Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA), our long-term Mutual Fund partner, has a few exciting developments that will help us better serve our clients. Although Claris is independent of DFA, DFA is the Mutual Fund company we utilize to help structure and allocate our client’s portfolios, so the changes they are implementing will impact and benefit Claris clients.
Exchange-Traded Funds
DFA has announced Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) strategies they plan on launching before the end of the year. Initially, there are going to be three ETF strategies with possibly more to come down the road. The ETFs will be managed with the longstanding pillars of DFA’s value-added approach to systematic investing. This is good news for Claris clients. We will be looking at how these ETFs will best work with our clients, considering each client’s goals and risk.
Lower Management Fee
Secondly, DFA has lowered their internal management fee across most of their funds. The great thing about DFA is that they are never convinced they have the holy grail in investing so they are constantly testing their research and looking at ways to be more efficient and bring added value. It is this efficiency that has led to the recent reduction of fees. Unknown to most people, DFA has been able to consistently lower their fees over the years as they have become more efficient as a company and they have passed that along to the investor.
At Claris, we adhere to and adopt the investment approach that DFA implements in their fund solutions. We believe this is the best long-term strategy for our clients and the evidence backs it up. DFA is relentless on never being satisfied, which results in changes being made that are value adds for the end investor. We have a partner that knows that there are no guaranteed/magic answers in our industry and there never will be, but vow to keep searching, not from a timing or speculating method but from a rigorous academic, research-driven approach based on the power of markets.
If you have any questions about DFA’s changes or would like to learn how to Understand, Invest and Relax, contact a Claris advisor.
