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Retail Class | Transamerica Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio
Transamerica Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio
Investment Objective:
Seeks long-term capital appreciation.
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, in the “Waivers and Reductions of Sales Charges” section on page 298 of the fund’s prospectus, in the Appendix – “Waivers and Discounts Available from Intermediaries,” and in the fund’s statement of additional information (SAI) under the heading “Purchase of Shares.”
Shareholder Fees (fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - Retail Class - Transamerica Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio
A
C
I
R1
R6
Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price) 5.50% none none none none
Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of purchase price or redemption proceeds, whichever is lower) none [1] 1.00% none none none
[1] Purchases of Class A shares in amounts of $1 million or more that are not subject to an initial sales charge may be subject to a 1.00% contingent deferred sales charge if those shares are redeemed within 24 months of their purchase.
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 Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio
A
C
I
R1
R6
Management fees 0.19% 0.19% 0.19% 0.19% 0.19%
Distribution and service (12b-1) fees 0.25% 1.00% none 0.50% none
Other expenses 0.40% 0.36% 0.25% 0.30% [1] 0.15%
Acquired fund fees and expenses [2] 1.35% 1.35% 1.35% 1.35% 1.35%
Total annual fund operating expenses 2.19% 2.90% 1.79% 2.34% 1.69%
Fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement [3] 0.04% none none none none
Total annual fund operating expenses after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement 2.15% 2.90% 1.79% 2.34% 1.69%
[1] Other expenses for Class R1 shares are based on estimates for the current fiscal year.
[2] Acquired fund fees and expenses reflect the fund’s pro rata share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies. Acquired fund fees and expenses are not included in the calculation of the ratios of expenses to average net assets shown in the Financial Highlights section of the fund’s prospectus.
[3] Contractual arrangements have been made with the fund’s investment manager, Transamerica Asset Management, Inc. (“TAM”), through March 1, 2021 to waive fees and/or reimburse fund expenses to the extent that total annual fund operating expenses exceed 0.80% for Class A shares, 1.55% for Class C shares, 0.55% for Class I shares, 1.05% for Class R1 shares and 0.45% for Class R6 shares, excluding, as applicable, acquired fund fees and expenses, interest, taxes, brokerage commissions, dividend and interest expenses on securities sold short, extraordinary expenses and other expenses not incurred in the ordinary course of the fund’s business. These arrangements cannot be terminated prior to March 1, 2021 without the Board of Trustees’ consent. TAM is permitted to recapture amounts waived and/or reimbursed to a class during any of the 36 months from the date on which TAM waived fees and/or reimbursed expenses for the class. A class may reimburse TAM only if such reimbursement does not cause, on any particular business day of the fund, the class’ total annual operating expenses (after the reimbursement is taken into account) to exceed the applicable limits described above or any other lower limit then in effect.
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 $10,000 in the fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all shares at the end of those periods (unless otherwise indicated). The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the fund’s operating expenses remain the same. Only the 1 year dollar amount shown below reflects TAM's agreement to waive fees and/or reimburse fund expenses. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
If the shares are redeemed at the end of each period:
Expense Example - Retail Class - Transamerica Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio - USD ($)
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A 756 1,194 1,657 2,932
Class C 393 898 1,528 3,223
Class I 182 563 970 2,105
Class R1 237 730 1,250 2,676
Class R6 172 533 918 1,998
If the shares are not redeemed:
Expense Example, No Redemption - Retail Class - Transamerica Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio - USD ($)
1 year
3 years
5 years
10 years
Class A 756 1,194 1,657 2,932
Class C 293 898 1,528 3,223
Class I 182 563 970 2,105
Class R1 237 730 1,250 2,676
Class R6 172 533 918 1,998
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 1% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal Investment Strategies:
The fund’s sub-adviser, Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. (the “sub-adviser”), seeks to achieve the fund’s investment objective by investing its assets primarily in underlying Transamerica funds (“underlying Transamerica funds”).

Under normal circumstances, the fund expects to invest primarily in underlying Transamerica funds that use alternative investment strategies as their principal investment strategies and/or invest primarily in alternative asset classes which may include, but are not limited to:
  • Long-short and market-neutral strategies;
  • Tactical, strategic or dynamic investment strategies (bond and/or equity);
  • Arbitrage strategies;
  • Event driven strategies;
  • Real estate strategies;
  • Managed futures strategies;
  • Global macro strategies;
  • Commodities and/or natural resources and/or precious metals;
  • Foreign currency trading strategies; and/or
  • Non-core investments (such as micro-cap stocks, international small cap stocks, high yield credit, emerging markets equities and debt, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), master limited partnerships (MLPs) and foreign bonds).
The fund may invest from time to time in underlying Transamerica funds that use traditional core investment strategies (e.g., invest in developed market equity securities or U.S. investment grade fixed income securities). The fund may also invest directly in U.S. government securities, short-term commercial paper and/or repurchase agreements.

In managing the fund’s portfolio of investments, the sub-adviser will develop a target asset allocation for the fund using quantitative and qualitative techniques and factors. The sub-adviser’s approach to asset allocation seeks to budget the fund’s long term investment risk exposure across risk factors, such as equity risk, interest rate risk, convexity/credit risk, emerging markets risk, commodities risk, equity style factor risk, time series momentum risk and active risk. An important component of the sub-adviser’s process is allocating risk across asset classes and strategies to increase diversification and, potentially, reduce volatility.

The sub-adviser may change the fund’s asset allocation at any time without notice to shareholders. The sub-adviser normally adjusts the fund’s strategic asset allocation as part of its tactical investment process in order to react to changes in the markets, the economic cycle and the macroeconomic environment. The fund’s portfolio positioning may therefore change over time based on the sub-adviser’s short- to medium-term market views on dislocations and attractive investment opportunities.

The fund’s investment manager, Transamerica Asset Management, Inc. (the “manager”) will, among other things, oversee and monitor the sub-adviser and will be solely responsible for selecting the underlying Transamerica funds among which the sub-adviser may allocate the fund’s assets and overseeing the management of the underlying Transamerica funds. Each underlying Transamerica fund has its own investment objective, principal investment strategies and investment risks. The sub-adviser for each underlying Transamerica fund decides which securities to purchase and sell for that underlying Transamerica fund. The fund’s ability to achieve its investment objective depends largely on the performance of the underlying Transamerica funds.

The sub-adviser may determine (in its sole discretion) that there are multiple Transamerica funds pursuing an investment strategy or investing principally in an asset class represented in the sub-adviser’s target asset allocation; in those cases, the sub-adviser may allocate the portion of the fund’s assets allocated to that strategy or asset class equally among those Transamerica funds using the risk budgeting approach described above.

The “Underlying Funds” section of the prospectus lists the Transamerica funds currently available for investment by the fund and provides a summary of their respective investment objectives and principal investment strategies, and identifies certain risks of the Transamerica funds. It is not possible to predict the extent to which the fund will be invested in a particular Transamerica fund at any time, and the fund may be a significant shareholder in certain Transamerica funds.

The sub-adviser may invest in index-based underlying exchange-traded funds (“underlying ETFs”) that it selects to gain exposure to asset classes, regions, countries, strategies or sectors that are a part of the sub-adviser’s asset allocation for the fund, but not otherwise accessible through available Transamerica funds.

The fund may, but is not required to, invest directly in futures contracts as part of the sub-adviser’s tactical asset allocation and to express the sub-adviser’s short or medium-term investment views. The use of futures would generally be limited to exchange-traded developed market equity index and U.S. Treasury futures. The fund may also have exposure to derivatives instruments, such as options, futures or forward contracts and swaps through its investments in the Transamerica funds and underlying ETFs.

The fund may invest without restriction as to issuer capitalization, country, market, currency, maturity or credit rating.
Principal Risks:
Risk is inherent in all investing. Many factors and risks affect the fund's performance, including those described below. The value of your investment in the fund, as well as the amount of return you receive on your investment, may fluctuate significantly day to day and over time. 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 following is a summary description of principal risks (in alphabetical order after certain key risks) of investing in the fund  (either directly or through its investments in underlying funds). Each risk described below may not apply to each underlying fund and an underlying fund may be subject to additional or different risks than those described below. An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit and is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. You may lose money if you invest in this fund.

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 overall economic trends or events, government actions or interventions, market disruptions caused by trade disputes or other factors, political factors or adverse investor sentiment. The market prices of securities also may go down due to events or conditions that affect particular sectors, industries or issuers. Adverse market conditions may be prolonged and may not have the same impact on all types of securities. If the market prices of the securities owned by the fund fall, the value of your investment will go down. The fund may experience a substantial or complete loss on any individual security.

Economies and financial markets throughout the world are increasingly interconnected. Economic, financial or political events, trading and tariff arrangements, terrorism, technology and data interruptions, natural disasters and other circumstances in one country or region could be highly disruptive to, and have profound impacts on, global economies or markets. During periods of market disruption, the fund's exposure to the risks described elsewhere in this summary will likely increase. As a result, whether or not the fund invests in securities of issuers located in or with significant exposure to the countries directly affected, the value and liquidity of the fund's investments may be negatively affected.

Allocation – The fund’s ability to achieve its investment objectives depends, in large part, upon the sub-adviser’s skill in determining the fund’s asset class allocation and reallocation from time to time, deciding whether and when to tactically overweight or underweight asset classes and selecting a mix of underlying funds. These actions may be unsuccessful in maximizing return and/or avoiding investment losses. The value of your investment may decrease if the sub-adviser’s judgment about the attractiveness, value or market trends affecting a particular asset class, investment style, technique or strategy, underlying fund or other issuer is incorrect. The available underlying funds selected by the sub-adviser may underperform the market or similar funds.

Asset Class Variation – The underlying funds invest principally in the securities constituting their asset class (i.e., equity or fixed income) or underlying index components. However, an underlying fund may vary the percentage of its assets in these securities (subject to any applicable regulatory requirements). Depending upon the percentage of securities in a particular asset class held by the underlying funds at any given time, and the percentage of the fund's assets invested in various underlying funds, the fund's actual exposure to the securities in a particular asset class may vary substantially from its target allocation for that asset class.

Underlying Funds – Because the fund invests its assets in various underlying funds, its ability to achieve its investment objective depends largely on the performance of the underlying funds in which it invests. Investing in underlying funds subjects the fund to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or assets held by those underlying funds. Each of the underlying funds in which the fund may invest has its own investment risks, and those risks can affect the value of the underlying funds' shares and therefore the value of the fund's investments. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any underlying fund will be achieved. To the extent that the fund invests more of its assets in one underlying fund than in another, the fund will have greater exposure to the risks of that underlying fund. In addition, the fund will bear a pro rata portion of the operating expenses of the underlying funds in which it invests. The “List and Description of Certain Underlying Funds” section of the fund's prospectus identifies certain risks of each underlying fund.

Tactical Asset Allocation – Tactical asset allocation is an investment strategy that actively adjusts a fund’s asset allocation. The fund’s tactical asset management discipline may not work as intended. The fund may not achieve its objective and may not perform as well as other funds using other asset management styles, including those based on fundamental analysis (a method of evaluating a security that entails attempting to measure its intrinsic value by examining related economic, financial and other factors) or strategic asset allocation (a strategy that involves periodically rebalancing the portfolio in order to maintain a long-term goal for asset allocation). The sub-adviser’s evaluations and assumptions in selecting underlying funds, underlying ETFs or individual securities may be incorrect in view of actual market conditions, and may result in owning securities that underperform other securities.

Fixed-Income Securities – Fixed-income securities are subject to risks including credit risk, interest rate risk, counterparty risk, prepayment risk, extension risk, valuation risk, and liquidity risk. The value 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, tariffs and trade disruptions, inflation, changes in interest rates, lack of liquidity in the bond markets or adverse investor sentiment. In addition, the 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. If the value of fixed-income securities owned by the fund falls, the value of your investment will go down. The prices of fixed-income securities will generally go down when interest rates rise. Interest rates in the U.S. and certain foreign markets have been low relative to historic levels, so the fund faces a 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.

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 is unable or unwilling to meet its financial obligations 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. A decline may be significant, particularly in certain market environments. In addition, the fund may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against an issuer, obligor or counterparty. The degree of credit risk of a security or financial contract depends upon, among other things, the financial condition of the issuer and the terms of the security or contract.

Interest Rate – Interest rates in the U.S. and certain foreign markets have been low relative to historic levels. The fund faces a 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. A significant or rapid rise in rates may result in losses. Changes in interest rates may affect the liquidity and value of the fund’s investments. A general rise in interest rates may cause investors to move out of fixed income securities on a large scale, which could adversely affect the price and liquidity of fixed income securities and could also result in increased redemptions from the fund. If the fund holds variable or floating rate securities, a decrease in interest rates will adversely affect the income received from such securities and the value of the fund’s shares.

Liquidity – The fund may make investments that are illiquid or that become illiquid after purchase. Illiquid investments can be difficult to value, may trade at a discount from comparable, more liquid investments, and may be subject to wide fluctuations in value. As a general matter, a reduction in the willingness or ability of dealers and other institutional investors to make markets in fixed income securities may result in even less liquidity in certain markets. 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. The fund may not receive its proceeds from the sale of less liquid or illiquid securities for an extended period (for example, several weeks or even longer), and such sale may involve additional costs. Liquidity of particular investments, or even an entire market segment, can deteriorate rapidly, particularly during times of market turmoil, and those investments may be difficult or impossible for the fund to sell. This may prevent the fund from limiting losses.

Counterparty – The fund will be subject to the risk that the counterparties to derivatives, repurchase agreements and other financial contracts entered into by the fund or held by special purpose or structured vehicles in which the fund invests will not fulfill their contractual obligations. Adverse changes to counterparties (including derivatives exchanges and clearinghouses) may cause the value of financial contracts to go down. If a counterparty becomes bankrupt or otherwise fails to perform its obligations, the value of your investment in the fund may decline. In addition, the fund may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against a counterparty.

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 or go down.

Prepayment or Call – Many issuers have a right to prepay their fixed income securities. Issuers may be more likely to prepay their securities if interest rates fall. If this happens, the fund will not benefit from the rise in the market price of the securities 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 prepaid securities. The fund may also lose any premium it paid on prepaid securities.

Focused Investing – To the extent the fund invests in a limited number of countries, regions, sectors, industries or market segments, in a limited number of issuers, or in issuers in related businesses or that are subject to related operating risks, the fund will be more susceptible to negative events affecting those countries, regions, sectors, industries, segments or issuers, and the value of its shares may be more volatile than if it invested more widely. Local events, such as political upheaval, social unrest, wars and terror attacks, financial troubles, pandemics, epidemics and natural disasters may disrupt a country’s or region’s securities markets. Geographic risk is especially high in emerging and frontier markets.

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. Investors who purchase or redeem fund shares on days when the fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares or lower or higher redemption proceeds than they would have received if the fund had not fair-valued securities or had used a different valuation methodology. The fund's ability to value its investments may be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third party service providers.

Management – The value of your investment may go down if the investment manager’s or sub-adviser's judgments and decisions are incorrect or otherwise do not produce the desired results. You may also suffer losses if there are imperfections, errors or limitations in the quantitative, analytic or other tools, resources, information and data used, investment techniques applied, or the analyses employed or relied on, by the investment manager or sub-adviser, if such tools, resources, information or data are used incorrectly or otherwise do not work as intended, or if the investment manager’s or sub-adviser's investment style is out of favor or otherwise fails to produce the desired results. The fund’s investment strategies may not work as intended or otherwise fail to produce the desired results. Any of these things could cause the fund to lose value or its results to lag relevant benchmarks or other funds with similar objectives.

Active Trading – The fund 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 generally be subject to tax at ordinary income tax rates upon distribution. During periods of market volatility, active trading may be more pronounced.

Arbitrage – Securities purchased pursuant to an arbitrage strategy intended to take advantage of a perceived relationship between the value of two or more securities may not perform as expected, and may result in reduced returns or losses for the fund.

CFTC Regulation – The investment manager has registered as a “commodity pool operator” under the Commodity Exchange Act with respect to its service as investment manager to the fund. The investment manager is therefore subject to dual regulation by the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), and is a member of the National Futures Association and is also subject to its rules. Regulation of commodity investing continues to change, and additional compliance and other expenses may be incurred.

Commodities and Commodity-Related Securities – To the extent the fund invests in commodities, instruments whose performance is linked to the price of an underlying commodity or commodity index or the securities of issuers in commodity-related businesses or industries, the fund will be subject to the risks of investing in commodities, including changes and volatility in commodity prices generally, regulatory, economic and political developments, weather events and natural disasters, tariffs and trade disruptions, and market disruptions. The fund's investment exposure to the commodities markets may subject the fund to greater volatility. Commodities and commodity-linked investments may be less liquid than other investments. Commodity-linked investments are subject to the credit risks associated with the issuer, and their values may decline substantially if the issuer's creditworthiness deteriorates.

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. U.S. dollar-denominated securities of foreign issuers may also be affected by currency risk, as the revenue earned by issuers of these securities may also be impacted by changes in the issuer’s local currency. Currency conversion costs and currency fluctuations could reduce or eliminate investment gains or add to investment losses. Currency exchange rates can be volatile and may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time, 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. A fund may be unable or may choose not to hedge its foreign currency exposure.

Derivatives – Derivatives involve special risks and costs and may result in losses to the fund. Using derivatives exposes the fund to additional or heightened risks, including leverage risk, liquidity risk, valuation risk, market risk, counterparty risk and credit risk. Their usage can increase fund losses and reduce opportunities for gains when market prices or volatility, interest rates, currencies, or the derivatives themselves, behave in a way not anticipated. Using derivatives may have a leveraging effect, increase fund volatility and not produce the result intended. Certain derivatives have the potential for unlimited loss, regardless of the size of the initial investment. Even a small investment in derivatives can have a disproportionate impact on the fund. Derivatives may be difficult to sell, unwind or value, and the counterparty (including, if applicable, the fund’s clearing broker, the derivatives exchange or the clearinghouse) may default on its obligations to the fund. In certain cases, the fund may incur costs and may be hindered or delayed in enforcing its rights against or closing out derivatives instruments with a counterparty, which may result in additional losses. Derivatives are subject to additional risks such as operational risk, including settlement issues, and legal risk, including that underlying documentation is incomplete or ambiguous. Derivatives are also generally subject to the risks applicable to the assets, rates, indices or other indicators underlying the derivative, including market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, management and valuation risk. Also, suitable derivative transactions may not be available in all circumstances. The value of a derivative may fluctuate more or less than, or otherwise not correlate well with, the underlying assets, rates, indices or other indicators to which it relates. The fund may be required to segregate or earmark liquid assets or otherwise cover its obligations under derivatives transactions and may have to liquidate positions before it is desirable in order to meet these segregation and coverage requirements. Use of derivatives may have different tax consequences for the fund than an investment in the underlying assets or indices, and those differences may affect the amount, timing and character of income distributed to shareholders.

Emerging Markets – Investments in the securities of issuers located in or principally doing business in emerging markets are subject to heightened foreign investments risks. Emerging market countries tend to have economic, political and legal systems and regulatory and accounting standards that are less developed, and that can be expected to be less stable. For example, the economies of such countries can be subject to rapid and unpredictable rates of inflation or deflation, and may be based on only a few industries. Emerging market countries may have policies that restrict investment by foreigners or that prevent foreign investors such as the fund from withdrawing their money at will. 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 extreme price volatility. An investment in emerging market securities should be considered speculative.

Energy Sector – Investments in industries in the energy sector involve a number of risks, including:
  • Supply and Demand. A decrease in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, coal or other energy commodities, a decrease in the volume of such commodities available for transportation, mining, processing, storage or distribution or a sustained decline in demand for such commodities, may adversely impact the financial performance of energy companies.
  • Depletion and Exploration. Energy reserves naturally deplete as they are consumed over time. The financial performance of energy companies may be adversely affected if they, or the companies to whom they provide services, are unable to cost-effectively acquire additional energy deposits sufficient to replace the natural decline of existing reserves. Also, the quantities of reserves may be overstated, or deposits may not be produced in the time periods anticipated.
  • Reserve. Energy companies engaged in the production of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil and other energy commodities are subject to the risk that the quantities of their reserves are overstated, or will not be produced in the time periods anticipated, for a variety of reasons.
  • Regulatory. Energy companies are subject to significant federal, state and local government regulation in virtually every aspect of their operations, including (i) how facilities are constructed, maintained and operated, (ii) how and where wells are drilled, (iii) how services are provided, (iv) environmental and safety controls, and (v) the prices they may charge for the products and services they provide.
  • Commodity Pricing. The operations and financial performance of energy companies may be directly affected by energy commodity prices, especially those energy companies which own the underlying energy commodity or receive payments for services that are based on commodity prices.
  • Acquisition. The ability of energy companies to grow operating cash flow and increase such company’s enterprise value can be highly dependent on their ability to make accretive acquisitions. In the event that energy companies are unable to make such acquisitions, whether because they are unable to identify attractive acquisition candidates and negotiate and close acceptable purchase contracts or to raise financing for such acquisitions on economically acceptable terms, or otherwise, their future growth may be limited.
  • Affiliated Party. Certain energy companies are dependent on their parents or sponsors for a majority of their revenues. Any failure by such company’s parents or sponsors to satisfy their payments or obligations would impact such company’s revenues and operating cash flows and ability to make interest payments and/or distributions.
  • Catastrophe. The operations of energy companies are subject to many hazards inherent in the exploring, developing, producing, generating, transporting, transmission, storing, gathering, processing, refining, distributing, mining or marketing of natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products, coal or electricity, including: damage to pipelines, storage tanks, plants or related equipment and surrounding properties caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and other natural disasters or by acts of terrorism; inadvertent damage from construction and farm equipment; well blowouts; leaks of such energy commodities; fires and explosions.
  • Terrorism/Market Disruption . Events in the Middle East and elsewhere could have significant adverse effects on the U.S. economy, financial and commodities markets.
  • Weather. Extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, (i) could result in substantial damage to the facilities of certain energy companies located in the affected areas, (ii) significantly increase the volatility in the supply of energy commodities and (iii) adversely affect the financial performance of energy companies, and could therefore adversely affect their securities. The damage done by extreme weather also may serve to increase many insurance premiums paid by energy companies and could adversely affect such companies’ financial condition.
  • Renewable Energy. Renewable energy infrastructure companies’ future growth may be highly dependent upon on government policies that support renewable power generation and enhance the economic viability of owning renewable electric generation assets. Such policies can include tax credits, accelerated cost-recovery systems of depreciation and renewable portfolio standard programs, which mandate that a specified percentage of electricity sales come from eligible sources of renewable energy. Furthermore, a portion of revenues from investments in renewable energy infrastructure assets is tied, either directly or indirectly, to the wholesale market price for electricity in the markets served. Wholesale market electricity prices are impacted by a number of factors including: the price of fuel (for example, natural gas) that is used to generate electricity; the cost of and management of generation and the amount of excess generating capacity relative to load in a particular market; and conditions (such as extremely hot or cold weather) that impact electrical system demand. In addition, there is uncertainty surrounding the trend in electricity demand growth, which is influenced by macroeconomic conditions; absolute and relative energy prices; and energy conservation and demand management. This volatility and uncertainty in power markets could have a material adverse effect on the assets, liabilities, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow of the companies in which the fund invests.
Equity Securities – Equity securities represent an ownership interest in an issuer, rank junior in a company’s capital structure and consequently may entail greater risk of loss than debt securities. Equity securities include common and preferred stocks. Stock markets are volatile and the value of equity securities may go up or down sometimes rapidly and unpredictably. Equity securities may have greater price volatility than other asset classes, such as fixed income securities. The value of equity securities fluctuates based on changes in a company’s financial condition, factors affecting a particular industry or industries, and overall market and economic conditions. If the market prices of the equity securities owned by the fund fall, the value of your investment in the fund will decline. If the fund holds equity securities in a company that becomes insolvent, the fund’s interests in the company will rank junior in priority to the interests of debtholders and general creditors of the company, and the fund may lose its entire investment in the company.

Floating Rate Loans – Floating rate loans are often made to borrowers whose financial condition is troubled or highly leveraged. These loans frequently are rated below investment grade and are therefore subject to “High-Yield Debt Securities” risk. There is no public market for floating rate loans and the loans may trade infrequently and be subject to wide bid/ask spreads. Many floating rate loans are subject to restrictions on resale. Floating rate loans may have trade settlement periods in excess of seven days, which may result in the fund not receiving proceeds from the sale of a loan for an extended period. As a result, the fund may be subject to greater “Liquidity” risk than a fund that does not invest in floating rate loans and the fund may be constrained in its ability to meet its obligations (including obligations to redeeming shareholders). The lack of an active trading market may also make it more difficult to value floating rate loans. Rising interest rates can lead to increased default rates as payment obligations increase.

Foreign Investments – Investing in securities of foreign issuers or issuers with significant exposure to foreign markets involves additional risks. Foreign markets can be less liquid, less regulated, less transparent and more volatile than U.S. markets. The value of the fund’s foreign investments may decline because of factors affecting the particular issuer as well as foreign markets and issuers generally, such as unfavorable or unsuccessful government actions, reduction of government or central bank support, tariffs and trade disruptions, political or financial instability, social unrest or other adverse economic or political developments. Lack of information and weaker legal systems and accounting standards also may affect the value of these securities. Foreign investments may have lower liquidity and be more difficult to value than investments in U.S. issuers.

Hedging – The fund may buy and sell futures contracts, put and call options, forward contracts and other instruments as a hedge. Some hedging strategies could hedge the fund’s portfolio against price fluctuations. Other hedging strategies would tend to increase the fund’s exposure to the securities market. Forward contracts could be used to try to manage foreign currency risks on the fund’s foreign investments. The fund’s hedging strategies may not work as intended, and the fund may be in a less favorable position than if it had not used a hedging instrument.

High-Yield Debt Securities – High-yield debt securities, commonly referred to as “junk” bonds, are securities that are rated below “investment grade” or, if unrated, determined to be below investment grade by the sub-adviser. Issuers of junk bonds are typically in weaker financial health. Changes in interest rates, the market’s perception of the issuers, the creditworthiness of the issuers and negative perceptions of the junk bond market generally 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, and they may result in losses for the fund. Junk bonds tend to be volatile and more susceptible to adverse events, credit downgrades and negative sentiments.

Inflation-Protected Securities – Inflation-protected debt securities may react differently from other types of debt securities and tend to react to changes in “real” interest rates. Real interest rates represent nominal (stated) interest rates reduced by the expected impact of inflation. In general, the price of an inflation-protected debt security can fall when real interest rates rise, and can rise when real interest rates fall. Interest payments on inflation-protected debt securities can be unpredictable and will vary as the principal and/or interest is adjusted for inflation. The market for U.S. Treasury inflation-protected securities (“TIPS”) and corporate inflation-protected securities (“CIPS”) may be less developed or liquid, and more volatile, than certain other securities markets. Also, the inflation index utilized by a particular inflation-protected security may not accurately reflect the true rate of inflation, in which case the market value of the security could be adversely affected.

Leveraging – The value of your investment may be more volatile to the extent that the fund borrows or uses derivatives or other investments, such as ETFs, that have embedded leverage. Other risks also will be compounded 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. 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 or meet segregation or coverage requirements.

Loans – Loans are subject to the credit risk of nonpayment of principal or interest. Economic downturns or increases in interest rates may cause an increase in defaults, interest rate risk and liquidity risk. Loans may or may not be collateralized at the time of acquisition, and any collateral may be relatively illiquid or lose all or substantially all of its value subsequent to investment. In the event of bankruptcy of a borrower, the fund could experience delays or limitations with respect to its ability to realize the benefits of any collateral securing a loan. Junior loans, which have a lower place in the borrower’s capital structure than senior loans and may be unsecured, involve a higher degree of overall risk than senior loans of the same borrower. The fund's investments in loans are also subject to prepayment or call risk. Loans may have settlement periods in excess of seven days. Failure to receive sales proceeds on a timely basis may constrain the fund's ability to meet its obligations (including obligations to redeeming shareholders).

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, which could negatively impact the fund. 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.

Natural Resource-Related Securities – Because the fund invests in natural resource related securities, the fund is subject to the risks associated with natural resource investments in addition to the general risk of the stock market. This means the fund is more vulnerable to the price movements of natural resources and factors that particularly affect the oil, gas, mining, energy, chemicals, paper, steel or agriculture sectors than a more broadly diversified fund. Because the fund invests primarily in companies with natural resource assets, there is the risk that the fund will perform poorly during a downturn in natural resource prices.

Precious Metals-Related Securities – Investments in precious metals-related securities are considered speculative and are affected by a variety of worldwide economic, financial and political factors. Prices of precious metals and of precious metals-related securities historically have been very volatile. The high volatility of precious metals prices may adversely affect the financial condition of companies involved with precious metals. The production and sale of precious metals by governments or central banks or other larger holders can be affected by various economic, financial, social and political factors, which may be unpredictable and may have a significant impact on the prices of precious metals. Other factors that may affect the prices of precious metals and securities related to them include changes in inflation, the outlook for inflation and changes in industrial and commercial demand for precious metals.

Real Estate Securities – Investments in the real estate industry are subject to risks associated with direct investment in real estate. These risks include declines in the value of real estate, adverse general and local economic conditions, increased competition, overbuilding and changes in laws and regulations affecting real estate, operating expenses, property taxes and interest rates. If the fund’s real estate-related investments are concentrated in one geographic area or one property type, the fund will also be subject to the risks associated with that one area or property type. The value of the fund’s real estate-related securities will not necessarily track the value of the underlying investments of the issuers of such securities.

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 limited financial resources, may trade less frequently and in limited volume, may engage in dilutive offerings, 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. U.S. REITs are subject to a number of highly technical tax-related rules and requirements; and a U.S. REIT’s failure to qualify for the favorable U.S. federal income tax treatment generally available to U.S. REITs could result in corporate-level taxation, significantly reducing the return on an investment to the fund.

Repurchase Agreements – In a repurchase agreement, the fund purchases securities from a broker-dealer or a bank, called the counterparty, upon the agreement of the counterparty to repurchase the securities from the fund at a later date, and at a specified price, which is typically higher than the purchase price paid by the fund. The securities purchased serve as the fund's collateral for the obligation of the counterparty to repurchase the securities. If the counterparty does not repurchase the securities, the fund is entitled to sell the securities, but the fund may not be able to sell them for the price at which they were purchased, thus causing a loss. If the counterparty becomes insolvent, there is some risk that the fund will not have a right to the securities, or the immediate right to sell the securities.

Short Positions– The fund may enter into derivatives transactions that have a similar economic effect as short sales such as taking short positions in futures contracts. The fund will incur a loss as a result of a short position if the price of the asset sold short increases in value between the date of the short position sale and the date on which an offsetting position is purchased. Short positions may be considered speculative transactions and involve special risks that could cause or increase losses or reduce gains, including greater reliance on the sub-adviser’s ability to accurately anticipate the future value of a security or instrument, potentially higher transaction costs, and imperfect correlation between the actual and desired level of exposure. Because the fund’s potential loss on a short position arises from increases in the value of the asset sold short, the extent of such loss, like the price of the asset sold short, is theoretically unlimited.

Small Capitalization Companies – The fund will be exposed to additional risks as a result of its investments in the securities of small capitalization companies. Small capitalization companies may be more at risk than larger capitalization companies because, among other things, they may have limited product lines, operating history, market or financial resources, or because they may depend on limited management groups. The prices of securities of small capitalization companies generally are more volatile than those of larger capitalization companies and are more likely to be adversely affected than larger capitalization companies by changes in earnings results and investor expectations or poor economic or market conditions. Securities of small capitalization companies may underperform larger capitalization companies, may be harder to sell at times and at prices the portfolio managers believe appropriate and may offer greater potential for losses.

Underlying Exchange-Traded Funds – To the extent the fund invests its assets in underlying ETFs, its ability to achieve its investment objective will depend in part on the performance of the underlying ETFs in which it invests. Investing in underlying ETFs subjects the fund to the risks of investing in the underlying securities or assets held by those ETFs. Each of the underlying ETFs in which the fund may invest has its own investment risks, and those risks can affect the value of the underlying ETFs’ shares and therefore the value of the fund's investments. There can be no assurance that the investment objective of any underlying ETF will be achieved. To the extent that the fund invests more of its assets in one underlying ETF than in another, the fund will have greater exposure to the risks of that underlying ETF. In addition, the fund will bear a pro rata portion of the operating expenses of the underlying ETFs in which it invests.

Equity-based ETFs are subject to risks similar to those of stocks; fixed income-based ETFs are subject to risks similar to those of fixed-income securities. An investment in an ETF generally presents the same primary risks as an investment in a conventional fund (i.e., one that is not exchange-traded) that has the same investment objectives, strategies and policies. The price of an ETF can fluctuate up and down, and the fund could lose money investing in an ETF if the prices of the securities owned by the ETF go down. In addition, ETFs are subject to certain risks that do not apply to conventional funds, including: (i) the market price of an ETF’s shares may be above or below the shares’ net asset value; (ii) during periods of market volatility, the share prices of ETFs may deviate significantly from their NAVs; (iii) an active trading market for an ETF’s shares may not develop or be maintained; (iv) trading of an ETF’s shares may be halted if the listing exchange’s officials deem such action appropriate, the shares are delisted from the exchange, the activation of market-wide “circuit breakers” (which are tied to large decreases in stock prices) halts stock trading generally, or trading in one or more of the ETF’s underlying securities is halted, which could result in the ETF being more volatile; or (v) a limited number of institutions may act as authorized participants to create or redeem block-sized units of ETF shares. In the event substantial market or other disruptions affecting ETFs should occur in the future, the liquidity and value of the fund's shares could also be substantially and adversely affected.

U.S. Government and 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. government 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. A security backed by the “full faith and credit” of the U.S. government is guaranteed only as to its stated interest rate and face value at maturity, not its current market price.
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, as well as comparison to one or more secondary indices.

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.

In the “10 Years or Since Inception” column of the table, returns are shown for ten years or since inception of the share class, whichever is less. Index returns are for ten years.

Absent any applicable fee waivers and/or expense limitations, performance would be lower.

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/ or by calling 1-888-233-4339.

Prior to March 1, 2012, the fund had a different sub-adviser, and performance prior to that date is attributable to that sub-adviser.

From March 1, 2012 to June 11, 2014, the fund was directly managed by TAM, and performance during that period is attributable to TAM.

Prior to July 7, 2017, the fund had a different sub-adviser. The performance set forth for the period between June 11, 2014 and July 6, 2017 is attributable to that previous sub-adviser.
Annual Total Returns (calendar years ended December 31) - Class A
Bar Chart
  Quarter Ended Return
Best Quarter: 9/30/2010 5.45%
Worst Quarter: 9/30/2011 -5.92%
Average Annual Total Returns (periods ended December 31, 2019)
Average Annual Total Returns - Retail Class - Transamerica Multi-Manager Alternative Strategies Portfolio
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Since Inception
Inception Date
Class A 2.40% (0.22%) 1.66% Dec. 28, 2006
Class A | Return after taxes on distributions 1.75% (0.98%) 1.07% Dec. 28, 2006
Class A | Return after taxes on distributions and sale of fund shares 1.46% (0.46%) 1.07% Dec. 28, 2006
Class C 6.47% 0.15% 1.50% Dec. 28, 2006
Class I 8.79% 1.25% 2.59% Nov. 30, 2009
Class R6 8.91% 1.10% May 29, 2015
ICE BofAML 3-Month Treasury Bill +3% Wrap Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 5.39% 4.15% 3.64%  
HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes) 8.62% 1.19% 1.11%  
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 are presented before taxes only and will vary.