currency to another currency, changing its value against the U.S. dollar).

 

Foreign Government Debt Risk: The risk that: (a) the governmental entity that controls the repayment of government debt may not be willing or able to repay the principal and/or to pay the interest when it becomes due, due to factors such as political considerations, the relative size of the governmental entity’s debt position in relation to the economy, cash flow problems, insufficient foreign currency reserves, the failure to put in place economic reforms required by the International Monetary Fund or other multilateral agencies, and/or other national economic factors; (b) governments may default on their debt securities, which may require holders of such securities to participate in debt rescheduling; and (c) there is no legal or bankruptcy process by which defaulted government debt may be collected in whole or in part.

 

Small Company Risk: Securities of small companies are often less liquid than those of large companies and this could make it difficult to sell a small company security at a desired time or price. As a result, small company stocks may fluctuate relatively more in price. In general, smaller capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than larger companies to adverse business or economic developments and they may have more limited resources.

 

Value Investment Risk: Value stocks may perform differently from the market as a whole and following a value oriented investment strategy may cause an Underlying Fund to at times underperform equity funds that use other investment strategies.

 

Emerging Markets Risk: Numerous emerging market countries have a history of, and continue to experience serious, and potentially continuing, economic and political problems. Stock markets in many emerging market countries are relatively small, expensive to trade in and generally have higher risks than those in developed markets. Securities in emerging markets also may be less liquid than those in developed markets and foreigners are often limited in their ability to invest in, and withdraw assets from, these markets. Additional restrictions may be imposed under other conditions. Frontier market countries generally have smaller economies or less developed capital markets and, as a result, the risks of investing in emerging market countries are magnified in frontier market countries.

 

Interest Rate Risk: Fixed income securities are subject to interest rate risk because the prices of fixed income securities tend to move in the opposite direction of interest rates. When interest rates rise, fixed income security prices fall. When interest rates fall, fixed income security prices rise. In general, fixed income securities with longer maturities are more sensitive to changes in interest rates.

 

Credit Risk: Credit risk is the risk that the issuer of a security may be unable to make interest payments and/or repay principal when due. A downgrade to an issuer’s credit rating or a perceived change in an issuer’s financial strength may affect a security’s value, and thus, impact the Portfolio’s performance. Government agency obligations have different levels of credit support and, therefore, different degrees of credit risk. Securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, present little credit risk. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government, that are supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limitations, and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government that are sponsored by the credit of the issuing agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, are subject to a greater degree of credit risk. U.S. government agency securities issued or guaranteed by the credit of the agency may still involve a risk of non-payment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (BB or below by S&P or Ba or below by Moody’s).

 

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Risks of Investing for Inflation Protection: Because the interest and/or principal payments on an inflation-protected security are adjusted periodically for changes in inflation, the income distributed by an Underlying Fund may be irregular. Although the U.S. Treasury guarantees to pay at least the original face value of any inflation-protected securities the Treasury issues, other issuers may not offer the same guarantee. Also, inflation-protected securities, including those issued by the U.S. Treasury, are not protected against deflation. As a result, in a period of deflation, the inflation-protected securities held by the Portfolio may not pay any income and the Portfolio may suffer a loss during such periods. While inflation-protected securities are expected to be protected from long-term inflationary trends, short-term increases in inflation may lead to a decline in the Underlying Fund’s value. If interest rates rise due to reasons other than inflation, an Underlying Fund’s investment in these securities may not be protected to the extent that the increase is not reflected in the securities’ inflation measures. In addition, positive adjustments to principal generally will result in taxable income to the Underlying Fund at the time of such adjustments (which generally would be distributed by the Underlying Fund as part of its taxable dividends), even though the principal amount is not paid until maturity. The current market value of inflation-protected securities is not guaranteed and will fluctuate.

 

Inflation-Protected Securities Interest Rate Risk: Inflation-protected securities may react differently from other fixed income securities to changes in interest rates. Because interest rates on inflation-protected securities are adjusted for inflation, the values of these securities are not materially affected by inflation expectations. Therefore, the value of inflation-protected securities are anticipated to change in response to changes in “real” interest rates, which represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. Generally, the value of an inflation-protected security will fall when real interest rates rise and will rise when real interest rates fall.

 

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Portfolio’s income to decline because, among other reasons, the proceeds from maturing short-term securities in its portfolio may be reinvested in lower-yielding securities.

 

Derivatives Risk: Derivatives are instruments, such as swaps, futures and foreign exchange forward contracts, whose value is derived from that of other assets, rates or indices. Derivatives can be used for hedging (attempting to reduce risk by offsetting one investment position with another) or non-hedging purposes. Hedging with derivatives may increase expenses, and there is no guarantee that a hedging strategy will work. While hedging can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains or cause losses if the market moves in a manner different from that anticipated by the Underlying Fund or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered more speculative than other types of investments. When the Portfolio or an Underlying Fund uses derivatives, the Portfolio or Underlying Fund will be directly exposed to the risks of those derivatives. Derivative instruments are subject to a number of risks including counterparty, liquidity, interest rate, market, credit and management risks, and the risk of improper valuation. Changes in the value of a derivative may not correlate perfectly with the underlying asset, rate or index, and the Portfolio or Underlying Fund could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of swaps including counterparty and credit risk (the risk that the other party to a swap agreement will not fulfill its contractual obligations, whether because of bankruptcy or other default) and liquidity risk (the possible lack of a secondary market for the swap agreement).

 

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that a fixed income Underlying Fund holds illiquid investments, the fixed income Underlying Fund’s performance may be reduced due to an inability to sell the investments at opportune prices or times. Liquid portfolio investments may become illiquid or less liquid after purchase by a fixed income Underlying Fund due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that a fixed income Underlying Fund will experience significant net redemptions at a time when it cannot find willing buyers for its portfolio securities or can only sell its portfolio securities at a material loss. Liquidity risk can be more pronounced in periods of market turmoil.

 

58


Securities Lending Risk: Securities lending involves the risk that the borrower may fail to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. As a result, the Underlying Funds may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Underlying Funds could also lose money if they do not recover the securities and/or the value of the collateral falls, including the value of investments made with cash collateral. Securities lending also may have certain adverse tax consequences.

 

Cyber Security Risk: The Portfolio and Underlying Funds and their service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio and Underlying Funds to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, among other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio, Underlying Funds and/or their service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

 

PERFORMANCE

 

Performance information is not available for the 2060 Target Date Portfolio because it has not yet commenced operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

 

INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP serves as the investment advisor for the 2060 Target Date Portfolio. The following individuals are responsible for coordinating the day-to-day management of the 2060 Target Date Portfolio:

 

   

Joseph H. Chi, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Jed S. Fogdall, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

David A. Plecha, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Joseph F. Kolerich, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

   

Allen Pu, Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor, has been a portfolio manager since the Portfolio’s inception.

 

PURCHASE AND REDEMPTION OF FUND SHARES

 

Investors may purchase or redeem shares of the 2060 Target Date Portfolio on each day that the NYSE is open for business, regardless of whether the Federal Reserve System is closed, by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders that invest in the Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary regarding purchase and redemption procedures. The Portfolio generally is available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions and a limited number of certain other investors as approved from time to time by the Advisor. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor.

 

59


TAX INFORMATION

 

The dividends and distributions you receive from the 2060 Target Date Portfolio are taxable and generally will be taxed as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement, such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account, in which case taxes are deferred until withdrawal from the plan or account.

 

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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON INVESTMENT OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES

 

DFA Investment Dimensions Group Inc. (the “Company”) offers a variety of investment portfolios. Each of the investment company’s portfolios has its own investment objective and is the equivalent of a separate mutual fund. Institutional Class shares of Dimensional 2015 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2020 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2025 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2030 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2035 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2040 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2045 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2050 Target Date Retirement Income Fund, Dimensional 2055 Target Date Retirement Income Fund and Dimensional 2060 Target Date Retirement Income Fund (each a “Target Date Portfolio” and together, the “Target Date Portfolios”) are offered in this Prospectus. Each Target Date Portfolio is designed for long-term investors.

 

The investment objective of each Target Date Portfolio is to seek to provide total return consistent with the Portfolio’s current asset allocation. Total return is composed of income and capital appreciation.

 

The Target Date Portfolios are designed to make it easier for investors, whose retirement date is at or around a fund’s stated target date as indicated by the Target Date Portfolio’s name, to hold a diversified portfolio of global equity and fixed income assets that is rebalanced automatically over time based on an asset allocation strategy designed by the Advisor.

 

An investment in a Target Date Portfolio is not a deposit in a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government entity. As with any investment, there is the risk that you will lose money, including at and after the target date. The Target Date Portfolios do not provide guaranteed income or payouts, nor can they ensure that you will have assets in your account sufficient to cover your retirement expenses or that you will have enough saved to be able to retire in the target year identified in the Target Date Portfolio’s name. Investment in a Target Date Portfolio does not eliminate the need for you to decide, before investing and from time to time thereafter, whether the Portfolio fits your financial situation. Even if you plan to retire in a specific year, you may decide, based on your investment objectives, tolerance for risk, other savings plans, and other assets, that another Portfolio within the fund family is more appropriate for you.

 

Each Target Date Portfolio will be a “fund of funds” that seeks to achieve its investment objective by primarily investing in other funds managed by the Advisor (the “Underlying Funds”). The Underlying Funds in which the Target Date Portfolios may invest are expected to include:

 

Domestic Equity Underlying Funds—U.S. Large Company Portfolio and U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio

 

International Equity Underlying Funds—Large Cap International Portfolio, International Core Equity Portfolio and Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio

 

Fixed Income Underlying Funds—DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio, DFA Two-Year Global Fixed Income Portfolio, DFA One-Year Fixed Income Portfolio, DFA Inflation-Protected Securities Portfolio and DFA LTIP Portfolio

 

The Advisor allocates each Target Date Portfolio’s assets among the Underlying Funds based on its investment objectives and policies. The Advisor may change the selection of Underlying Funds or the allocation to the Underlying Funds at any time without notice to investors.

 

Asset Allocation Strategy

 

As an alternative to investors building their own retirement investment portfolios, the Target Date Portfolios offer investors access to a single fund whose asset allocation changes over time based on a glide path designed by

 

61


the Advisor. The glide path is intended to guide the Target Date Portfolios’ asset allocations towards becoming more conservative as investors approach retirement and beyond. The target date identified in each Target Date Portfolio’s name represents the approximate year an investor in the Portfolio expects to retire. Under normal circumstances, each Target Date Portfolio will seek to achieve an asset allocation consistent with the Target Date Portfolio’s position on the asset allocation glide path (described below), by investing in Underlying Funds representing various asset classes. Over time, a Target Date Portfolio’s allocation to Underlying Funds in the various asset classes will change based on the asset allocation glide path and the relative performance of the Underlying Funds. Each Target Date Portfolio will invest in an allocation of Domestic Equity Underlying Funds and International Equity Underlying Funds (together, the “Global Equity Underlying Funds”) in combination with Fixed Income Underlying Funds and is expected to change its allocation over time to have a lower allocation to Global Equity Underlying Funds and a higher allocation to Fixed Income Underlying Funds as it approaches and moves beyond the target date, ultimately reaching a final static allocation approximately 15 years after the target date (also known as the “landing point”).

 

Closer to the target date, a Target Date Portfolio will have a higher allocation to Fixed Income Underlying Funds invested mainly in long- and intermediate-term TIPS. After the target date, a Target Date Portfolio will invest primarily in Fixed Income Underlying Funds focused on long- and intermediate-term TIPS and ultra short-term obligations. A Target Date Portfolio will allocate 15% to 35% of its assets to Global Equity Underlying Funds and 65% to 85% of its assets to Fixed Income Underlying Funds at the time it reaches its target date. The asset allocation of a Target Date Portfolio will continue to evolve after its target date until 15 years past retirement when the Portfolio is expected to reach its final static asset allocation (also known as the “landing point”) of 15% to 25% of its assets allocated to Global Equity Underlying Funds and 75% to 85% of its assets allocated to Fixed Income Underlying Funds. When a Target Date Portfolio reaches the landing point, it is expected that the Advisor will recommend that the Board of Directors of the Target Date Portfolio approve combining the Portfolio with the Dimensional Retirement Income Fund, another fund managed by the Advisor, which is expected to have approximately the same asset allocation as the Target Date Portfolio at that time.

 

The table below provides additional information on Global Equity Underlying Fund and Fixed Income Underlying Fund allocation ranges based on the expected asset allocation glide path.

 

     Years From Target date    Global Equity    Fixed Income

Before

   40    75%-97%    25%-3%
   30    75%-97%    25%-3%
   20    60%-85%    40%-15%
   10    30%-55%    70%-45%
  

0

(Target date)

   15%-35%    85%-65%

After

  

10

15*

   15%-35%

15%-25%

   85%-65%

85%-75%


*   The Target Date Portfolio is expected to reach its final static asset allocation or landing point.

 

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Below is an illustration of how we expect the Target Date Portfolios’ asset allocation to change over time along the glide path intended to guide allocations to the Underlying Funds. The actual asset allocations utilized by each Target Date Portfolio may deviate from the allocations illustrated below.

 

LOGO

 

The Advisor designed the asset allocation glide path to seek to lower the uncertainty regarding the inflation-protected income the Target Date Portfolios could support as investors get closer to, or past, retirement. Early on in the investment horizon, a Target Date Portfolio is invested in assets that may have more risk and higher expected returns, with the intention that those assets will grow and provide the investor with higher income at retirement. The allocation during these early years is primarily in Equity Underlying Funds. Over time, as a Target Date Portfolio gets closer to its target date, the asset allocation glide path is intended to manage inflation-adjusted income risk by increasing the Portfolio’s allocation to Fixed Income Underlying Funds that invest in inflation-protected assets, represented by long-term TIPS. As a Target Date Portfolio gets closer to, and past, its target date, the duration of the TIPS portfolio is expected to shorten and the Target Date Portfolio is expected to increase allocations to Fixed Income Underlying Funds that invest in ultra short-term obligations, the valuation of which are generally less impacted by expectations regarding inflation.

 

The asset allocation glide path was designed with an average investor in mind and may or may not provide the asset allocation that is suited for individual investor preferences. If an investor wanted to take on more or less risk, for example, the investor could do so by selecting a Target Date Portfolio with a target date later (i.e., more risk) or earlier (i.e., less risk) than the investor’s expected retirement date or by allocating assets to other investments.

 

Investment Strategies of the Underlying Funds

 

U.S. Large Company Portfolio—The U.S. Large Company Portfolio generally invests in the stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index in approximately the proportions they are represented in the S&P 500® Index. The S&P 500® Index is composed of a broad and diverse group of stocks. Generally, these are the U.S. stocks with the largest market capitalizations and, as a group, they represent approximately 75% of the total market capitalization of all publicly traded U.S. stocks. For the U.S. Large Company Portfolio, the Advisor considers the stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index to be those of large companies. Under normal market conditions, at least 95% of the U.S. Large Company Portfolio’s net assets will be invested in the stocks that comprise the

 

63


S&P 500® Index. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the U.S. Large Company Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in securities of large U.S. companies.

 

Ordinarily, portfolio securities will not be sold except to reflect additions or deletions of the stocks that comprise the S&P 500® Index, including as a result of mergers, reorganizations and similar transactions and, to the extent necessary, to provide cash to pay redemptions of the U.S. Large Company Portfolio’s shares. Given the impact on prices of securities affected by the reconstitution of the S&P 500® Index around the time of a reconstitution date, the U.S. Large Company Portfolio may purchase or sell securities that may be impacted by the reconstitution before or after the reconstitution date of the S&P 500® Index.

 

About the S&P 500® Index: The Standard & Poor’s 500 Composite Stock Price Index® is market capitalization weighted (adjusted for free float). Its performance is usually cyclical because it reflects periods when stock prices generally rise or fall. For information concerning Standard & Poor’s Rating Group, a division of The McGraw Hill Companies (“S&P”), and disclaimers of S&P with respect to the U.S. Large Company Portfolio, see “Standard & Poor’s—Information and Disclaimers” in the SAI.

 

U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio—The U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio purchases a broad and diverse group of common stocks of U.S. companies with a greater emphasis on small capitalization and value companies as compared to their representation in the U.S. Universe. The Advisor generally defines the U.S. Universe as a free float adjusted market capitalization weighted portfolio of U.S. operating companies listed on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), NYSE MKT LLC or Nasdaq Global Market® or such other securities exchanges deemed appropriate by the Advisor. The Portfolio’s increased exposure to small and value companies may be achieved by decreasing the allocation of the Portfolio’s assets to the largest U.S. growth companies relative to their weight in the U.S. Universe, which would result in a greater weight allocation to small capitalization and value companies. An equity issuer is considered a growth company primarily because it has a low, non-negative book value in relation to its market capitalization. An equity issuer is considered a value company primarily because it has a high book value in relation to its market value.

 

The percentage allocation of the assets of the U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio to securities of the largest U.S. growth companies as defined above will generally be reduced from between 2.5% and 25% of their percentage weight in the U.S. Universe. For example, as of December 31, 2014, securities of the largest U.S. growth companies comprised 31% of the U.S. Universe and the Advisor allocated approximately 24% of the U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio to securities of the largest U.S. growth companies. The percentage by which the U.S. Core Equity 1 Portfolio’s allocation to securities of the largest U.S. growth companies is reduced will fluctuate with market movements. Additionally, the Portfolio’s percentage allocation to all securities as compared to their representation in the U.S. Universe may be modified after considering other factors the Advisor determines to be appropriate, such as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity management and profitability. In assessing profitability, the Advisor may consider different ratios, such as that of earnings or profits from operations relative to book value or assets.

 

Large Cap International Portfolio—The Large Cap International Portfolio purchases securities of large non-U.S. companies in each country or region designated by the Advisor as an approved market for investment. The Advisor may consider a company’s size, value, and/or profitability relative to other eligible companies when making investment decisions for the Large Cap International Portfolio. In assessing value, the Advisor may consider factors such as a company’s book value in relation to its market value, as well as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios. In assessing profitability, the Advisor may consider factors such as that of earnings or profits from operations relative to book value or assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing value or profitability are subject to change from time to time. The Advisor may also adjust the representation in the Large Cap International Portfolio of an eligible company, or exclude a company, after considering such factors as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity management and other factors that the Advisor determines to be appropriate, given market conditions. The Advisor will seek to set country weights based on the relative adjusted market capitalizations of eligible large companies within each country.

 

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The Large Cap International Portfolio intends to purchase stocks of large non-U.S. companies associated with developed market countries that the Advisor has designated as approved markets (For a description of the securities and countries approved for investment, see “Approved Markets for International Underlying Funds”). The Advisor determines the minimum market capitalization of a large company with respect to each country or region in which the Portfolio invests. As of December 31, 2014, for the Large Cap International Portfolio, the lowest minimum market capitalization of a large company in any country or region in which the Large Cap International Portfolio invests was $1,394 million. This threshold will change due to market conditions.

 

International Core Equity Portfolio—The International Core Equity Portfolio purchases a broad and diverse group of securities of non-U.S. companies in developed markets with a greater emphasis on small capitalization and value companies as compared to their representation in the International Universe. For purposes of this Portfolio, the Advisor defines the International Universe as a market capitalization weighted portfolio of non-U.S. companies in developed markets that have been authorized as approved markets for investment by the Advisor’s Investment Committee. The Portfolio’s increased exposure to small capitalization and value companies may be achieved by decreasing the allocation of the International Core Equity Portfolio’s assets to the largest growth companies relative to their weight in the International Universe, which would result in a greater weight allocation to small capitalization and value companies. An equity issuer is considered a growth company primarily because it has a low, non-negative book value in relation to its market capitalization. Securities are considered value stocks primarily because a company’s shares have a high book value in relation to their market value.

 

The International Core Equity Portfolio intends to purchase securities of companies associated with developed market countries that the Advisor has designated as approved markets (For a description of the securities and countries approved for investment, see “Approved Markets for International Underlying Funds”). As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the International Core Equity Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in equity securities. The Advisor determines company size on a country or region specific basis and based primarily on market capitalization. The percentage allocation of the assets of the International Core Equity Portfolio to securities of the largest growth companies as defined above will generally be reduced from between 5% and 35% of their percentage weight in the International Universe. As of December 31, 2014, securities of the largest growth companies in the International Universe comprised approximately 14% of the International Universe and the Advisor allocated approximately 5% of the International Core Equity Portfolio to securities of the largest growth companies in the International Universe. The percentage by which the Portfolio’s allocation to securities of the largest growth companies is reduced will change due to market movements and other factors. Additionally, the International Core Equity Portfolio’s percentage allocation to all securities as compared to their representation in the International Universe may be modified after considering other factors the Advisor determines to be appropriate, such as free float, momentum, trading strategies, liquidity management, and profitability. In assessing profitability, the Advisor may consider different ratios, such as that of earnings or profits from operations relative to book value or assets.

 

The Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio—The Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio (the “Emerging Markets Underlying Fund”) invests in companies associated with emerging markets, including frontier markets (emerging market countries in an earlier stage of development), authorized for investment as Approved Markets by the Advisor’s Investment Committee (For a description of the securities and countries approved for investment, see “Approved Markets for International Underlying Funds”).

 

The Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio purchases a broad and diverse group of securities associated with emerging markets with an increased exposure to securities of small cap issuers and securities that it considers to be value securities. In assessing value, the Advisor may consider factors such as the issuer’s securities having a high book value in relation to their market value, as well as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios. In addition, the Advisor may adjust the representation in the Portfolio of an eligible company, or exclude a company, after considering profitability relative to other eligible companies. In assessing profitability, the Advisor may consider different ratios, such as that of earnings or profits from operations relative to book value or assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing value are subject to change from time to time.

 

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Approved Markets for International Underlying Funds. As of the date of this Prospectus, the International Core Equity Portfolio and Large Cap International Portfolio may invest in the stocks of companies associated with the following countries designated by the Advisor as Approved Markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio, as of the date of this Prospectus, may invest in the following emerging markets countries that are designated by the Advisor as Approved Markets: Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Turkey. The Advisor will determine in its discretion when and whether to invest in markets that have been authorized as Approved Markets for the International Core Equity Portfolio, Large Cap International Portfolio, and Emerging Markets Core Equity Portfolio (each an “International Underlying Fund,” and together, the “International Underlying Funds”), depending on a number of factors, such as asset growth in the Underlying Fund and characteristics of each such market. The Investment Committee of the Advisor also may authorize other markets for investment in the future, in addition to the Approved Markets identified above, or may remove one or more markets from the list of Approved Markets for an Underlying Fund. Also, an Underlying Fund may continue to hold investments in countries that are not currently designated as Approved Markets, but had been authorized for investment in the past, and may reinvest distributions received in connection with such existing investments in such previously Approved Markets.

 

The International Underlying Funds invest in securities of Approved Markets (as identified above) listed on bona fide securities exchanges or traded on the over-the-counter markets. These exchanges or over-the-counter markets may be either within or outside the issuer’s domicile country. For example, the securities may be listed or traded in the form of European Depositary Receipts, Global Depositary Receipts, American Depositary Receipts, or other types of depositary receipts (including nonvoting depositary receipts) or may be listed on bona fide securities exchanges in more than one country. An International Underlying Fund will consider for purchase securities that are associated with an Approved Market, and include, among others: (a) securities of companies that are organized under the laws of, or maintain their principal place of business in, an Approved Market; (b) securities for which the principal trading market is in an Approved Market; (c) securities issued or guaranteed by the government of an Approved Market, its agencies or instrumentalities, or the central bank of such country or territory; (d) securities denominated in an Approved Market currency issued by companies to finance operations in Approved Markets; (e) securities of companies that derive at least 50% of their revenues or profits from goods produced or sold, investments made, or services performed in Approved Markets or have at least 50% of their assets in Approved Markets; (f) equity securities of companies in Approved Markets in the form of depositary shares; (g) securities of pooled investment vehicles that invest primarily in securities of Approved Markets or derivative instruments that derive their value from securities of Approved Markets; or (h) securities included in the International Underlying Fund’s benchmark index. Securities of Approved Markets may include securities of companies that have characteristics and business relationships common to companies in other countries or regions. As a result, the value of the securities of such companies may reflect economic and market forces in such other countries or regions as well as in the Approved Markets. The Advisor, however, will select only those companies that, in its view, have sufficiently strong exposure to economic and market forces in Approved Markets. For example, the Advisor may invest in companies organized and located in the United States or other countries or regions outside of Approved Markets, including companies having their entire production facilities outside of Approved Markets, when such companies meet the criteria discussed above to be considered associated with Approved Markets.

 

DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio—The DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio (the “Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio”) seeks to maximize total returns from a universe of U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities with an investment grade credit rating. The Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio invests with an emphasis on a universe of U.S. and foreign corporate debt securities the Advisor considers to be of extended quality as they are rated in the lower half of the investment grade spectrum (i.e., rated BBB- to A+ by Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) or Baa3 to A1 by Moody’s Investor’s Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”)). The Portfolio will not emphasize investments in the lower half of the

 

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investment grade spectrum, however, when the Advisor believes the credit risk premium does not warrant the investment. The Portfolio will also invest in higher-rated corporate debt securities, obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers having investment grade ratings, securities of domestic or foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, and obligations of supranational organizations. At the present time, the Advisor expects that most investments will be made in the obligations of issuers that are located in developed countries. However, in the future, the Advisor anticipates investing in issuers located in other countries as well.

 

The Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio primarily invests in securities that mature within five years from the date of settlement and maintains an average portfolio maturity and average portfolio duration of three years or less. In making these purchase decisions, if the anticipated maturity risk premium is greater for longer term securities in the eligible maturity range, the Advisor will focus on investment in the longer-term area, otherwise the Portfolio will focus its investment in the short-term range of the eligible maturity range. Duration is a measure of the expected life of a fixed income security that is used to determine the sensitivity of a security’s price to changes in interest rates. The longer a security’s duration, the more sensitive it will be to changes in interest rates. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities considered to be investment grade quality.

 

DFA Two-Year Global Fixed Income Portfolio—The DFA Two-Year Global Fixed Income Portfolio (the “Two-Year Global Portfolio”) seeks to maximize risk-adjusted total returns from a universe of U.S. and foreign debt securities maturing in two years or less. The Two-Year Global Portfolio invests in obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments, their agencies and instrumentalities, corporate debt obligations, bank obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements, obligations of other domestic and foreign issuers, securities of domestic or foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States, and obligations of supranational organizations. At the present time, the Advisor expects that most investments will be made in the obligations of issuers which are in developed countries. However, in the future, the Advisor anticipates investing in issuers located in other countries as well. The fixed income securities in which the Two-Year Global Portfolio invests are considered investment grade at the time of purchase. Under normal market conditions, the Portfolio intends to invest its assets in issuers in at least three different countries, one of which may be the United States. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities that mature within two years from the date of settlement. It is the policy of the Two-Year Global Portfolio that the weighted average length of maturity of investments will not exceed two years. However, investments may be made in obligations maturing in a shorter time period (from overnight, to up to two years from the date of settlement).

 

DFA One-Year Fixed Income Portfolio—The DFA One Year Fixed Income Portfolio (the “One-Year Portfolio”) seeks to achieve a stable real return in excess of the rate of inflation with a minimum of risk by generally investing in a universe of high quality fixed income securities that typically mature in one year or less. The Portfolio may, however, take a large position in securities maturing within two years of the date of settlement when higher yields are available. The One-Year Portfolio invests in U.S. government obligations, U.S. government agency obligations, dollar-denominated obligations of foreign issuers issued in the U.S., foreign government and agency obligations, bank obligations, including U.S. subsidiaries and branches of foreign banks, corporate obligations, commercial paper, repurchase agreements and obligations of supranational organizations. The fixed income securities in which the One-Year Portfolio invests are considered investment grade at the time of purchase. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities and maintain a weighted average portfolio maturity that will not exceed one year.

 

DFA Inflation-Protected Securities Portfolio—The DFA Inflation-Protected Securities Portfolio (the “Inflation-Protected Portfolio”) seeks its investment objective by investing in a universe of inflation-protected

 

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securities that are structured to provide returns linked to the rate of inflation over the long-term. The Inflation-Protected Portfolio ordinarily invests in inflation-protected securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and instrumentalities and the credit quality of such inflation-protected securities will be that of such applicable U.S. government, agency or instrumentality issuer.

 

As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio will invest at least 80% of its net assets in inflation-protected securities. Inflation-protected securities (also known as inflation-indexed securities) are securities whose principal and/or interest payments are adjusted for inflation, unlike conventional debt securities that make fixed principal and interest payments. Inflation-protected securities include Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”), which are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury. The principal value of TIPS is adjusted for inflation (payable at maturity) and the semi-annual interest payments by TIPS equal a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. These inflation adjustments are based upon the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The original principal value of TIPS is guaranteed, even during periods of deflation. At maturity, TIPS are redeemed at the greater of their inflation-adjusted principal or par amount at original issue. Other types of inflation-protected securities may use other methods to adjust for inflation and other measures of inflation. In addition, inflation-protected securities issued by entities other than the U.S. Treasury may not provide a guarantee of principal value at maturity.

 

Generally, the Inflation-Protected Portfolio will purchase inflation-protected securities with maturities of between five and twenty years from the date of settlement, although it is anticipated that, at times, the Portfolio will purchase securities outside of this range. The Portfolio ordinarily will have an average weighted maturity, based upon market values, of between three to twelve years.

 

DFA LTIP Portfolio—The DFA LTIP Portfolio seeks its investment objective by generally investing in a universe of long-term fixed income securities structured to provide protection against inflation. The DFA LTIP Portfolio may invest in inflation-protected securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies and instrumentalities. The DFA LTIP Portfolio also may invest in inflation-protected securities of other investment grade issuers including foreign governments and U.S. and non-U.S. corporations. The fixed income securities in which the DFA LTIP Portfolio invests are considered investment grade at the time of purchase.

 

Inflation-protected securities (also known as inflation-indexed securities) are securities whose principal and/or interest payments are adjusted for inflation, unlike conventional debt securities that make fixed principal and interest payments. Inflation-protected securities include Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (“TIPS”), which are securities issued by the U.S. Treasury. The principal value of TIPS is adjusted for inflation (payable at maturity) and the semi-annual interest payments by TIPS equal a fixed percentage of the inflation-adjusted principal amount. These inflation adjustments are based upon the Consumer Price Index for Urban Consumers (CPI-U). The original principal value of TIPS is guaranteed, even during periods of deflation. At maturity, TIPS are redeemed at the greater of their inflation-adjusted principal or par amount at original issue. Other types of inflation-protected securities may use other methods to adjust for inflation and other measures of inflation. In addition, inflation-protected securities issued by entities other than the U.S. Treasury may not provide a guarantee of principal value at maturity.

 

Generally, the DFA LTIP Portfolio will purchase long-term fixed income securities with maturities greater than ten years, although it is anticipated that, at times, the DFA LTIP Portfolio will purchase securities with lesser maturities. The DFA LTIP Portfolio ordinarily will have an average weighted maturity, based upon market values, of greater than ten years. The DFA LTIP Portfolio also may invest in securities issued by the U.S. Government and its agencies and instrumentalities and other investment grade issuers that do not provide inflation protection while attempting to protect for inflation by engaging in swaps, futures or other derivatives to hedge against the inflation risk associated with such securities. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the DFA LTIP Portfolio’s net assets will be invested in fixed income securities.

 

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Description of Investments of the Fixed Income Underlying Funds

 

The following is a description of the categories of investments, which may be acquired by the Fixed Income Underlying Funds.

 

     Permissible Categories:

 

Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio

     1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10-14   

Two-Year Global Portfolio

     1-11   

One-Year Portfolio

     1-8, 10-11   

Inflation-Protected Portfolio

     1, 2, 6, 11   

DFA LTIP Portfolio

     1, 2, 4, 6-8, 10-14   

 

1. U.S. Government Obligations—Debt securities issued by the U.S. Treasury which are direct obligations of the U.S. Government, including bills, notes and bonds.

 

2. U.S. Government Agency Obligations—Issued or guaranteed by U.S. government-sponsored instrumentalities and federal agencies, which have different levels of credit support. The U.S. government agency obligations include, but are not limited to, securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities of the U.S. Government that are supported by the full faith and credit of the United States, such as the Federal Housing Administration and Ginnie Mae, including Ginnie Mae pass-through certificates. Other securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. Government may be supported only by the issuer’s right to borrow from the U.S. Treasury, subject to certain limits, such as securities issued by Federal Home Loan Banks, or are supported only by the credit of such agencies, such as Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

 

3. Corporate Debt Obligations—Nonconvertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures), which are rated Aa3 or better by Moody’s, or AA- or better by S&P, or AA- or better by Fitch, or if there is no rating for the debt security, they are determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality to equivalent issues of the same issuer rated at least AA- or Aa3.

 

4. Bank Obligations—Obligations of U.S. banks and savings and loan associations and dollar-denominated obligations of U.S. subsidiaries and branches of foreign banks, such as certificates of deposit (including marketable variable rate certificates of deposit), time deposits and bankers’ acceptances. Bank certificates of deposit will only be acquired from banks having assets in excess of $1,000,000,000.

 

5. Commercial Paper—Rated, at the time of purchase, A1 or better by S&P or Prime1 by Moody’s, or F1 or better by Fitch or, if unrated, issued by a corporation having an outstanding unsecured debt issue rated Aaa by Moody’s or AAA by S&P or AAA by Fitch.

 

6. Repurchase Agreements—Instruments through which the Fixed Income Underlying Funds purchase securities (“underlying securities”) from a bank or a registered U.S. government securities dealer, with an agreement by the seller to repurchase the securities at an agreed price, plus interest at a specified rate. The underlying securities will be limited to U.S. government and agency obligations described in (1) and (2) above. The Fixed Income Underlying Funds will not enter into a repurchase agreement with a duration of more than seven days if, as a result, more than 10% of the value of the Fixed Income Underlying Fund’s total assets would be so invested. In addition, a repurchase agreement with a duration of more than seven days will be subject to a Fixed Income Underlying Fund’s illiquid assets policy. The Fixed Income Underlying Funds also will only invest in repurchase agreements with a bank if the bank has at least $1,000,000,000 in assets and is approved by the Investment Committee of the Advisor. The Advisor will monitor the market value of the securities plus any accrued interest thereon so that they will at least equal the repurchase price.

 

7. Foreign Government and Agency Obligations—Bills, notes, bonds and other debt securities issued or guaranteed by foreign governments, or their agencies and instrumentalities.

 

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8. Supranational Organization Obligations—Debt securities of supranational organizations such as the European Investment Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank or the World Bank, which are chartered to promote economic development.

 

9. Foreign Issuer Obligations—Debt securities of non-U.S. issuers rated AA- or better by S&P or Fitch, Aa3 or better by Moody’s, or, if unrated, have been determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality.

 

10. Eurodollar Obligations—Debt securities of domestic or foreign issuers denominated in U.S. dollars but not trading in the United States.

 

11. Money Market Funds—The Fixed Income Underlying Funds may invest in affiliated and unaffiliated registered and unregistered money market funds. Investments in money market funds may involve a duplication of certain fees and expenses.

 

12. Corporate Debt ObligationsShort-Term Extended Quality Portfolio and DFA LTIP Portfolio— Nonconvertible corporate debt securities (e.g., bonds and debentures), which have received an investment grade rating by Moody’s, Fitch, S&P or, if unrated, have been determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality.

 

13. Commercial Paper—Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio and DFA LTIP Portfolio—Rated, at the time of purchase, A3 or better by S&P or Prime3 or better by Moody’s, or F3 or better by Fitch or, if unrated, issued by a corporation having an outstanding unsecured debt issue rated at least Baa3 by Moody’s or BBB- by S&P or Fitch.

 

14. Foreign Issuer Obligations—Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio and DFA LTIP Portfolio—Debt securities of non-U.S. issuers that have received a rating of BBB- or better by S&P or Fitch or Baa3 or better by Moody’s, or, if unrated, have been determined by the Advisor to be of comparable quality.

 

The categories of investments that may be acquired by each of the Fixed Income Underlying Funds may include both fixed and floating rate securities. Floating rate securities bear interest at rates that vary with prevailing market rates. Interest rate adjustments are made periodically (e.g., every six months), usually based on a money market index such as the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) or the Treasury bill rate.

 

Other Information

 

Commodity Pool Operator Exemption

 

Each Target Date Portfolio and Underlying Fund is operated by a person that has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) with respect to the Portfolios and Underlying Funds described in this Prospectus, and, therefore, such person is not subject to registration or regulation as a pool operator under the CEA with respect to such Portfolios and Underlying Funds.

 

SECURITIES LOANS

 

The Underlying Funds are authorized to lend securities to qualified brokers, dealers, banks, and other financial institutions for the purpose of earning additional income. While an Underlying Fund may earn additional income from lending securities, such activity is incidental to the investment objective of the Underlying Fund. The value of securities loaned may not exceed 33 1/3% of the value of the Underlying Fund’s total assets, which includes the value of collateral received. To the extent an Underlying Fund loans a portion of its securities, the Underlying Fund will receive collateral consisting generally of cash or U.S. government securities, which will be maintained by marking to market daily in an amount equal to at least: (i) 100% of the current market value of the loaned securities, with respect to securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies;

 

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(ii) 102% of the current market value of the loaned securities, with respect to U.S. securities; and (iii) 105% of the current market value of the loaned securities, with respect to foreign securities. Subject to its stated investment policies, an Underlying Fund will generally invest the cash collateral received for the loaned securities in The DFA Short Term Investment Fund (the “Money Market Series”), an affiliated registered money market fund advised by the Advisor for which the Advisor receives a management fee of 0.05% of the average daily net assets of the Money Market Series. The Underlying Funds may also invest such collateral in securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies, repurchase agreements collateralized by securities of the U.S. Government or its agencies, and unaffiliated registered and unregistered money market funds. For purposes of this paragraph, agencies include both agency debentures and agency mortgage-backed securities.

 

In addition, an Underlying Fund will be able to terminate the loan at any time and will receive reasonable interest on the loan, as well as amounts equal to any dividends, interest, or other distributions on the loaned securities. However, dividend income received from loaned securities may not be eligible to be taxed at qualified dividend income rates. An Underlying Fund will be entitled to recall a loaned security to vote proxies or otherwise obtain rights to vote proxies of loaned securities if the Underlying Fund knows that a material event will occur. In the event of the bankruptcy of a borrower, the Underlying Fund could experience delay in recovering the loaned securities or only recover cash or a security of equivalent value. See “PRINCIPAL RISKS—Securities Lending” for a discussion of the risks related to securities lending.

 

MANAGEMENT OF THE FUND

 

The Advisor serves as investment advisor to the each Target Date Portfolio and each Underlying Fund. Pursuant to an Investment Management Agreement with each Portfolio and Underlying Fund, the Advisor is responsible for the management of its assets. The Portfolio is managed using a team approach. The investment team includes the Investment Committee of the Advisor, portfolio managers and trading personnel.

 

The Investment Committee is composed primarily of certain officers and directors of the Advisor who are appointed annually. As of the date of this Prospectus, the Investment Committee has eleven members. Investment strategies for the Portfolios and Underlying Funds are set by the Investment Committee, which meets on a regular basis and also as needed to consider investment issues. The Investment Committee also sets and reviews all investment related policies and procedures and approves any changes in regards to approved countries, security types and brokers.

 

In accordance with the team approach used to manage the portfolios, the portfolio managers and portfolio traders implement the policies and procedures established by the Investment Committee. The portfolio managers and portfolio traders also make daily investment decisions regarding the portfolios based on the parameters established by the Investment Committee. The individuals named in each Target Date Portfolio’s “INVESTMENT ADVISOR/PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT” section coordinate the efforts of all other portfolio managers or trading personnel with respect to the day-to-day management of such Portfolio.

 

Mr. Chi is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor and the Chairman of the Investment Committee. Mr. Chi has an MBA and BS from the University of California, Los Angeles and also has a JD from the University of Southern California. Mr. Chi joined the Advisor as a Portfolio Manager in 2005 and has been responsible for the Target Date Portfolios since inception.

 

Mr. Fogdall is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor and a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Fogdall has an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles and a BS from Purdue University. Mr. Fogdall joined the Advisor as a Portfolio Manager in 2004 and has been responsible for the Target Date Portfolios since inception.

 

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Mr. Plecha is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor and a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Plecha received his BS from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1983 and his MBA from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1987. Mr. Plecha has been a portfolio manager since 1989 and responsible for the Target Date Portfolios since inception.

 

Mr. Kolerich is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor and a member of the Investment Committee. Mr. Kolerich has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BS from Northern Illinois University. Mr. Kolerich joined the Advisor as a portfolio manager in 2001 and has been responsible for the Target Date Portfolios since inception.

 

Mr. Pu is a Senior Portfolio Manager and Vice President of the Advisor. Mr. Pu has an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, an MS and PhD from Caltech, and a BS from Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Mr. Pu joined the Advisor as a portfolio manager in 2006 and has been responsible for the Target Date Portfolios since inception.

 

The Portfolios’ SAI provides information about each portfolio manager’s compensation, other accounts managed by the portfolio manager, and the portfolio manager’s ownership of Portfolio shares.

 

The Advisor provides the Underlying Funds with a trading department and selects brokers and dealers to effect securities transactions. Securities transactions are placed with a view to obtaining best price and execution. The Advisor’s address is 6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One, Austin, TX 78746. A discussion regarding the basis for the Board approving the investment management agreements with respect to the Portfolios will be available in future annual or semi-annual reports for the Portfolio.

 

The Company bears all of its own fees, expenses, charges, assessments, taxes, and other costs incurred in its operations, whether incurred directly by the Company or incurred by the Advisor on its behalf. The expenses payable by the Company shall include, but are not limited to: services of its independent registered public accounting firm, legal counsel to the Company and its disinterested trustees/directors, fees and expenses of disinterested trustees/directors, employees and consultants, accounting and pricing costs (including the daily calculations of net asset value), brokerage fees, commissions and transfer taxes in connection with the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities, taxes and other governmental fees levied against the Company, insurance premiums, investment fees and expenses of the Company, including the interest expense of borrowing money, the costs incidental to meetings of its shareholders and trustees/directors, the cost of filing its registration statements under the federal securities laws and the cost of any other filings required under federal and state securities laws, the costs of preparing, printing and mailing proxies, shareholder reports, prospectuses, statements of additional information and other fund documents, transfer and dividend disbursing agency, administrative services and custodian fees, including the expenses of issuing, repurchasing or redeeming its shares, fees and expenses of securities lending agents and the oversight of the securities lending activities of the Company, fees and expenses associated with trade administration oversight services with respect to reconciliations and the oversight of settlement and collateral management, litigation, regulatory examinations/proceedings and other extraordinary or nonrecurring expenses, and other expenses properly payable by the Company, except as provided in the Fee Waiver Agreements for certain classes of the Portfolios. Expenses allocable to a particular Portfolio or class of a Portfolio are so allocated. The expenses of the Company which are not allocable to a particular Portfolio or class of a Portfolio are to be borne by each Portfolio or class of a Portfolio of the Company on the basis of its relative net assets.

 

The Advisor has been engaged in the business of providing investment management services since May 1981. The Advisor is currently organized as a Delaware limited partnership and is controlled and operated by its general partner, Dimensional Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation. The Advisor controls Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd. (“DFAL”) and DFA Australia Limited (“DFA Australia”). As of January 31, 2015, assets under management for all Dimensional affiliated advisors totaled approximately $376 billion.

 

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Management Fees

 

The “Annual Fund Operating Expenses” table for each Target Date Portfolio describes the anticipated fees to be incurred by the Portfolio for the services provided by the Advisor for the first full fiscal year.

 

Manager of Managers Structure

 

The Advisor and the Company intend to apply for an exemptive order from the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for a manager of managers structure that will allow the Advisor to appoint, replace or change, without prior shareholder approval, but subject to Board approval, sub-advisors that are controlled by the Advisor (i.e., the Advisor holds the right to vote over 50% of the sub-advisor’s outstanding voting securities) (“Dimensional Controlled Sub-advisors”). The Board only will approve a change with respect to sub-advisors if the Directors conclude that such arrangements would be in the best interests of the shareholders of the Portfolio. If a Dimensional Controlled Sub-advisor is hired for a Portfolio, shareholders will receive information about the new sub-advisor within 90 days of the change. The exemptive order will allow greater flexibility for the Advisor to utilize, if desirable, personnel throughout the worldwide organization enabling the Portfolio to operate more efficiently. The Advisor will not hire unaffiliated sub-advisors and will not request the ability to do so in its application to the SEC for an exemptive order to allow the manager of managers structure.

 

The use of the manager of managers structure with respect to a Portfolio may be subject to certain conditions set forth in the SEC exemptive order. There can be no assurance that the SEC will grant the application for an exemptive order. Unless and until any such exemptive order is obtained, any appointment or replacement of sub-advisors would require shareholder approval.

 

Fee Waiver and Expense Assumption Agreement

 

Pursuant to a Fee Waiver and Expense Assumption Agreement (the “Fee Waiver Agreement”) for each Target Date Portfolio, the Advisor has contractually agreed to waive all or a portion of its management fee and to assume the ordinary operating expenses of the Institutional Class of the Portfolio (excluding the expenses that the Portfolio incurs indirectly through its investment in other investment companies) (“Portfolio Expenses”) to the extent necessary to limit the Portfolio Expenses of a class of the Portfolio to 0.06% of the average net assets of the Institutional class of the Portfolio on an annualized basis (the “Expense Limitation Amount”). The Fee Waiver Agreement for each Target Date Portfolio will remain in effect through February 28, 2017, and may only be terminated by the Company’s Board of Directors prior to that date. The Fee Waiver Agreement shall continue in effect from year to year thereafter unless terminated by the Company or the Advisor. At any time that the Portfolio Expenses of the Institutional Class of a Portfolio are less than the Expense Limitation Amount, the Advisor retains the right to recover any fees previously waived and/or expenses previously assumed to the extent that such recovery will not cause the annualized Portfolio Expenses for Institutional Class shares of the Portfolio to exceed the Expense Limitation Amount. A Target Date Portfolio is not obligated to reimburse the Advisor for fees waived or expenses previously assumed by the Advisor more than thirty-six months before the date of such reimbursement.

 

DIVIDENDS, CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES

 

Dividends and Distributions. Each Portfolio intends to qualify each year as a regulated investment company under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”). As a regulated investment company, a Portfolio generally pays no federal income tax on the income and gains it distributes to you. Dividends from net investment income of a Portfolio are distributed quarterly (on a calendar basis) and any net realized capital gains (after any reductions for available capital loss carryforwards) are distributed annually, typically in December. A Portfolio may distribute such income dividends and capital gains more frequently, if necessary, in order to reduce or eliminate federal excise or income taxes on the Portfolio.

 

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Capital gains distributions may vary considerably from year to year as a result of a Portfolio’s normal investment activities and cash flows. During a time of economic volatility, a Portfolio may experience capital losses and unrealized depreciation in value of investments, the effect of which may be to reduce or eliminate capital gains distributions for a period of time. Even though a Portfolio may experience a current year loss, it may nonetheless distribute prior year capital gains.

 

You will automatically receive all income dividends and capital gains distributions in additional shares of the Portfolio whose shares you hold at net asset value (as of the business date following the dividend record date), unless, upon written notice to the Advisor and completion of account information, you select one of the options listed below:

 

Income Option—to receive income dividends in cash and capital gains distributions in additional shares at net asset value.

 

Capital Gains Option—to receive capital gains distributions in cash and income dividends in additional shares at net asset value.

 

Cash Option—to receive both income dividends and capital gains distributions in cash.

 

Annual Statements. Each year, you will receive a statement that shows the tax status of distributions you received the previous calendar year. Distributions declared in December to shareholders of record in such month, but paid in January, are taxable as if they were paid in December.

 

Avoid “Buying A Dividend.” At the time you purchase your Portfolio shares, the Portfolio’s net asset value may reflect undistributed income, undistributed capital gains, or net unrealized appreciation in value of portfolio securities held by the Portfolio. For taxable investors, a subsequent distribution to you of such amounts, although constituting a return of your investment, would be taxable. Buying shares in a Portfolio just before it declares an income dividend or capital gains distribution is sometimes known as “buying a dividend.”

 

Tax Considerations. This discussion of “Tax Considerations” should be read in conjunction with the remaining subsections below containing additional information.

 

Dividends and distributions paid to a qualified, tax-deferred retirement plan, such as a 401(k) plan, accumulate free of federal income taxes. In addition, the sale or redemption by a tax-deferred retirement plan of a Portfolio’s shares will not be subject to federal income taxes. However, the beneficiaries of such tax-deferred retirement plans may be taxed later upon withdrawal of monies from their accounts. In general, if you are a taxable investor, Portfolio distributions are taxable to you as ordinary income, capital gains, or some combination of both. This is true whether you reinvest your distributions in additional Portfolio shares or receive them in cash. Also, unless otherwise indicated, the discussion below with respect to a Portfolio includes its pro rata share of the dividends and distributions paid by an Underlying Fund.

 

For federal income tax purposes, Portfolio distributions of short-term capital gains are taxable to you as ordinary income. Portfolio distributions of long-term capital gains are taxable to you as long-term capital gains no matter how long you have owned your shares. A portfolio with a high portfolio turnover rate (a measure of how frequently assets within a portfolio are bought and sold) is more likely to generate short-term capital gains than a portfolio with a low portfolio turnover rate. A portion of income dividends reported by a Portfolio as qualified dividend income may be eligible for taxation by individual shareholders at long-term capital gain rates provided certain holding period requirements are met.

 

The use of derivatives by a Portfolio or Underlying Fund may cause the Portfolio or Underlying Fund, and in turn a Portfolio, to realize higher amounts of ordinary income or short-term capital gain, distributions from which are taxable to individual shareholders at ordinary income tax rates rather than at the more favorable tax

 

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rates for long-term capital gain. Changes in government regulation of derivative instruments could affect the character, timing and amount of a Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s taxable income or gains, and may limit or prevent the Portfolio or Underlying Fund from using certain types of derivative instruments as a part of its investment strategy. A Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s use of derivatives also may be limited by the requirements for taxation of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund as a regulated investment company.

 

If a Portfolio qualifies to pass through to you the tax benefits from foreign taxes it pays on its investments, and elects to do so, then any foreign taxes it pays on these investments may be passed through to you as a foreign tax credit.

 

Sale or Redemption of Portfolio Shares. The sale of shares of a Portfolio is a taxable event and may result in a capital gain or loss to you. Capital gain or loss may be realized from an ordinary redemption of shares or an exchange of shares between two Portfolios. Any loss incurred on the sale or exchange of the Portfolio’s shares, held for six months or less, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of capital gain dividends received with respect to such shares.

 

A Portfolio is required to report to you and the Internal Revenue Service annually on Form 1099-B not only the gross proceeds of Portfolio shares you sell or redeem but also the cost basis for shares purchased or acquired. Cost basis will be calculated using a Portfolio’s default method of average cost, unless you instruct the Portfolio to use a different calculation method. Shareholders should carefully review the cost basis information provided by a Portfolio and make any additional basis, holding period or other adjustments that are required when reporting these amounts on their federal income tax returns. If your account is held by your investment representative (financial advisor or other broker), please contact that representative with respect to reporting of cost basis and available elections for your account. Tax-advantaged retirement accounts will not be affected.

 

Medicare Tax. An additional 3.8% Medicare tax is imposed on certain net investment income (including ordinary dividends and capital gain distributions received from a Portfolio and net gains from redemptions or other taxable dispositions of Portfolio shares) of U.S. individuals, estates and trusts to the extent that such person’s “modified adjusted gross income” (in the case of an individual) or “adjusted gross income” (in the case of an estate or trust) exceeds a threshold amount. This Medicare tax, if applicable, is reported by you on and paid with, your federal income tax return.

 

Backup Withholding. By law, a Portfolio may be required to withhold 28% of taxable dividends, capital gains distributions, and redemption proceeds paid to you if you do not provide your proper taxpayer identification number and certain required certifications. You may avoid this withholding requirement by providing and certifying on the account registration form your correct Taxpayer Identification Number and by certifying that you are not subject to backup withholding and are a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). A Portfolio must also withhold if the Internal Revenue Service instructs it to do so.

 

State and Local Taxes. In addition to federal taxes, you may be subject to state and local taxes on distributions from a Portfolio and on gains arising on redemption or exchange of the Portfolio’s shares. Distributions of interest income and capital gains realized from certain types of U.S. government securities may be exempt from state personal income taxes. To the extent an Underlying Fund invests in U.S. government obligations, distributions derived from interest on these obligations and paid to its corresponding Portfolio and, in turn, to shareholders are unlikely to be exempt from state and local income tax.

 

Non-U.S. Investors. Non-U.S. investors may be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% or lower treaty rate and are subject to special U.S. tax certification requirements to avoid backup withholding and claim any treaty benefits. An exemption from U.S. withholding tax is provided for capital gain dividends paid by the Portfolio from long-term capital gains, if any. The exemptions from U.S. withholding for interest-related dividends paid by the Portfolio from its qualified net interest income from U.S. sources and short-term capital gain dividends have expired for taxable years of the Portfolio that begin on or after January 1, 2015. It is unclear as of the date of this

 

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Prospectus whether Congress will reinstate the exemptions for interest-related and short-term capital gain dividends or, if reinstated, whether such exemptions would have retroactive effect. However, notwithstanding such exemptions from U.S. withholding at the source, any such dividends and distributions of income and capital gains will be subject to backup withholding at a rate of 28% if you fail to properly certify that you are not a U.S. person. Non-U.S. investors also may be subject to U.S. estate tax.

 

Other Reporting and Withholding Requirements. Under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (“FATCA”), a Portfolio will be required to withhold a 30% tax on (a) income dividends paid by the Portfolio, and (b) certain capital gain distributions and the proceeds arising from the sale of Portfolio shares paid by the Portfolio after December 31, 2016, to certain foreign entities, referred to as foreign financial institutions or non-financial foreign entities, that fail to comply (or be deemed compliant) with extensive new reporting and withholding requirements designed to inform the U.S. Department of the Treasury of U.S.-owned foreign investment accounts. A Portfolio may disclose the information that it receives from its shareholders to the Internal Revenue Service, non-U.S. taxing authorities or other parties as necessary to comply with FATCA or similar laws. Withholding also may be required if a foreign entity that is a shareholder of a Portfolio fails to provide the Portfolio with appropriate certifications or other documentation concerning its status under FATCA.

 

This discussion of “DIVIDENDS, CAPITAL GAINS DISTRIBUTIONS AND TAXES” is not intended or written to be used as tax advice. Because everyone’s tax situation is unique, you should consult your tax professional about federal, state, local, or foreign tax consequences before making an investment in a Portfolio. Prospective investors should also consult the SAI.

 

PURCHASE OF SHARES

 

Cash Purchases

 

Investors who do not already have an agreement in place with the Company may purchase Institutional Class shares of the Portfolios by first contacting the Portfolios’ transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Investors that invest through a financial intermediary (including a sponsor of a Retirement Plan) should contact such intermediary with regard to purchase instructions. The Portfolios generally are available to defined contribution plans and other similar group benefit plans that are exempt from taxation under the Code and employer sponsored non-qualified deferred compensation plans (“Retirement Plans”). In addition to Retirement Plans, the Portfolios are available for investment only by institutional clients, clients of registered investment advisors, clients of financial institutions, and a limited number of certain other investors, each as approved from time to time by the Advisor (“Eligible Investors”). Eligible Investors include employees, former employees, shareholders and directors of the Advisor and the Company and friends and family members of such persons. All investments are subject to approval of the Advisor, and all investors must complete and submit the necessary account registration forms in good order. The Company reserves the right to reject any initial or additional investment and to suspend the offering of shares of the Portfolio.

 

All purchases must be received in good order. “Good order” with respect to the purchase of shares means that (1) a fully completed and properly signed Account Registration Form and any additional supporting legal documentation required by the Advisor and/or transfer agent have been received in legible form, and (2) the transfer agent has been notified of the purchase, no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m. ET) (“Market Close”) on the day of the purchase. It is the investor or financial intermediary’s responsibility to ensure notification is received in good order by the transfer agent prior to the Market Close on the purchase date.

 

Payment

 

Payment of the total amount due should be made in U.S. dollars. If your payment is not received on settlement date, your purchase may be canceled. If an order to purchase shares must be canceled due to

 

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nonpayment, the purchaser will be responsible for any loss incurred by the Company arising out of such cancellation. To recover any such loss, the Company reserves the right to redeem shares owned by any purchaser whose order is canceled, and such purchaser may be prohibited or restricted in the manner of placing further orders.

 

Purchase by wire or check

 

Wire. Investors having an account with a bank that is a member or a correspondent of a member of the Federal Reserve System may purchase shares by wire after providing notification to the transfer agent by fax or telephone. The transfer agent can be reached by phone at (888) 576-1167. Notification must include the account number, account name, Portfolio number, trade date and purchase amount. On or before settlement date, the investor paying by wire must request their bank to transmit immediately available funds (federal funds) by wire to the Company’s custodian for the account of DFA Investment Dimensions Group Inc. (specify the Portfolio). Additional investments also may be made through the wire procedure by first notifying the transfer agent. If your payment is not received on settlement date, your purchase may be canceled.

 

Check. Investors who wish to purchase shares of a Portfolio by check should first call the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167 for additional instructions. Checks should be made payable to Dimensional Funds. Reference the name of the Portfolio in which you wish to invest.

 

Shares also may be purchased and sold by individuals through securities firms that may charge a service fee or commission for such transactions. No such fee or commission is charged on shares that are purchased or redeemed directly from the Company. Investors who are clients of investment advisory organizations may also be subject to investment advisory fees under their own arrangements with such organizations.

 

In-Kind Purchases

 

If accepted by the Company, shares of the Portfolios may be purchased in exchange for securities which are eligible for acquisition by the Portfolios (or Underlying Funds) or otherwise represented in their portfolios as described in this Prospectus or as otherwise consistent with the Company’s policies or procedures or in exchange for local currencies in which such securities of the International Equity Underlying Funds or Fixed Income Underlying Funds are denominated. Securities and local currencies accepted by the Company for exchange and Company shares to be issued in the exchange will be valued as set forth under “VALUATION OF SHARES” at the time of the next determination of net asset value after such acceptance. All dividends, interest, subscription, or other rights pertaining to such securities shall become the property of the Portfolio whose shares are being acquired and must be delivered to the Company by the investor upon receipt from the issuer. Investors who desire to purchase shares of the Portfolios with local currencies should first contact the Advisor.

 

The Company will not accept securities in exchange for shares of a Portfolio unless: (1) such securities are, at the time of the exchange, eligible to be included, or otherwise represented, in the Portfolio whose shares are to be issued (or in its Underlying Funds) and current market quotations are readily available for such securities; (2) the investor represents and agrees that all securities offered to be exchanged are not subject to any restrictions upon their sale by the Portfolio under the Securities Act of 1933 or under the laws of the country in which the principal market for such securities exists, or otherwise; and (3) at the discretion of the Company, the value of any such security (except U.S. government securities) being exchanged, together with other securities of the same issuer owned by the Portfolio or Underlying Fund, may not exceed 5% of the net assets of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund immediately after the transaction.

 

A gain or loss for federal income tax purposes will generally be realized by investors who are subject to federal taxation upon the exchange depending upon the cost of the securities or local currency exchanged. Investors interested in such exchanges should contact the Advisor. Purchases of shares will be made in full and fractional shares calculated to three decimal places. In the interest of economy and convenience, certificates for shares will not be issued.

 

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POLICY REGARDING EXCESSIVE OR SHORT-TERM TRADING

 

The Portfolios are designed for long-term investors (except as described below) and are not intended for investors that engage in excessive short-term trading activity that may be harmful to the Portfolios, including but not limited to market timing. Short-term or excessive trading into and out of the Portfolios can disrupt portfolio management strategies, harm performance and increase Portfolio expenses for all shareholders, including long term shareholders who do not generate these costs.

 

In addition, certain Portfolios may be more susceptible to the risks of short-term trading than other Portfolios. The nature of the holdings of the International Equity Underlying Funds may present opportunities for a shareholder to engage in a short-term trading strategy that exploits possible delays between changes in the price of a Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s holdings and the reflection of those changes in the Portfolio’s net asset value (called “arbitrage market timing”). Such delays may occur because a Portfolio or its International Equity Underlying Fund, if applicable, has significant investments in foreign securities where, due to time zone differences, the values of those securities are established some time before the Portfolio and/or the International Equity Underlying Funds calculate their net asset values. In such circumstances, the available market prices for such foreign securities may not accurately reflect the latest indications of value at the time the International Equity Underlying Fund calculates its net asset value. There is a possibility that arbitrage market timing may dilute the value of a Portfolio’s shares if redeeming shareholders receive proceeds (and purchasing shareholders receive shares) based upon a net asset value that does not reflect appropriate fair value prices.

 

The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) have adopted a policy (the “Trading Policy”) and the Advisor and DFA Securities LLC (collectively, “Dimensional”) and Dimensional’s agents have implemented the following procedures, which are designed to discourage and prevent market timing or excessive short-term trading in the Company: (i) trade activity monitoring and purchase blocking procedures; and (ii) use of fair value pricing.

 

The Company, Dimensional and their agents monitor trades and flows of money in and out of the Portfolios from time to time in an effort to detect excessive short-term trading activities, and for consistent enforcement of the Trading Policy. The Company reserves the right to take the actions necessary to stop excessive or disruptive trading activities, including refusing or canceling purchase or exchange orders for any reason, without prior notice, particularly purchase or exchange orders that the Company believes are made on behalf of market timers. The Company, Dimensional and their agents reserve the right to restrict, refuse or cancel any purchase or exchange request made by an investor indefinitely if the Company or Dimensional believes that any combination of trading activity in the accounts is potentially disruptive to a Portfolio. In making such judgments, the Company and Dimensional seek to act in a manner that is consistent with the interests of shareholders. For purposes of applying these procedures, Dimensional may consider an investor’s trading history in the Portfolios, and accounts under common ownership, influence or control.

 

In addition to the Company’s general ability to restrict potentially disruptive trading activity as described above, the Company also has adopted purchase blocking procedures. Under the Company’s purchase blocking procedures, where an investor has engaged in any two purchases and two redemptions (including redemptions that are part of an exchange transaction) in a Portfolio in any rolling 30 calendar day monitoring period (i.e., two “round trips”), the Company and Dimensional intend to block the investor from making any additional purchases in that Portfolio for 90 calendar days (a “purchase block”). If implemented, a purchase block will begin at some point after the transaction that caused the investor to have engaged in the prohibited two round-trips is detected by the Company, Dimensional, or their agents. The Company and Dimensional are permitted to implement a longer purchase block, or permanently bar future purchases by an investor, if they determine that it is appropriate.

 

Under the Company’s purchase blocking procedures, the following purchases and redemptions will not trigger a purchase block: (i) purchases and redemptions of shares having a value in each transaction of less than

 

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$25,000; (ii) purchases and redemptions by U.S. registered investment companies that operate as fund of funds and non-U.S. investment companies that operate as fund of funds that the Company or Dimensional, in their sole discretion, have determined are not designed and/or are not serving as vehicles for excessive short-term or other disruptive trading (in each case, the fund of funds shall agree to be subject to monitoring by Dimensional); (iii) purchases and redemptions by a feeder portfolio of a master fund’s shares; (iv) systematic or automated transactions where the shareholder, financial advisor or investment fiduciary does not exercise direct control over the investment decision; (v) retirement plan contributions, loans, loan repayments and distributions (including hardship withdrawals) identified as such in the retirement plan recordkeeper’s system; (vi) purchase transactions involving transfers of assets, rollovers, Roth IRA conversions and IRA recharacterizations; (vii) purchases of shares with Portfolio dividends or capital gain distributions; (viii) transfers and reregistrations of shares within the same Portfolio; and (ix) transactions by 529 Plans. Notwithstanding the Company’s purchase blocking procedures, all transactions in Portfolio shares are subject to the right of the Company and Dimensional to restrict potentially disruptive trading activity (including purchases and redemptions described above that will not be subject to the purchase blocking procedures).

 

The Company, Dimensional or their designees will have the ability, pursuant to Rule 22c-2 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the “1940 Act”), to request information from financial intermediaries, such as 401(k) plan administrators, trust companies and broker dealers (together, “Intermediaries”), concerning trades placed in omnibus and other multi-investor accounts (together, “Omnibus Accounts”), in order to attempt to monitor trades that are placed by the underlying shareholders of these Omnibus Accounts. The Company, Dimensional and their designees will use the information obtained from the Intermediaries to monitor trading in the Company and to attempt to identify shareholders in Omnibus Accounts engaged in trading that is inconsistent with the Trading Policy or otherwise not in the best interests of the Company. The Company, Dimensional or their designees, when they detect trading patterns in shares of the Company that may constitute short-term or excessive trading, will provide written instructions to the Intermediary to restrict or prohibit further purchases or exchanges of shares of the Portfolios by a shareholder that has been identified as having engaged in excessive or short-term transactions in the Portfolios’ shares (directly or indirectly through the Intermediary’s account) that violate the Trading Policy.

 

The ability of the Company and Dimensional to impose these limitations, including the purchase blocking procedures, on investors investing through Intermediaries is dependent on the receipt of information necessary to identify transactions by the underlying investors and the Intermediary’s cooperation in implementing the Trading Policy. Investors seeking to engage in excessive short-term trading practices may deploy a variety of strategies to avoid detection, and despite the efforts of the Company and Dimensional to prevent excessive short-term trading, there is no assurance that the Company, Dimensional or their agents will be able to identify those shareholders or curtail their trading practices. The ability of the Company, Dimensional and their agents to detect and limit excessive short-term trading also may be restricted by operational systems and technological limitations.

 

Transactions in certain rebalancing programs and asset allocation programs, or fund-of-funds products, may be exempt from the Trading Policy subject to approval by the CCO. In addition, the purchase blocking procedures will not apply to a redemption transaction in which a Portfolio distributes portfolio securities to a shareholder in-kind, where the redemption will not disrupt the efficient portfolio management of the Portfolio/Underlying Fund and the redemption is consistent with the interests of the remaining shareholders of the Portfolio/Underlying Fund.

 

The purchase blocking procedures of the Trading Policy do not apply to shareholders whose shares are held on the books of certain Intermediaries that have not expressly adopted procedures to implement this Policy. The Company and Dimensional may work with Intermediaries to implement purchase blocking procedures or other procedures that the Company and Dimensional determine are reasonably designed to achieve the objective of this Trading Policy. At the time the Intermediaries adopt these procedures, shareholders whose accounts are on the books of such Intermediaries will be subject to the Trading Policy’s purchase blocking procedures or another

 

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frequent trading policy that achieves the objective of the purchase blocking procedures. Investors that invest in the Portfolios through an Intermediary should contact the Intermediary for information concerning the policies and procedures that apply to the investor.

 

As of the date of this Prospectus, the ability of the Company and Dimensional to apply the purchase blocking procedures on purchases by all investors and the ability of the Company and Dimensional to monitor trades through Omnibus Accounts maintained by Intermediaries may be restricted due to systems limitations of both the Company’s service providers and the Intermediaries. The Company expects that the application of the Trading Policy as described above, including the purchase blocking procedures (subject to the limitations described above), will be able to be implemented by Intermediaries in compliance with Rule 22c-2 under the 1940 Act.

 

In addition to monitoring trade activity, the Board has adopted fair value pricing procedures that govern the pricing of the securities of the Portfolios and Underlying Funds. These procedures are designed to help ensure that the prices at which Portfolio shares are purchased and redeemed are fair, and do not result in dilution of shareholder interests or other harm to shareholders. See the discussion under “VALUATION OF SHARES— Net Asset Value” for additional details regarding fair value pricing of the Portfolio’s securities.

 

Although the procedures are designed to discourage excessive short-term trading, none of the procedures individually nor all of the procedures taken together can completely eliminate the possibility that excessive short term trading activity in a Portfolio may occur. The Portfolios and Underlying Funds do not knowingly accommodate excessive or disruptive trading activities, including market timing.

 

VALUATION OF SHARES

 

Net Asset Value

 

The net asset value per share of each class of each Portfolio and the net asset value per share of each Underlying Fund is calculated after the close of the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m. ET) by dividing the total value of the investments and other assets of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund less any liabilities, by the total outstanding shares of the stock of the respective Portfolio or Underlying Fund. Note: The time at which transactions and shares are priced may be changed in case of an emergency or if the NYSE closes at a time other than 4:00 p.m. ET.

 

The value of the shares of the Portfolios will fluctuate in relation to the investment experience of the Underlying Funds in which such Portfolios invest. Securities held by the Portfolios and Underlying Funds will be valued in accordance with applicable laws and procedures adopted by the Board of Directors or Trustees, and generally, as described below.

 

Securities held by the Portfolios and equity securities held by the Underlying Funds (including over-the-counter securities) are valued at the last quoted sale price of the day. Securities held by the Portfolios and Underlying Funds that are listed on Nasdaq Global Market® (“Nasdaq”) are valued at the Nasdaq Official Closing Price (“NOCP”). If there is no last reported sale price or NOCP of the day, the Portfolios and Underlying Funds value the securities at the mean of the most recent quoted bid and asked prices. Price information on listed securities is taken from the exchange where the security is primarily traded.

 

Generally, securities issued by open-end investment companies, such as the Underlying Funds, are valued using their respective net asset values or public offering prices, as appropriate, for purchase orders placed at the close of the NYSE.

 

Underlying Fund debt securities will be valued on the basis of prices provided by one or more pricing services or other reasonably reliable sources including broker/dealers that typically handle the purchase and sale

 

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of such securities using data reflecting the earlier closing of the principal markets for those securities. Securities which are traded over-the-counter and on a stock exchange generally will be valued according to the broadest and most representative market, and it is expected that for bonds and other fixed income securities, this ordinarily will be the over-the-counter market. Net asset value includes interest on fixed income securities which is accrued daily.

 

The value of the securities and other assets of the Portfolios and Underlying Funds for which no market quotations are readily available (including restricted securities), or for which market quotations have become unreliable, are determined in good faith at fair value in accordance with procedures adopted by the Board of Directors or Trustees, as the case may be. Fair value pricing may also be used if events that have a significant effect on the value of an investment (as determined in the discretion of the Advisor) occur before the net asset value is calculated. When fair value pricing is used, the prices of securities used by the Portfolios and Underlying Funds may differ from the quoted or published prices for the same securities on their primary markets or exchanges.

 

To the extent that a Portfolio or Underlying Fund holds large numbers of securities, it is likely that it will have a larger number of securities that may be deemed illiquid and therefore must be valued pursuant to special procedures adopted by the Board than would a fund that holds a smaller number of securities.

 

As of the date of this Prospectus, the Portfolios and Underlying Funds holding foreign equity securities (the “Foreign Equity Funds”) will also fair value price in the circumstances described below. Generally, trading in foreign securities markets is completed each day at various times before the close of the NYSE. For example, trading in the Japanese securities markets is completed each day at the close of the Tokyo Stock Exchange (normally, 2:00 a.m. ET), which is fourteen hours before the close of the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m. ET) and the time that the net asset values of the Foreign Equity Funds are computed. Due to the time differences between the closings of the relevant foreign securities exchanges and the time the Foreign Equity Funds price their shares at the close of the NYSE, the Foreign Equity Funds will fair value their foreign investments when it is determined that the market quotations for the foreign investments are either unreliable or not readily available. The fair value prices will attempt to reflect the impact of the U.S. financial markets’ perceptions and trading activities on the Foreign Equity Funds’ foreign investments since the last closing prices of the foreign investments were calculated on their primary foreign securities markets or exchanges. For these purposes, the Boards of Directors/Trustees of the Foreign Equity Funds have determined that movements in relevant indices or other appropriate market indicators, after the close of the Tokyo Stock Exchange or the London Stock Exchange, demonstrate that market quotations may be unreliable, and may trigger fair value pricing. Consequently, fair valuation of portfolio securities may occur on a daily basis. The fair value pricing by the Foreign Equity Funds utilizes data furnished by an independent pricing service (and that data draws upon, among other information, the market values of foreign investments). When a Foreign Equity Fund uses fair value pricing, the values assigned to the Foreign Equity Fund’s foreign investments may not be the quoted or published prices of the investments on their primary markets or exchanges. The Boards of Directors/Trustees of the Foreign Equity Funds monitor the operation of the method used to fair value price the Foreign Equity Funds’ foreign investments.

 

Valuing securities at fair value involves greater reliance on judgment than valuing securities that have readily available market quotations. There can be no assurance that a Portfolio or Underlying Fund could obtain the fair value assigned to a security if it were to sell the security at approximately the time at which the Portfolio or Underlying Fund determines its net asset value per share. As a result, the sale or redemption by a Portfolio or Underlying Fund of its shares at net asset value, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.

 

Because the International Equity Underlying Funds own securities that are primarily listed on foreign exchanges which may trade on days when the Portfolios and Underlying Funds do not price their shares, the net asset values of the Underlying Funds may change on days when shareholders will not be able to purchase or redeem shares.

 

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Most Portfolios and Underlying Funds generally calculate their net asset values per share and accept purchase and redemption orders on days that the NYSE is open for trading.

 

Futures contracts are valued using the settlement price established each day on the exchange on which they are traded. The value of such futures contracts held by a Portfolio or Underlying Fund is determined each day as of such close.

 

Public Offering Price

 

Provided that the transfer agent has received the investor’s purchase order in good order as described in “PURCHASE OF SHARES,”shares of the Portfolio selected will be priced at the public offering price, which is the net asset value of the shares next determined after receipt of such order. The transfer agent or the Company may, from time to time, appoint sub-transfer agents or various financial intermediaries (“Intermediaries”) for the receipt of purchase orders, redemption orders, and funds from certain investors. Intermediaries, in turn, are authorized to designate other financial intermediaries (“Sub-designees”) to receive purchase and redemption orders for a Portfolio’s shares from investors. With respect to such investors, the shares of a Portfolio will be priced at the public offering price calculated after receipt of the purchase order by the Intermediary or Sub-designee, as applicable, that is authorized to receive purchase orders. If the investor buys shares through an Intermediary or a Sub-designee, the purchase price will be the public offering price next calculated after the Intermediary or Sub-designee, as applicable, receives the order, rather than on the day the custodian receives the investor’s payment (provided that the Intermediary or Sub-designee, as applicable, has received the investor’s purchase order in good order, and the investor has complied with the Intermediary’s or Sub-designee’s payment procedures). No reimbursement fee or sales charge is imposed on purchases. If an order to purchase shares must be canceled due to non-payment, the purchaser will be responsible for any loss incurred by the Portfolio arising out of such cancellation. The Company reserves the right to redeem shares owned by any purchaser whose order is canceled to recover any resulting loss to a Portfolio and may prohibit or restrict the manner in which such purchaser may place further orders.

 

When authorized by the Company, certain financial institutions purchasing the Portfolio’s shares on behalf of customers or plan participants may place a purchase order unaccompanied by payment. Payment for these shares must be received by the time designated by the Company (not to exceed the period established for settlement under applicable regulations). If payment is not received by this time, the order may be canceled. The financial institution is responsible for any costs or losses incurred by the Company if payment is not received or delayed.

 

EXCHANGE OF SHARES

 

Investors may exchange Institutional Class shares of a Target Date Portfolio for Institutional Class shares of another eligible portfolio by first contacting the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167 to notify the transfer agent of the proposed exchange, and then sending a letter of instruction to the transfer agent by Fax at (888) 985-2758. Shareholders that invest in a Portfolio through a financial intermediary should contact their financial intermediary for information regarding exchanges.

 

Exchanges are accepted into those portfolios that are eligible for the exchange privilege, subject to the purchase requirement set forth in the applicable portfolio’s prospectus. Investors may contact the transfer agent at the above-listed phone number for more information on such exchanges, for a list of those portfolios that accept exchanges, and to request a copy of the prospectuses of other portfolios of the Company or Dimensional Investment Group Inc. that may be offered in an exchange. There is no fee imposed on an exchange. However, the Company reserves the right to impose an administrative fee in order to cover the costs incurred in processing an exchange. Any such fee will be disclosed in the Prospectus. An exchange is treated as a redemption and a

 

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purchase. Therefore, an investor could realize a taxable gain or a loss on the transaction. The Company reserves the right to revise or terminate the exchange privilege, or limit the amount of or reject any exchange, as deemed necessary, at any time.

 

The exchange privilege is not intended to afford shareholders a way to speculate on short-term movements in the markets. Accordingly, in order to prevent excessive use of the exchange privilege that may potentially disrupt the management of a Portfolio or otherwise adversely affect the Company, any proposed exchange will be subject to the approval of the Advisor. Such approval will depend on: (i) the size of the proposed exchange; (ii) the prior number of exchanges by that shareholder; (iii) the nature of the underlying securities and the cash position of the portfolios involved in the proposed exchange; (iv) the transaction costs involved in processing the exchange; and (v) the total number of redemptions by exchange already made out of the Portfolio. Excessive use of the exchange privilege is defined as any pattern of exchanges among portfolios by an investor that evidences market timing.

 

The redemption and purchase prices of shares redeemed and purchased by exchange, respectively, are the net asset values next determined after the transfer agent has received a letter of instruction in good order. “Good order” means a completed letter of instruction specifying the dollar amount to be exchanged, signed by all registered owners (or representatives thereof) of the shares; and if the Company does not have on file the authorized signatures for the account, proof of authority. Exchanges will be accepted only if the shares of the Portfolio being acquired are registered in the investor’s state of residence.

 

REDEMPTION OF SHARES

 

Redemption Procedure

 

Investors who desire to redeem shares of a Portfolio must first contact the Portfolio’s transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. Shareholders who invest in a Portfolio through a financial intermediary (including a sponsor of a Retirement Plan) should contact their financial intermediary regarding redemption procedures. The Portfolios will redeem shares at the net asset value of such shares next determined, after receipt of a written request for redemption in good order, by the transfer agent (or by an Intermediary or a Sub-designee, if applicable). “Good order” means that the request to redeem shares must include all necessary documentation, to be received in writing by the transfer agent no later than the close of regular trading on the NYSE (normally, 4:00 p.m. ET) (“Market Close”), including but not limited to, a letter of instruction specifying the number of shares or dollar amount to be redeemed, signed by all registered owners (or representatives thereof) of the shares and, if the Company does not have on file the authorized signatures for the account, proof of authority. It is the investor or financial intermediary’s responsibility to ensure notification is received in good order by the transfer agent prior to the Market Close on the redemption date.

 

Shareholders redeeming shares who do not already have an agreement in place with the Company and have authorized redemption payment by wire in writing, may request that redemption proceeds be paid in federal funds wired to the bank they have designated in writing. The Company reserves the right to send redemption proceeds by check in its discretion; a shareholder may request overnight delivery of such check at the shareholder’s own expense. If the proceeds are to be wired to a bank account that differs from the standing instructions on file, or paid by check to an address other than the address of record, the transfer agent may request a Medallion Signature Guarantee. If the proceeds are wired to the shareholder’s account at a bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System, there could be a delay in crediting the funds to the shareholder’s bank account. The Company reserves the right at any time to suspend or terminate the redemption by wire procedure after prior notification to shareholders. No fee is charged for redemptions. The redemption of all shares in an account will result in the account being closed. A new Account Registration Form will be required for future investments. See “PURCHASE OF SHARES.” In the interests of economy and convenience, certificates for shares are not issued.

 

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Under certain circumstances and when deemed in the best interest of the Portfolio, redemption proceeds may take up to seven days to be sent after receipt of the redemption request. In addition, with respect to investors redeeming shares that were purchased by check, payment will not be made until the Company can verify that the payments for the purchase have been, or will be, collected, which may take up to ten days or more. Investors may avoid this delay by submitting a certified check along with the purchase order.

 

Redemption of Small Accounts

 

The Company reserves the right to redeem an account if the value of the shares in a Portfolio is $500 or less because of redemptions. Before the Company involuntarily redeems shares from such an account and sends the proceeds to the stockholder, the Company will give written notice of the redemption to the stockholder at least sixty days before the redemption date. The stockholder will then have sixty days from the date of the notice to make an additional investment in order to bring the value of the shares in the account for the Portfolio to more than $500 and avoid such involuntary redemption. The redemption price to be paid to a stockholder for shares redeemed by the Company under this right will be the aggregate net asset value of the shares in the account at the close of business on the redemption date. The right to redeem small accounts applies to accounts established with the Company’s transfer agent.

 

In-Kind Redemptions

 

When in the best interests of a Portfolio, the Portfolio may make a redemption payment, in whole or in part, by a distribution of portfolio securities that the Portfolio owns in lieu of cash. Such distributions will be made in accordance with the federal securities laws and regulations governing mutual funds. The securities that the investor receives as redemption proceeds are subject to market risk until the investor liquidates those securities. Investors may incur brokerage charges and other transaction costs selling securities that were received in payment of redemptions.

 

DISCLOSURE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS

 

Each Portfolio and Underlying Fund generally will disclose up to its 25 largest portfolio holdings (other than cash and cash equivalents) and the percentages that each of these largest portfolio holdings represent of the total assets of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund, as of the most recent month-end, online at the Advisor’s public website, http://us.dimensional.com, within 20 days after the end of each month. Each Portfolio and Underlying Fund also generally will disclose its complete portfolio holdings (other than cash and cash equivalents), as of month-end, online at the Advisor’s public website, 30 days following the month-end or more frequently and at different periods when authorized in accordance with the Portfolios and Underlying Funds’ policies and procedures. Please consult the SAI for a description of the other policies and procedures that govern disclosure of the portfolio holdings by the Portfolios and Underlying Funds.

 

DELIVERY OF SHAREHOLDER DOCUMENTS

 

To eliminate duplicate mailings and reduce expenses, the Portfolios may deliver a single copy of certain shareholder documents, such as this Prospectus and annual and semi-annual reports, to related shareholders at the same address, even if accounts are registered in different names. This practice is known as “householding.” The Portfolios will not household personal information documents, such as account statements. If you do not want the mailings of these documents to be combined with other members of your household, please call the transfer agent at (888) 576-1167. We will begin sending individual copies of the shareholder documents to you within 30 days of receiving your request.

 

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Other Available Information

 

You can find more information about the Company and the Portfolios in the Company’s SAI and Annual and Semi-Annual Reports.

 

Statement of Additional Information. The SAI, incorporated herein by reference, supplements, and is technically part of, this Prospectus. It includes an expanded discussion of investment practices, risks, and fund operations.

 

Annual and Semi-Annual Reports to Shareholders. These reports focus on Portfolio holdings and performance. The Annual Report also discusses the market conditions and investment strategies that significantly affected the Portfolio in its last fiscal year.

 

Request free copies from:

 

   

Your investment advisor—you are a client of an investment advisor who has invested in the Portfolio on your behalf.

 

   

The Company—you represent an institutional investor, registered investment advisor or other qualifying investor. Call collect at (512) 306-7400.

 

   

Access them on our Web site at http://us.dimensional.com.

 

   

Access them on the EDGAR Database in the SEC’s Internet site at http://www.sec.gov.

 

   

Review and copy them at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington D.C. (phone 1-800-SEC-0330).

 

   

Request copies from the Public Reference Section of the SEC, Washington, D.C. 20549-0102 or at publicinfo@sec.gov (you will be charged a copying fee). Information on the operation of the SEC’s public reference room is available by calling the SEC at 1-202-551-8090.

 

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

6300 Bee Cave Road, Building One

Austin, TX 78746

(512) 306-7400

 

DFA Investment Dimensions Group Inc.—Registration No. 811-3258

 

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RRD101915-053

00156482