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Retail Class | Transamerica Short-Term Bond
TRANSAMERICA SHORT-TERM BOND
Investment Objective:
Seeks a high level of income consistent with minimal fluctuation in principal value and liquidity.
Fees and Expenses:
This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in Transamerica Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the “Waivers and/or Reductions of Charges” section on page 339 of the fund’s prospectus and in the fund’s statement of additional information (SAI) under the heading “Purchase of Shares.”

Certain purchases of Class A shares in amounts of $250,000 or more are subject to a 0.75% contingent deferred sales charge for 12 months after purchase.
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees Retail Class Transamerica Short-Term Bond
A
C
I
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 2.50%rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) none 1.00%rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther none
Annual Fund Operating Expenses (expenses that you pay each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses Retail Class Transamerica Short-Term Bond
A
C
I
Management fees 0.46%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.46%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 0.46%rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees 0.25%rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other expenses 0.13%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.13%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.17%rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets
Total annual fund operating expenses 0.84%rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.59%rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.63%rr_ExpensesOverAssets
Example:
This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all shares at the end of those periods (unless otherwise indicated). The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
If the shares are redeemed at the end of each period:
Expense Example Retail Class Transamerica Short-Term Bond (USD $)
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
A
334 511 704 1,261
C
262 502 866 1,889
I
64 202 351 786
If the shares are not redeemed:
Expense Example, No Redemption Retail Class Transamerica Short-Term Bond (USD $)
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
A
334 511 704 1,261
C
162 502 866 1,889
I
64 202 351 786
Portfolio Turnover:
The fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or “turns over” its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the fund’s performance.

During the most recent fiscal year, the portfolio turnover rate for the fund was 52% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies:
The fund’s sub-adviser, Aegon USA Investment Management, LLC (the “sub-adviser”), seeks to achieve the fund’s objective by investing, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the fund’s net assets (plus the amount of borrowings, if any, for investment purposes) in fixed-income securities. The fund's portfolio weighted average duration will typically range from 1 to 2.5 years. The fund expects to typically invest no more than 10% of its net assets, but may invest up to 20% of its net assets, in high-yield debt securities (commonly known as "junk bonds").

Securities in which the fund may invest include:
  • short-term and intermediate-term corporate obligations
  • obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. and foreign governments and their agencies and instrumentalities
  • mortgage-backed securities
  • asset-backed securities
The sub-adviser may also invest in bank obligations, collateralized mortgage obligations, foreign securities and hybrids.

Bank obligations purchased for the fund are limited to U.S. or foreign banks with total assets of $1.5 billion or more. Similarly, savings association obligations purchased for the fund are limited to U.S. savings association obligations issued by U.S. savings banks with total assets of $1.5 billion or more. Foreign government securities purchased for the fund must be U.S. dollar-denominated and issued by foreign governments, agencies or instrumentalities. These foreign obligations must also meet the same quality requirements as U.S. obligations. The commercial paper and other short-term corporate obligations the sub-adviser buys for the fund are determined by the fund manager to present minimal credit risks.

The fund may engage in options and futures transactions, foreign currency transactions, and swap transactions. Instead of investing directly in particular securities, the fund may use instruments such as derivatives, including credit default swaps and futures contracts, and synthetic instruments that are intended to provide economic exposure to the securities or the issuer. The fund may use one or more types of these instruments without limit. These instruments are taken into account when determining compliance with the fund's 80% policy.

The fund may use short-term trading as a means of managing its portfolio to achieve its investment objectives.
Principal Risks:
Risk is inherent in all investing. Many factors affect the fund's performance. There is no assurance the fund will meet its investment objective. The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly. You may lose part or all of your investment in the fund or your investment may not perform as well as other similar investments. The fund may take temporary defensive positions; in such a case, the fund will not be pursuing its principal investment strategies. The following is a summary description of principal risks (in alphabetical order) of investing in the fund. You may lose money if you invest in this fund.
  • Active Trading – The fund is actively managed and may purchase and sell securities without regard to the length of time held. Active trading may have a negative impact on performance by increasing transaction costs and may generate greater amounts of net short-term capital gains, which, for shareholders holding shares in taxable accounts, would be subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates upon distribution.
  • Bank Obligations – To the extent the fund invests in U.S. bank obligations, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting the U.S. banking industry. Banks are sensitive to changes in money market and general economic conditions. Banks are highly regulated. Decisions by regulators may limit the loans banks make and the interest rates and fees they charge, and may reduce bank profitability.
  • Counterparty – The fund will be subject to credit risk (that is, where changes in an issuer's financial strength or credit rating may affect an instrument's value) with respect to the amount it expects to receive from counterparties to derivatives, repurchase agreements and other financial contracts entered into by the fund or held by special purpose or structured vehicles. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations due to financial difficulties, the value of your investment in the fund may decline.
  • Credit – If an issuer or other obligor (such as a party providing insurance or other credit enhancement) of a security held by the fund or a counterparty to a financial contract with the fund defaults or is downgraded, or is perceived to be less creditworthy, or if the value of any underlying assets declines, the value of your investment will typically decline. Below investment grade, high-yield debt securities (commonly known as "junk bonds") have a higher risk of default and are considered speculative. Subordinated securities are more likely to suffer a credit loss than non-subordinated securities of the same issuer and will be disproportionately affected by a default, downgrade or perceived decline in creditworthiness.
  • Currency – The value of investments in securities denominated in foreign currencies increases or decreases as the rates of exchange between those currencies and the U.S. dollar change. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could reduce or eliminate investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile, and are affected by factors such as general economic conditions, the actions of the U.S. and foreign governments or central banks, the imposition of currency controls, and speculation.
  • Derivatives – Using derivatives exposes the fund to additional risks and can increase fund losses and reduce opportunities for gains when market prices, interest rates or the derivatives themselves behave in a way not anticipated by the fund. Using derivatives also can have a leveraging effect and increase fund volatility. The fund may also have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its obligations. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value, and the counterparty may default on its obligations to the fund. The fund's investments in derivative instruments may involve a small investment relative to the amount of investment exposure assumed and may result in losses exceeding the amounts invested in those instruments. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. The U.S. government is in the process of adopting and implementing regulations governing derivatives markets, including mandatory clearing of certain derivatives, margin and reporting requirements. The ultimate impact of the regulations remains unclear. Additional regulation of derivatives may make them more costly, may limit their availability, may disrupt markets or may otherwise adversely affect their value or performance.
  • Emerging Markets – Investments in the securities of issuers located in or principally doing business in emerging markets are subject to foreign investments risks. These risks are greater for investments in issuers in emerging market countries. Emerging market countries tend to have economic, political and legal systems that are less fully developed and are less stable than those of more developed countries. Emerging market securities are often particularly sensitive to market movements because their market prices tend to reflect speculative expectations. Low trading volumes may result in a lack of liquidity and in extreme price volatility.
  • Extension – When interest rates rise, repayments of fixed income securities, particularly asset- and mortgage-backed securities, may occur more slowly than anticipated, extending the effective duration of these fixed income securities at below market interest rates and causing their market prices to decline more than they would have declined due to the rise in interest rates alone. This may cause the fund's share price to be more volatile.
  • Fixed-Income Securities – The market prices of fixed-income securities may go up or down, sometimes rapidly and unpredictably, due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond markets or adverse investor sentiment. In addition, the market value of a fixed income security may decline if the issuer or other obligor of the security fails to pay principal and/or interest, otherwise defaults or has its credit rating downgraded or is perceived to be less creditworthy, or the credit quality or value of any underlying assets declines. When market prices fall, the value of your investment will go down. The value of your investment will generally go down when interest rates rise. Interest rates have been at historically low levels, so the fund faces a heightened risk that interest rates may rise. A rise in rates tends to have a greater impact on the prices of longer term or duration securities.
  • Foreign Investments – Investing in securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets involves additional risk. Foreign countries in which the fund may invest may have markets that are less liquid, less regulated and more volatile than U.S. markets. The value of the fund's investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable government actions, political or financial instability or other adverse economic or political developments. Lack of information and weaker accounting standards also may affect the value of these securities.
  • High-Yield Debt Securities – High-yield debt securities, commonly referred to as "junk bonds," are securities that are rated below "investment grade" (that is, securities rated below Baa/BBB) or, if unrated, determined to be below investment grade by the sub-adviser. Changes in interest rates, the market's perception of the issuers and the creditworthiness of the issuers may significantly affect the value of these bonds. Junk bonds are considered speculative, have a higher risk of default, tend to be less liquid and may be more difficult to value than higher grade securities. Junk bonds tend to be volatile and more susceptible to adverse events and negative sentiments.
  • Interest Rate – Interest rates in the U.S. have been at historically low levels, so the fund faces a heightened risk that interest rates may rise. The value of fixed income securities generally goes down when interest rates rise, and therefore the value of your investment in the fund may also go down. Debt securities have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. A rise in rates tends to have a greater impact on the prices of longer term or duration securities.
  • Leveraging – The value of your investment may be more volatile to the extent that the fund borrows or uses derivatives or other investments that have a leveraging effect on the fund. Other risks also will be compounded. This is because leverage generally magnifies the effect of a change in the value of an asset and creates a risk of loss of value on a larger pool of assets than the fund would otherwise have had. The use of leverage is considered to be a speculative investment practice and may result in the loss of a substantial amount, and possibly all, of the fund's assets. The fund also may have to sell assets at inopportune times to satisfy its obligations.
  • Liquidity – The fund may make investments that are illiquid or that become illiquid after purchase. The liquidity and value of investments can deteriorate rapidly and those investments may be difficult or impossible to sell, particularly during times of market turmoil. These illiquid investments may also be difficult to value. If the fund is forced to sell an illiquid investment to meet redemption requests or other cash needs, the fund may be forced to sell at a loss.
  • Manager – The fund is subject to the risk that the sub-adviser's judgments and investment decisions, as well as the methods, tools, resources, information and data, and the analyses employed or relied on by the sub-adviser to make those judgments and decisions may be incorrect or otherwise may not produce the desired results. This could cause the fund to lose value or its results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.
  • Market – The market prices of the fund's securities may go up or down, sometimes rapidly or unpredictably, due to general market conditions, such as real or perceived adverse economic or political conditions, inflation, changes in interest rates or currency rates, lack of liquidity in the markets or adverse investor sentiment. Adverse market conditions may be prolonged and may not have the same impact on all types of securities. Market prices of securities also may go down due to events or conditions that affect particular sectors, industries or issuers. When market prices fall, the value of your investment will go down. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on any individual security. Financial markets in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere have experienced increased volatility and decreased liquidity since the global financial crisis began in 2008. Governmental and non-governmental issuers defaulted on, or were forced to restructure, their debts. These market conditions may continue, worsen or spread. The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve, as well as certain foreign governments and their central banks have taken steps to support financial markets, including keeping interest rates at historically low levels. More recently, the Federal Reserve has reduced its market support activities. Further reduction or withdrawal of this support, or other related efforts in response to the crisis could negatively affect financial markets generally and increase market volatility as well as result in higher interest rates and reduce the value and liquidity of certain securities. This environment could make identifying investment risks and opportunities especially difficult for the sub-adviser. Whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to countries experiencing economic and financial difficulties, the value and liquidity of the fund's investments may be negatively affected. In addition, policy and legislative changes in the United States and in other countries are affecting many aspects of financial regulation, and in some instances may contribute to decreased liquidity and increased volatility in the financial markets.
  • Mortgage-Related and Asset-Backed Securities– The value of mortgage-related and asset-backed securities will be influenced by factors affecting the housing market and the assets underlying such securities. As a result, during periods of declining asset values, difficult or frozen credit markets, swings in interest rates, or deteriorating economic conditions, mortgage-related and asset-backed securities may decline in value, face valuation difficulties, become more volatile and/or become illiquid. Mortgage-backed securities may be issued by private issuers, by government-sponsored entities such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or by agencies of the U.S. government, such as Ginnie Mae. Mortgage-backed securities represent direct or indirect participations in, or are collateralized by and payable from, mortgage loans secured by real property. Unlike mortgage-related securities issued or guaranteed by agencies of the U.S. government or government-sponsored entities, mortgage-related securities issued by private issuers do not have a government or government-sponsored entity guarantee (but may have other credit enhancement), and may, and frequently do, have less favorable collateral, credit risk or other underwriting characteristics. Asset-backed securities represent participations in, or are secured by and payable from, assets such as installment sales or loan contracts, leases, credit card receivables and other categories of receivables. The value of mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities may be affected by changes in credit quality or value of the mortgage loans or other assets that support the securities. Mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities are subject to prepayment or call and extension risks. Some of these securities may receive little or no collateral protection from the underlying assets. The risk of default is generally higher in the case of mortgage-backed investments that include so-called "sub-prime" mortgages. The structure of some of these securities may be complex and there may be less information available than for other types of debt securities. Upon the occurrence of certain triggering events or defaults, the fund may become the holder of underlying assets at a time when those assets may be difficult to sell or may be sold only at a loss.
  • Portfolio Selection – The value of your investment may decrease if the sub-adviser's judgment about the quality, relative yield, value or market trends affecting a particular security or issuer, industry, sector, region or market segment, or about the economy or interest rates is incorrect.
  • Prepayment or Call – Many issuers have a right to prepay their securities. If interest rates fall, an issuer may exercise this right. If this happens, the fund will not benefit from the rise in market price that normally accompanies a decline in interest rates, and will be forced to reinvest prepayment proceeds at a time when yields on securities available in the market are lower than the yield on the prepaid security. The fund also may lose any premium it paid on the security.
  • REITs – Investing in real estate investment trusts ("REITs") involves unique risks. When the fund invests in REITs, it is subject to risks generally associated with investing in real estate. A REIT's performance depends on the types and locations of the properties it owns, how well it manages those properties and cash flow. REITs may have lower trading volumes and may be subject to more abrupt or erratic price movements than the overall securities markets. In addition to its own expenses, the fund will indirectly bear its proportionate share of any management and other expenses paid by REITs in which it invests. REITs are subject to a number of highly technical tax-related rules and requirements; and the failure to qualify as a REIT could result in corporate-level taxation, significantly reducing the return on an investment to the fund.
  • U.S. Government Agency Obligations – 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 U.S. generally present a lesser degree of credit risk than 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 and securities issued by agencies and instrumentalities sponsored by the U.S. government that are supported only by the credit of the issuing agencies. Although the U.S. government has provided financial support to the Federal National Mortgage Association ("Fannie Mae") and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation ("Freddie Mac") in the past, there can be no assurance that it will support these or other government sponsored entities in the future.
  • Valuation – The sales price the fund could receive for any particular portfolio investment may differ from the fund's valuation of the investment, particularly for securities that trade in thin or volatile markets, that are priced based upon valuations provided by third-party pricing services that use matrix or evaluated pricing systems, or that are valued using a fair value methodology.
  • Yield – The amount of income received by the fund will go up or down depending on day-to-day variations in short-term interest rates, and when interest rates are very low the fund's expenses could absorb all or a significant portion of the fund's income.
Performance:
The bar chart and the table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows how the fund’s performance has varied from year to year. The table shows how the fund’s average annual total returns for different periods compare to the returns of a broad measure of market performance. The bar chart does not reflect the impact of sales charges, which, if reflected, would lower the returns. The table includes deduction of applicable sales charges.Absent any limitation of the fund’s expenses, total returns would be lower. Index returns are since inception of the oldest share class.

As with all mutual funds, past performance (before and after taxes) is not a prediction of future results. Updated performance information is available on our website at www.transamerica.com/individual/products/mutual-funds/performance/index.html or by calling 1-888-233-4339.
Annual Total Returns (calendar years ended December 31) - Class A
Bar Chart
 Quarter EndedReturn
Best Quarter:06/30/20094.77%
Worst Quarter:12/31/2008-2.36%
Average Annual Total Returns (periods ended December 31, 2014)
The after-tax returns are calculated using the historic highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns may depend on the investor’s individual tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns may not be relevant if the investment is made through a tax-exempt or tax-deferred account, such as a 401(k) plan.After-tax returns are presented for only one class and returns for other classes will vary.
Average Annual Total Returns Retail Class Transamerica Short-Term Bond
1 Year
5 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class A
1.37% 3.59% 4.29% Nov. 01, 2007
Class A Return after taxes on distributions
0.38% 2.28% 2.89% Nov. 01, 2007
Class A Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares
0.80% 2.29% 2.81% Nov. 01, 2007
Class C
0.61% 2.80% 3.52% Nov. 01, 2007
Class I
1.58% 3.80% 3.76% Nov. 30, 2009
BofA Merrill Lynch U.S. Corporate & Government 1-3 Years Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes)
0.78% 1.47% 2.45%