DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio

DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio

Investment Objective

The investment objective of the DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio (the “Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio”) is to maximize total returns from the universe of fixed income securities in which the Portfolio invests. Total return is comprised 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 Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio.

Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment):

Shareholder Fees	DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio Institutional Class USD ($)
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)

Annual Fund Operating Expenses	DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio Institutional Class
Management Fee	0.25%
Other Expenses	0.04%	[1]
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses	0.02%	[1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses	0.31%
Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	0.01%	[2]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses After Fee Waiver and/or Expense Reimbursement	0.30%

EXAMPLE

This Example is meant to help you compare the cost of investing in the Global Core Plus Fixed Income 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. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Portfolio’s operating expenses remain the same. The costs for the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio reflect the net expenses of the Portfolio that result from the contractual expense waiver in the first year only. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:

Expense Example	1 Year	3 Years
DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio | Institutional Class | USD ($)	31	99

Expense Example, No Redemption	1 Year	3 Years
DFA Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio | Institutional Class | USD ($)	31	99

PORTFOLIO TURNOVER

The Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio 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. These costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Portfolio’s performance. Because the Portfolio is new, information about portfolio turnover rate is not yet available.

Principal Investment Strategies

The Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing, directly or through other funds managed by the Advisor (“Underlying Funds”), in a universe of U.S. and foreign fixed income securities. The Portfolio, directly or through its Underlying Funds, may invest 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 of the Portfolio’s and/or its Underlying Funds’ investments will be made in the obligations of issuers that are in developed countries. However, in the future, the Advisor anticipates investing in issuers located in other countries as well. At inception, the Portfolio may invest a portion of its assets in the DFA Investment Grade Portfolio, DFA Short-Term Extended Quality Portfolio, DFA Intermediate-Term Extended Quality Portfolio, DFA Targeted Credit Portfolio, and DFA Five-Year Global Fixed Income Portfolio. The Advisor may adjust allocations to or may add or remove Underlying Funds in the Portfolio without notice to shareholders. Under normal circumstances, the Portfolio, directly or through its Underlying Funds, may invest up to 60% of its net assets in U.S. fixed income securities (unless market conditions are not deemed favorable by the Advisor, in which case the Portfolio, through its investments in the Underlying Funds, may invest up to 70% of its net assets in U.S. fixed income securities).

The Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio may invest in fixed income securities considered investment grade at the time of purchase (e.g., rated BBB- or above by Standard & Poor’s Rating Group (“S&P”) or Fitch Ratings Ltd. (“Fitch”) or Baa3 or above by Moody’s Investor’s Service, Inc. (“Moody’s”)) and in lower-rated (i.e., below investment grade, also known as “junk” bonds) fixed income securities, either directly or through its investment in Underlying Funds. The Portfolio, whether directly or through its Underlying Funds, may invest with an emphasis on fixed income securities rated in the lower half of the investment grade spectrum (e.g., rated BBB- to A+ by S&P or Fitch or Baa3 to A1 by Moody’s) and in fixed income securities rated below investment grade. The Portfolio may not emphasize investments in lower-rated debt securities, however, when the Advisor believes the expected credit premium is relatively low.

Under normal market conditions, whether directly or through its investment in Underlying Funds, the Portfolio intends to invest its assets to gain exposure to issuers of at least three different countries, one of which may be the United States. An issuer may be considered to be of a country if it is organized, has substantial assets, or derives substantial operating income in that country. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Portfolio, directly or through its investment in the Underlying Funds, will invest at least 80% of its net assets in fixed income securities.

The Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio will be managed with a view to capturing expected credit premiums and expected term premiums. The term “expected credit premium” means the expected incremental return on investment for holding obligations considered to have greater credit risk than direct obligations of the U.S. Treasury, and “expected term premium” means the expected relative return on investment for holding securities having longer-term maturities as compared to shorter-term maturities. In managing the Portfolio, the Advisor will increase or decrease investment exposure to intermediate-term securities held directly or through Underlying Funds depending on the expected term premium and also increase or decrease investment exposure to lower-rated debt securities held directly or through Underlying Funds depending on the expected credit premium.

Because many of the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio’s and Underlying Funds’ investments may be denominated in foreign currencies, the Portfolio and Underlying Funds may enter into foreign currency forward contracts to attempt to protect against uncertainty in the level of future foreign currency rates, to hedge against fluctuations in currency exchange rates or to transfer balances from one currency to another. In regard to currency hedging, it is generally not possible to precisely match the foreign currency exposure of such foreign currency forward contracts to the value of the securities involved due to fluctuations in the market values of such securities and cash flows into and out of the Portfolio or Underlying Fund between the date a foreign currency forward contract is entered into and the date on which it expires. The Portfolio and 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 Portfolio’s total return. The Portfolio and Underlying Funds may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts, to hedge their interest rate or currency exposure or for non-hedging purposes, such as a substitute for direct investment or to adjust market exposure, including adjustments based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio or Underlying Fund. The Portfolio and an Underlying Fund may use derivatives to establish short positions for individual securities, markets, or currencies, in order to adjust the Portfolio’s or Underlying Fund’s duration or to replace more traditional direct investments.

The Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income.

Principal Risks

Because the value of your investment in the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio will fluctuate, there is the risk that you will lose money. An investment in the Portfolio is not a deposit of a bank and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. The following is a description of principal risks of investing in the Portfolio.

Fund of Funds Risk: The investment performance of the Portfolio is affected by the investment performance of the Underlying Funds in which the Portfolio invests. The ability of the 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. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of the Portfolio or any Underlying Fund will be achieved. Through its investments in the Underlying Funds, the Portfolio is subject to the risks of the Underlying Funds’ investments. When the 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. The risks of the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio’s and 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 Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio that owns them, to rise or fall.

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). The Portfolio hedges foreign currency risk.

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.

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 nonpayment of principal and/or interest. Credit risk is greater for fixed income securities with ratings below investment grade (e.g., BB+ or below by S&P or Ba1 or below by Moody’s).

High Yield Risk: Securities rated below investment grade may be subject to greater interest rate, credit, and liquidity risks than investment grade securities. Fixed income securities that are below investment grade involve high credit risk and are considered speculative. Below investment grade fixed income securities may also fluctuate in value more than higher quality fixed income securities and, during periods of market volatility, may be more difficult to sell at the time and price the Portfolio desires.

Income Risk: Income risk is the risk that falling interest rates will cause the Global Core Plus Fixed Income 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 futures and foreign currency 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 Portfolio or if the cost of the derivative outweighs the benefit of the hedge. The use of derivatives for non-hedging purposes may be considered to carry more risk than other types of investments. When the Portfolio uses derivatives, the Portfolio 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 could lose more than the principal amount invested. Additional risks are associated with the use of credit default 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). Credit risk increases when the Portfolio is the seller of credit default swaps and counterparty risk increases when the Portfolio is a buyer of credit default swaps. In addition, where the Portfolio is the seller of credit default swaps, it may be required to liquidate portfolio securities at inopportune times in order to meet payment obligations or segregation requirements. Credit default swaps may be illiquid or difficult to value.

Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk exists when particular portfolio investments are difficult to purchase or sell. To the extent that the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio holds illiquid investments, the Portfolio’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 the Portfolio due to low trading volume, adverse investor perceptions and/or other market developments. Liquidity risk includes the risk that the Portfolio 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.

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 Portfolio may lose money and there may be a delay in recovering the loaned securities. The Portfolio could also lose money if it does 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’s and its service providers’ use of internet, technology and information systems may expose the Portfolio to potential risks linked to cyber security breaches of those technological or information systems. Cyber security breaches, amongst other things, could allow an unauthorized party to gain access to proprietary information, customer data, or fund assets, or cause the Portfolio and/or its service providers to suffer data corruption or lose operational functionality.

Performance

Performance information is not available for the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio because it has not yet completed a full calendar year of operations. Updated performance information for the Portfolio can be obtained in the future by visiting http://us.dimensional.com.

[1] The Global Core Plus Fixed Income 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.

[2] Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the "Advisor") has agreed to waive certain fees and in certain instances, assume certain expenses of the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio. The Fee Waiver and Expense Assumption Agreement for the Global Core Plus Fixed Income Portfolio will remain in effect through February 28, 2019, and may only be terminated by the Fund's Board of Directors prior to that date. Under certain circumstances, the Advisor retains the right to seek reimbursement for any fees previously waived and/or expenses previously assumed up to thirty-six months after such fee waiver and/or expense assumption.