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GMO Benchmark-Free Allocation Fund
GMO BENCHMARK-FREE ALLOCATION FUND
Investment objective
Positive total return not “relative” return.
Fees and expenses
The tables below describe the fees and expenses that you may bear for each class of shares if you buy and hold shares of the Fund.
Shareholder fees
(fees paid directly from your investment)
Shareholder Fees - GMO Benchmark-Free Allocation Fund
Class III
Class IV
Class MF
Purchase premium (as a percentage of amount invested) 0.20% 0.20% 0.20%
Redemption fee (as a percentage of amount redeemed) 0.20% 0.20% 0.20%
Annual Fund operating expenses
(expenses that you bear each year as a percentage of the value of your investment)
Annual Fund Operating Expenses - GMO Benchmark-Free Allocation Fund
Class III
Class IV
Class MF
Management fee [1] 0.65% 0.65% 0.65%
Shareholder service fee 0.15% [1] 0.10% [1]
Supplemental support fee 0.10% [1],[2]
Other expenses 0.01% 0.01% 0.01%
Acquired fund fees and expenses (underlying fund expenses) [3] 0.28% 0.28% 0.28%
Total annual fund operating expenses 1.09% 1.04% 1.04%
Expense reimbursement/waiver [1] (0.15%) (0.15%) (0.18%) [2]
Total annual fund operating expenses [4] 0.94% 0.89% 0.86%
[1] Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo & Co. LLC ("GMO") has contractually agreed to reimburse the Fund for the following expenses: audit expenses, fund accounting expenses, pricing service expenses, expenses of non-investment related tax services, transfer agency expenses, expenses of non-investment related legal services provided to the Fund by or at the direction of GMO, federal securities law filing expenses, printing expenses, state and federal registration fees and custody expenses. This reimbursement will continue through at least June 30, 2017, and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees. GMO also has contractually agreed to waive or reduce, through at least June 30, 2017, the Fund's management, shareholder service, and supplemental support fees to the extent necessary to offset the management fees and shareholder service fees paid to GMO that are directly or indirectly borne by the Fund or a class of shares of the Fund as a result of the Fund's direct or indirect investments in other series of GMO Trust ("GMO Funds").
[2] GMO has contractually agreed to reduce the rate of the supplemental support fees charged each month to the Fund's Class MF shares based on the net assets attributable to Class MF shares as of the last business day of the preceding month based on the following schedule: 0.10% on the first $6 billion of net assets, 0.05% on the next $2 billion, 0.03% on the next $2 billion, and 0.01% thereafter; provided, however, that the effective rate charged at any time will not be reduced to less than 0.06% of Class MF's average daily net assets. This rate will be calculated before giving effect to any other reduction or waiver. This reduction will continue through at least June 30, 2017, and may not be terminated prior to this date without the action or consent of the Fund's Board of Trustees.
[3] These indirect expenses include interest expense and dividend expenses on short sales that may be incurred by certain underlying funds and also include, to the extent applicable, purchase premiums and redemption fees ("transaction fees") charged by certain underlying funds. Net fees and expenses of underlying funds (before addition of interest expense, dividend expenses on short sales and transaction fees), indirect interest expense, indirect dividend expenses on short sales and indirect transaction fees were approximately 0.15%, less than 0.01%, 0.05% and 0.08%, respectively.
[4] after expense reimbursement/waiver (Fund and underlying fund expenses)
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 $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated. The example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund’s operating expenses remain the same as those shown in the table. The amounts shown reflect applicable expense reimbursements and waivers noted in the expense table. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:
If you sell your shares
Expense Example - GMO Benchmark-Free Allocation Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class III 136 382 647 1,404
Class IV 131 366 620 1,347
Class MF 128 363 617 1,344
If you do not sell your shares
Expense Example, No Redemption - GMO Benchmark-Free Allocation Fund - USD ($)
1 Year
3 Years
5 Years
10 Years
Class III 116 360 623 1,375
Class IV 111 344 596 1,317
Class MF 108 341 593 1,315
Portfolio turnover
The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities. A higher portfolio turnover rate may result in higher transaction costs and, when Fund shares are held in a taxable account, higher taxes. These transaction costs, which are not reflected in Annual Fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund’s performance. During its fiscal year ended February 29, 2016, the Fund’s portfolio turnover rate (including the accounts of Implementation Fund through the period ended July 31, 2015, during which the Fund was consolidated with Implementation Fund, and excluding short-term investments) was 53% of the average value of its portfolio.
Principal investment strategies
The Fund seeks annualized returns of 5% (net of fees) above the Consumer Price Index and annualized volatility (standard deviation) of 5-10%, each over a complete market cycle. GMO does not manage the Fund to, or control the Fund’s risk relative to, any securities index or securities benchmark.

GMO seeks to achieve the Fund’s investment objective by investing in asset classes GMO believes offer the most attractive return and risk opportunities. GMO uses its multi-year forecasts of returns among asset classes, together with its assessment of the relative risks of such asset classes, to determine the Fund’s allocations to various asset classes. An important component of those forecasts is GMO’s expectation that valuations ultimately revert to their fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value. The factors GMO considers and investment methods GMO uses can change over time.

The Fund is structured as a fund of funds and gains its investment exposures primarily by investing in Implementation Fund. In addition, the Fund may invest in any other GMO Fund (together with Implementation Fund, the “underlying GMO Funds”), whether now existing or created in the future. These underlying GMO Funds may include, among others, Alpha Only Fund, Debt Opportunities Fund, Emerging Country Debt Fund, Special Opportunities Fund, and SGM Major Markets Fund (see “Additional Information About the Funds’ Investment Strategies, Risks, and Expenses — Asset Allocation Funds”). Implementation Fund is permitted to invest in any asset class. The Fund also may invest directly in securities (including other underlying funds) and derivatives.

The Fund is permitted to invest (directly or through Implementation Fund or other underlying GMO Funds) in any asset class (including, for example, U.S. and non-U.S. equities (including emerging country equities), U.S. and non-U.S. fixed income securities (including emerging country debt securities), real estate, and commodities), sector, country, or region, and at times may have substantial exposure to a single asset class, sector, country, or region. In addition, the Fund is not restricted in its exposure to any particular market and may invest in securities of companies of any market capitalization, credit quality (including below investment grade securities (commonly referred to as “junk bonds”)), maturity or duration. The Fund may have indirect exposure to derivatives and short sales through its investment in Implementation Fund and the other underlying GMO Funds. GMO’s ability to shift investments within Implementation Fund and between it and the other underlying GMO Funds is not subject to any limits.

Prior to January 1, 2012, the Fund served as a principal component of a broader GMO real return strategy that also included a pooled investment vehicle with a cash-like benchmark. Since January 1, 2012, the Fund has been managed as a standalone investment.

In seeking to achieve the Fund’s investment objective, GMO may invest a significant portion of the Fund’s net assets in cash and cash equivalents. GMO would not consider such investments to be “temporary defensive positions.”

The Fund also may invest in U.S. Treasury Fund, in money market funds unaffiliated with GMO, or directly in the types of investments typically held by money market funds.
Principal risks of investing in the Fund
The value of the Fund’s shares changes with the value of the Fund’s investments. Many factors can affect this value, and you may lose money by investing in the Fund. References to investments include those held directly by the Fund and indirectly through the Fund’s investments in underlying funds (including underlying GMO Funds). Some of the underlying funds are non-diversified investment companies under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and therefore a decline in the market price of a particular security held by those underlying funds may affect the performance of those underlying funds more than if they were diversified investment companies. The principal risks of investing in the Fund are summarized below. For a more complete discussion of these risks, including those risks to which the Fund is exposed as a result of its investments in the underlying funds, see “Description of Principal Risks.”
  • Management and Operational Risk – The Fund runs the risk that GMO’s investment techniques will fail to produce desired results (including the annualized volatility and the annualized returns above the Consumer Price Index that the Fund seeks). In addition, the Fund could produce results consistent with annualized volatility over a complete market cycle yet experience shorter periods of significantly higher or lower volatility. GMO often uses quantitative models as part of its investment process. GMO’s models are not necessarily predictive of future market events and use simplifying assumptions that can limit their effectiveness. In addition, the data on which the models are based is subject to limitations (e.g., inaccuracies, staleness) that could adversely affect the Fund’s performance. The Fund also runs the risk that GMO’s assessment of an investment (including a company’s fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value) may be wrong or that deficiencies in GMO’s or another service provider’s internal systems or controls will cause losses for the Fund or impair Fund operations.

  • Market Risk – Equities – The market price of an equity may decline due to factors affecting the issuer, its industry or the economy and equity markets generally. If an underlying fund purchases an equity for less than its fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value as determined by GMO, the Fund runs the risk that the market price of the equity will not appreciate or will decline due to GMO’s incorrect assessment of the equity’s fundamental fair (or intrinsic) value. An underlying fund also may purchase equities that typically trade at higher multiples of current earnings than other securities, and the market prices of these equities often are more sensitive to changes in future earnings expectations than the market prices of equities trading at lower multiples. Declines in stock market prices generally are likely to reduce the net asset value of the Fund’s shares.

  • Non-U.S. Investment Risk – The market prices of many non-U.S. securities fluctuate more than those of U.S. securities. Many non-U.S. securities markets are less stable, smaller, less liquid, and less regulated than U.S. securities markets, and the cost of trading in those markets often is higher than in U.S. securities markets. Transactions in non-U.S. securities generally involve higher commission rates, transfer taxes, and custodial costs than similar transactions in U.S. securities. In addition, the Fund may be subject to non-U.S. taxes, including potentially on a retroactive basis, on (i) capital gains it realizes or dividends, interest, or other amounts it realizes or accrues in respect of non-U.S. investments; (ii) transactions in those investments; and (iii) repatriation of proceeds generated from the sale or other disposition of those investments. Also, the Fund needs a license to invest directly in many non-U.S. securities markets, and the Fund is subject to the risk that it could not invest if its license were terminated or suspended. In some non-U.S. securities markets, prevailing custody and trade settlement practices (e.g., the requirement to pay for securities prior to receipt) expose the Fund to credit and other risks. Further, adverse changes in investment regulations, capital requirements or exchange controls could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments. These and other risks (e.g., nationalization, expropriation or other confiscation of assets of non-U.S. issuers) tend to be greater for investments in companies tied economically to emerging countries, the economies of which may be predominantly based on only a few industries or dependent on revenues from particular commodities and which often are more volatile than the economies of developed countries.

  • Market Risk – Fixed Income Investments – The market price of a fixed income investment can decline due to market-related factors, including rising interest rates and widening credit spreads, or decreased liquidity stemming from the market’s uncertainty about the value of a fixed income investment (or class of fixed income investments).

  • Derivatives and Short Sales Risk – The use of derivatives involves the risk that their value may not change as expected relative to changes in the value of the underlying assets, rates, or indices. Derivatives also present other risks, including market risk, illiquidity risk, currency risk, credit risk, and counterparty risk. The market price of an option is affected by many factors, including changes in the market prices or dividend rates of underlying securities (or in the case of indices, the securities in such indices); the time remaining before expiration; changes in interest rates or exchange rates; and changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the relevant stock market and underlying securities. The Fund may create short investment exposure by taking a derivative position in which the value of the derivative moves in the opposite direction from the price of an underlying investment, pool of investments, index or currency. The risks of loss associated with derivatives that provide short investment exposure and short sales of securities are theoretically unlimited.

  • Futures Contracts Risk – The risk of loss to the Fund resulting from its use of futures contracts is potentially unlimited. Futures markets are highly volatile and the use of futures contracts may increase the volatility of the Fund’s net asset value. A liquid secondary market may not exist for any particular futures contract at any particular time and the Fund might be unable to effect closing transactions to terminate its exposure to the contract. If the Fund uses futures contracts for hedging purposes, it runs the risk of imperfect correlation between changes in the prices of the contracts and changes in the securities, index, or other asset underlying the contracts or movements in the prices of the Fund’s investments that are the subject of the hedge. In addition, the Fund may be delayed or prevented from recovering margin or other amounts deposited with a futures commission merchant or futures clearinghouse. Foreign futures contracts may be less liquid and more volatile than U.S. contracts.

  • Credit Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the issuer or guarantor of a fixed income investment or the obligor of an obligation underlying an asset-backed security will be unable or unwilling to satisfy its obligation to pay principal and interest or otherwise to honor its obligations in a timely manner. The market price of a fixed income investment will normally decline as a result of the issuer’s, guarantor’s, or obligor’s failure to meet its payment obligations, or in anticipation of such failure. Below investment grade securities have speculative characteristics, and changes in economic conditions or other circumstances are more likely to impair the ability of issuers of those securities to make principal and interest payments than is the case with issuers of investment grade securities.

  • Currency Risk – Fluctuations in exchange rates can adversely affect the market value of the Fund’s foreign currency holdings and investments denominated in foreign currencies.

  • Fund of Funds Risk – The Fund is indirectly exposed to all of the risks of an investment in the underlying funds (including underlying GMO Funds) in which it invests, including the risk that those underlying funds will not perform as expected.

  • Commodities Risk – Commodity prices can be extremely volatile, and exposure to commodities can cause the net asset value of the Fund’s shares to decline or fluctuate in a rapid and unpredictable manner.

  • Merger Arbitrage Risk – If the Fund purchases securities in anticipation of a proposed merger, exchange offer, tender offer, or other similar transaction and that transaction later appears unlikely to be consummated or, in fact, is not consummated or is delayed, the market prices of the securities purchased by the Fund may decline sharply, resulting in losses to the Fund. The risk/reward payout of merger arbitrage strategies typically is asymmetric, as the losses in failed transactions often far exceed the gains in successful transactions. Merger arbitrage strategies are subject to the risk of overall market movements, and the Fund may experience losses even if a transaction is consummated.

  • Illiquidity Risk – Low trading volume, lack of a market maker, large position size, or legal restrictions may limit or prevent the Fund or an underlying fund from selling particular securities or closing derivative positions at desirable prices.

  • Leveraging Risk – The use of reverse repurchase agreements and other derivatives and securities lending creates leverage. Leverage increases the Fund’s losses when the value of its investments (including derivatives) declines.

  • Counterparty Risk – The Fund runs the risk that the counterparty to a derivatives contract, a clearing member used by the Fund to hold a cleared derivatives contract, or a borrower of the Fund’s securities will be unable or unwilling to make timely settlement payments, return the Fund’s margin or otherwise honor its obligations.

  • Small Company Risk – Smaller companies may have limited product lines, markets, or financial resources, may lack the competitive strength of larger companies, may have inexperienced managers or may depend on a few key employees. The securities of companies with smaller market capitalizations often are less widely held and trade less frequently and in lesser quantities, and their market prices often fluctuate more, than the securities of companies with larger market capitalizations.

  • Market Disruption and Geopolitical Risk – Geopolitical and other events may disrupt securities markets and adversely affect global economies and markets. Those events, as well as other changes in non-U.S. and U.S. economic and political conditions, could adversely affect the value of the Fund’s investments.

  • Market Risk – Asset-Backed Securities – The market price of fixed income investments with complex structures, such as asset-backed securities, can decline due to a variety of factors, including market uncertainty about their credit quality and the reliability of their payment streams. Payment streams associated with asset-backed securities held by the Fund depend on many factors (e.g., the cash flow generated by the assets backing the securities, the deal structure, the creditworthiness of any credit-support provider, and the reliability of various other service providers with access to the payment stream), and a problem in any one of these factors can lead to a reduction in the payment stream GMO expected the Fund to receive at the time the Fund purchased the asset-backed security.

  • Focused Investment Risk – Investments focused in countries, regions, sectors, industries, or issuers that are subject to the same or similar risk factors and investments whose prices are closely correlated are subject to greater overall risk than investments that are more diversified or whose prices are not as closely correlated.

  • Large Shareholder Risk – To the extent that a large number of shares of the Fund is held by a single shareholder (e.g., an institutional investor), the Fund is subject to the risk that a redemption by that shareholder of all or a large portion of its Fund shares will require the Fund to sell securities at disadvantageous prices or otherwise disrupt the Fund’s operations.

Performance
The bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the Fund’s annual total returns from year to year for the periods indicated and by comparing the Fund’s average annual total returns for different calendar periods with those of the Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes: 1-10 Year Index and the Consumer Price Index. Purchase premiums and redemption fees are not reflected in the bar chart, but are reflected in the table; as a result, the returns in the table are lower than the returns in the bar chart. Returns in the table reflect current purchase premiums and redemption fees. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on your tax situation and may differ from those shown. After-tax returns shown are not relevant if you are tax-exempt or if you hold your Fund shares through tax-advantaged arrangements (such as a 401(k) plan or individual retirement account). After-tax returns are shown for Class III shares only; after-tax returns for other classes will vary. Updated performance information for the Fund is available at www.gmo.com. Past performance (before and after taxes) is not an indication of future performance.
Annual Total Returns/Class III Shares
Years Ending December 31
Bar Chart
[1] The returns shown for periods prior to January 1, 2012 are for Class III shares of the Fund under the Fund's prior fee arrangement. Under the Fund's current fee arrangement, the returns for periods prior to January 1, 2012 would have been lower.
Highest Quarter: 9.19% (2Q2009)
Lowest Quarter: – 6.90% (4Q2008)
Year-to-Date (as of 3/31/16): 0.16%
Average Annual Total Returns
Periods Ending December 31, 2015
Average Annual Total Returns - GMO Benchmark-Free Allocation Fund
1 Year
5 Years
10 Years
Incept.
Inception Date
Class III [1] (4.67%) 4.07% 5.60% 8.77% Jul. 23, 2003
Class III | Return After Taxes on Distributions [1] (5.34%) 3.32% 3.89% 6.86% Jul. 23, 2003
Class III | Return After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares [1] (2.48%) 2.98% 4.02% 6.65% Jul. 23, 2003
Class III | Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes: 1-10 Year Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) [1] (0.52%) 1.64% 3.51% 3.76% Jul. 23, 2003
Class III | Consumer Price Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) [1] 0.72% 1.55% 1.87% 2.10% Jul. 23, 2003
Class IV (4.61%) 2.58% Dec. 11, 2012
Class IV | Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes: 1-10 Year Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) (0.52%) (1.92%) Dec. 11, 2012
Class IV | Consumer Price Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 0.72% 0.96% Dec. 11, 2012
Class MF (4.60%) 3.00% Mar. 01, 2012
Class MF | Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation Notes: 1-10 Year Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) (0.52%) (0.55%) Mar. 01, 2012
Class MF | Consumer Price Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes) 0.72% 1.06% Mar. 01, 2012
[1] The returns shown for periods prior to January 1, 2012 are for Class III shares of the Fund under the Fund's prior fee arrangement. Under the Fund's current fee arrangement, the returns for periods prior to January 1, 2012 would have been lower.