DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio (DFSMX) belongs to the Municipal Bonds category. Below you'll find alternative mutual funds from the same category, ranked by key criteria, plus funds that investors commonly compare with DFSMX. Use the tables to find lower-cost options, better risk-adjusted returns, or a closer substitute for your current allocation.
Cheapest Alternatives to DFSMX
DFSMX charges 0.20% annually. There are 36 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with lower expense ratios, going as low as 0.01%.
| Symbol | Name | Expense Ratio | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Western Asset SMASh Series TF Fund | 0.01% | — | Dec 2015 | DFSMX vs LSMSX | |
| Nuveen Municipal Total Return Managed Accounts | 0.05% | — | May 2007 | DFSMX vs NMTRX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 0.05% | — | Feb 2021 | DFSMX vs FHMIX | |
| Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares | 0.05% | 12.30B | Sep 1994 | DFSMX vs VTMFX | |
| Strategic Advisers Municipal Bond Fund | 0.06% | — | Jun 2021 | DFSMX vs FSMUX |
Best Risk-Adjusted Alternatives to DFSMX
DFSMX has a PortfoliosLab risk / return rank of 100. No mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category have higher risk-adjusted ranks; the top alternatives shown here go as high as 100.
| Symbol | Name | Risk / Return Rank | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | 100 | — | Dec 2002 | DFSMX vs ATOIX | |
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 99 | — | Apr 2022 | DFSMX vs DFABX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | 99 | — | Feb 2021 | DFSMX vs FHMIX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | 99 | — | Apr 2016 | DFSMX vs TFCYX | |
| DFA NY Municipal Bond Portfolio | 99 | — | Jun 2015 | DFSMX vs DNYMX |
Top Performing DFSMX Alternatives (YTD)
DFSMX is at 1.27% YTD. There are 23 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with higher YTD returns, going as high as 10.88%.
| Symbol | Name | YTD Return | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nuveen Municipal Income Fund, Inc. | 10.88% | — | Apr 1998 | DFSMX vs NMI | |
| Nuveen New York AMT Free Quality Municipal Income | 6.63% | — | Nov 2002 | DFSMX vs NRK | |
| BlackRock MuniYield Michigan Quality Fund | 5.90% | — | Oct 1992 | DFSMX vs MIY | |
| Vanguard Tax-Managed Balanced Fund Admiral Shares | 4.67% | 12.30B | Sep 1994 | DFSMX vs VTMFX | |
| BlackRock MuniHoldings New Jersey Quality Fund | 3.83% | — | Mar 1998 | DFSMX vs MUJ |
Lowest Volatility Alternatives to DFSMX
DFSMX has 0.54% 1-year volatility. No mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category have lower 1-year volatility; the lowest-volatility alternatives shown here go as low as 0.57%.
| Symbol | Name | Volatility 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | 0.57% | — | Apr 2022 | DFSMX vs DFABX | |
| DFA California Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.59% | — | Apr 2007 | DFSMX vs DFCMX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.63% | — | May 2016 | DFSMX vs USMSX | |
| JPMorgan Ultra-Short Municipal Fund | 0.65% | — | May 2016 | DFSMX vs USMTX | |
| DFA NY Municipal Bond Portfolio | 0.65% | — | Jun 2015 | DFSMX vs DNYMX |
Lowest Drawdown Alternatives to DFSMX
DFSMX has a 1-year max drawdown of -0.11%. There are 4 mutual funds in the Municipal Bonds category with shallower 1-year drawdowns, going as shallow as 0.00%.
| Symbol | Name | Max Drawdown 1Y | AUM | Inception | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BlackRock Allocation Target Shares | 0.00% | — | May 2021 | DFSMX vs BATVX | |
| SEI Institutional Managed Trust Tax-Free Conservat... | -0.10% | — | Apr 2016 | DFSMX vs TFCYX | |
| abrdn Ultra Short Municipal Income Fund | -0.10% | — | Dec 2002 | DFSMX vs ATOIX | |
| Federated Hermes Conservative Municipal Microshort... | -0.10% | — | Feb 2021 | DFSMX vs FHMIX | |
| DFA Short-Term Selective State Municipal Bond Port... | -0.11% | — | Apr 2022 | DFSMX vs DFABX |
Other Mutual Funds from Dimensional
The 10 most viewed Dimensional mutual funds shown here include DFSVX, DFIVX, DGEIX and span 7 categories. AUM among these funds goes as high as $43B.
Often Compared With DFSMX
Investors most often compare DFSMX with CBTAX, MYI, DFNM. These 20 comparison targets span 4 categories, based on PortfoliosLab usage data.
Compare DFSMX with Any Fund or Stock
Compare DFSMX with any ETF, mutual fund, or stock using PortfoliosLab's comparison tool.
Pair DFSMX with funds that move differently
DFA Short Term Municipal Bond Portfolio alternatives help with substitution. Diversifiers are the next step when you want funds with lower historical correlation to DFSMX.
Explore DFSMX Diversifiers