Dimensional Fund Advisors, DFA

Happy summer to all! By now we have survived some triple digit days and we are only weeks away from College Football kickoff, so the end is in sight.

Earlier this year Mike and I became familiar with Dimensional Fund Advisors, DFA – a mutual fund family managing more than $356 billion with 11 offices around the globe. After a series of telephone interviews, surveys and a two day seminar at their campus in Austin, the reps came to Ardmore for an office visit. Only then were we allowed to join the exclusive network of independent advisors who are registered to purchase Dimensional funds for our clients.

The basis for Dimensional investment success is the analytical research techniques used to select among the thousands of domestic and foreign securities for those suitable for its more than 75 mutual funds. University of Chicago professor and Noble Prize winner for economics, Eugene Fama, was instrumental in developing the original algorithm for security selection, and he continues to be an active participant with the firm.
Mike and I were very impressed with the on-campus experience during our two-day conference. The offices are staffed with bright and energetic professionals of all ages, from all over the globe – a young female analyst from the Czech Republic, and a seven foot Sudan-born Kansas basketball player working on his PhD. were among the more memorable characters. The December 3, 2013 Forbes article about DFA reads ”In short, DFA sets the standard for investor stewardship, innovation, and application that other firms should live up to.”
Another attractive feature for DFA is the support it provides the selected advisors. They are actually conducting our next Lunch and Learn session which we have scheduled for September 11, again noon at Café Alley. The topic will be “Redefining Investment Advice” or “Do you need a crystal ball to have a successful investment experience?” Mike and I have seen this informative and entertaining presentation and we specifically selected this topic because it will interest all of our clients. Official invitations will come out soon, but go ahead save the date, and call Kayla to save your seat – 580-226-4058.

We look forward to adding DFA mutual funds as another component of your portfolios. You can go to their website, mydimensional.com for more information on DFA, it is very impressive.

We hope to see you on September 11th.
Jack, Mike and Kayla