Strategy. The Emerging Markets Value Portfolio invests substantially all of its assets in the Emerging Markets Value Fund. To achieve the Portfolios and the Series investment objectives, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the Advisor) implements an integrated investment approach that combines research, portfolio design, portfolio management, and trading functions. As further described below, the Series design emphasizes long-term drivers of expected returns identified by the Advisors research, while balancing risk through broad diversification across companies, sectors, and countries. The Advisors portfolio management and trading processes further balance those long-term drivers of expected returns with shorter-term drivers of expected returns and trading costs. The Emerging Markets Value Fund is designed to purchase emerging market equity securities that are deemed by the Advisor to … Show more… The Emerging Markets Value Portfolio invests substantially all of its assets in the Emerging Markets Value Fund. To achieve the Portfolios and the Series investment objectives, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP (the Advisor) implements an integrated investment approach that combines research, portfolio design, portfolio management, and trading functions. As further described below, the Series design emphasizes long-term drivers of expected returns identified by the Advisors research, while balancing risk through broad diversification across companies, sectors, and countries. The Advisors portfolio management and trading processes further balance those long-term drivers of expected returns with shorter-term drivers of expected returns and trading costs. The Emerging Markets Value Fund is designed to purchase emerging market equity securities that are deemed by the Advisor to be lower relative price stocks at the time of purchase and associated with emerging markets, which may include frontier markets (emerging market countries in an earlier stage of development), authorized for investment by the Advisors Investment Committee (Approved Markets). An equity issuer is considered to have a low relative price (i.e., a value stock) primarily because it has a low price in relation to its book value. In assessing relative price, the Advisor may consider additional factors such as price to cash flow or price to earnings ratios. The Emerging Markets Value Fund may emphasize certain stocks, including smaller capitalization companies, lower relative price stocks, and/or higher profitability stocks as compared to their representation in the value segments of the Approved Markets in which the Fund is authorized to invest. An equity issuer is considered to have high profitability because it has high earnings or profits from operations in relation to its book value or assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing relative price and profitability are subject to change from time to time. As a non-fundamental policy, under normal circumstances, the Emerging Markets Value Fund will invest at least 80% of its net assets in emerging markets investments that are defined in the Prospectus as Approved Markets securities. The Emerging Markets Value Fund may purchase emerging market equity securities across all market capitalizations. The Advisor may also increase or reduce the Emerging Market Value Funds exposure to an eligible company, or exclude a company, based on shorter-term considerations, such as a companys price momentum, short-run reversals, and investment characteristics. In assessing a companys investment characteristics, the Advisor considers ratios such as recent changes in assets divided by total assets. The criteria the Advisor uses for assessing a companys investment characteristics are subject to change from time to time. In addition, the Advisor seeks to reduce trading costs using a flexible trading approach that looks for opportunities to participate in the available market liquidity, while managing turnover and explicit transaction costs. The Emerging Markets Value Fund may gain exposure to companies associated with Approved Markets by purchasing equity securities in the form of depositary receipts, which may be listed or traded outside the issuers domicile country. The Emerging Markets Value Fund may also invest in China A-shares (equity securities of companies listed in China) and variable interest entities (special structures that utilize contractual arrangements to provide exposure to certain Chinese companies). The Emerging Markets Value Portfolio and the Emerging Markets Value Fund each may purchase or sell futures contracts and options on futures contracts for Approved Market or other equity market securities and indices, including those of the United States, to increase or decrease equity market exposure based on actual or expected cash inflows to or outflows from the Portfolio or Emerging Markets Value Fund. Because many of the Emerging Markets Value Funds and the Portfolios investments may be denominated in foreign currencies, the Emerging Markets Value Fund and the Portfolio may enter into foreign currency exchange transactions, including foreign currency forward contracts, in connection with the settlement of foreign securities or to transfer cash balances from one currency to another currency. The Emerging Markets Value Fund may lend its portfolio securities to generate additional income. Show less