Six Smart Steps To Investing
Approach
Persistance in Fund Outperformance: At the end of each year, funds are sorted within their category based on their five-year total return. Funds in the top quartile (25%) of returns are evaluated again in the following year based on one-year performance in order to determine the percentage of funds that maintained a top-quartile ranking. The analysis is repeated each year from 2007–2016. The chart shows average persistence of top-quartile funds during the 10-year period.
US-domiciled open-end mutual fund data is from Morningstar and Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP) from the University of Chicago. Index funds and fund-of-funds are excluded from the sample.
Equity fund sample includes the Morningstar historical categories: Diversified Emerging Markets, Europe Stock, Foreign Large Blend, Foreign Large Growth, Foreign Large Value, Foreign Small/Mid Blend, Foreign Small/Mid Growth, Foreign Small/Mid Value, Japan Stock, Large Blend, Large Growth, Large Value, Mid- Cap Blend, Mid-Cap Value, Miscellaneous Region, Pacific ex-Japan Stock, Small Blend, Small Growth, Small Value, and World Stock.
Fixed income fund sample includes the Morningstar historical categories: Corporate Bond, Inflation-Protected Bond, Intermediate Government, Intermediate-Term Bond, Muni California Intermediate, Muni National Intermediate, Muni National Short, Muni New York Intermediate, Muni Single State Short, Short Government, Short-Term Bond, Ultrashort Bond, and World Bond.
For additional information regarding the Morningstar historical categories, please see “The Morningstar Category Classifications” at morningstardirect.morningstar.com/clientcomm/ Morningstar_Categories_US_April_2016.pdf. See Dimensional’s “Mutual Fund Landscape 2017” for more detail. Benchmark data provided by Bloomberg Barclays, MSCI, Russell, Citigroup, and S&P. Bloomberg Barclays data provided by Bloomberg. MSCI data © MSCI 2017, all rights reserved. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Citi fixed income indices © 2017 by Citigroup. The S&P data is provided by Standard & Poor’s Index Services Group.
Markets
In US dollars. Global electronic order book (largest 60 exchanges). Source: World Federation of Exchanges.
US Large Cap is the S&P 500 Index. US Large Cap Value is the Russell 1000 Value Index. US Small Cap is the Russell 2000 Index. US Small Cap Value is the Russell 2000 Value Index. US Real Estate is the Dow Jones US Select REIT Index. International Large Cap Value is the MSCI World ex USA Value Index (net dividends). International Small Cap Value is the MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Value Index (net dividends). Emerging Markets is the MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends). Five-Year US Government Fixed is the Bloomberg Barclays US TIPS Index 1–5 Years. The S&P data is provided by Standard & Poor’s Index Services Group. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Dow Jones data provided by Dow Jones Indices. MSCI data ©MSCI 2017, all rights reserved. Bloomberg Barclays data provided by Bloomberg. Indices are not available for direct investment. Index performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Diversification
Illustration about outperforming markets–In US dollars. Diversification does not eliminate the risk of market loss. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio. Source: S&P data provided by Standard & Poor’s Index Services Group. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Dow Jones data provided by Dow Jones indices. Dimensional Index data compiled by Dimensional. MSCI data © 2016, all rights reserved. The BofA Merrill Lynch Indices are used with permission; copyright 2016 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated; all rights reserved. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Bloomberg Barclays data provided by Bloomberg. Citi fixed income indices copyright 2016 by Citigroup.
Illustration about global equity markets–In US dollars. Diversification does not eliminate the risk of market loss. Market cap data is free-float adjusted from Bloomberg securities data. Many nations not displayed. Total may not equal 100% due to rounding. For educational purposes; should not be used as investment advice. China market capitalization excludes A-shares, which are generally only available to mainland China investors. For educational purposes; should not be used as investment advice.
Dimensions
1. Beta: A quantitative measure of the co-movement of a given stock, mutual fund, or portfolio with the overall market.
2. Price-to-Book Ratio: A company’s capitalization divided by its book value. It compares the market’s valuation of a company to the value of that company as indicated on its financial statements.
3. Profitability: A measure of a company’s current profits. We define this as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense, scaled by book equity.
Risk
Diversification does not eliminate the risk of market loss. There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful. This information is for illustrative purposes only.
Expenses
Results assume a 10% average annual return and a 2.0% annual expense ratio. The results are hypothetical and do not represent any particular mutual fund. Source: personal.vanguard.com.
Sustainability Investing
Certain information incorporated herein has been provided by MSCI ESG Research Inc. (“ESG”). Although Dimensional Fund Advisors’ information providers, including without limitation, ESG and its affiliates (the “ESG Parties”), obtain information from sources they consider reliable, none of the ESG Parties warrants or guarantees the originality, accuracy, and/or completeness of any data herein. None of the ESG Parties makes any express or implied warranties of any kind, and the ESG Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to any data herein. None of the ESG Parties shall have any liability for any errors or omissions in connection with any data herein. Further, without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the ESG Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential, or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes.
The sustainability score of each company is based on sustainability criteria created by Dimensional. The weighting of companies in each sustainability score category (e.g., “Most Sustainable,” “Above Average,” “Average,” “Below Average,” and “Least Sustainable”) is determined by computing breakpoints based on each company’s sustainability score within its respective target market. Certain information incorporated herein has been provided by MSCI ESG Research Inc. (“ESG”). Although Dimensional Fund Advisors’ information providers, including without limitation, ESG and its affiliates (the “ESG Parties”), obtain information from sources they consider reliable, none of the ESG Parties warrants or guarantees the originality, accuracy, and/or completeness of any data herein. None of the ESG Parties makes any express or implied warranties of any kind, and the ESG Parties hereby expressly disclaim all warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to any data herein. None of the ESG Parties shall have any liability for any errors or omissions in connection with any data herein. Further, without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall any of the ESG Parties have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential, or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes.
Quotes Sources
Warren Buffett, Letter from Warren E. Buffett to the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Berkshire Hathaway Inc.: Shareholder letters (1980).
Mark Hanna, from the Wolf of Wallstreet. Martin Scorsese. Paramount Pictures, 2013.
David Booth, “A veteran DFA exec tells what enduring RIA success is made of—and why the next-gen advisors will not disappoint,” RIA Biz (August 2013).
Merton Miller, Investment Gurus (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
John Kenneth Galbraith, Future Babble: Why Expert Predictions Fail—and Why We Believe Them Anyway (Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 2010).
John Maynard Keynes, The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money (London: Macmillan, 1936).
Merton Miller, Investment Gurus (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997).
Kenneth French, “Stock price best value guide, war or not,” Australian Financial Review (March 2003).
Kenneth French, “Mission Improbable,” CFA Magazine (September/October 2005).
Paul Samuelson, “Mutual Funds Report; Just Relax, Put Your Feet Up, and Make Money,” New York Times (April 2004).
Burton Malkiel, “’Random Walk’ author Malkiel bullish on international index funds,” Oregonian (December 2010).
William Bernstein, The Intelligent Asset Allocator (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2001).
Eugene Fama, “Efficient Capital Markets: II,” Journal of Finance Vol. 46, No. 5. (Dec., 1991), 1575-1617.
Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out (New York: Perseus Publishing Company, 1999).
Ron Ross, The Unbeatable Market: Taking the Indexing Path to Financial Peace of Mind (George Ross, 2001).
Michael Lewis, “The Evolution of an Investor,” Portfolio (2007).
Alan Abelson, Story Telling for Financial Advisors (Chicago: Dearborn Financial Publishing, 2000), 213.
Daniel Kahneman, The Little Book of Common Sense Investing (Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons, 2007).
Burton Malkiel, A Random Walk Down Wall Street (New York: W.W. Norton and Company: 1973), 246.
Friedrich Hayek, The Fatal Conceit: The Errors of Socialism (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1988), 76.
Robert Merton, “The Financial Innovator,” Business Times Weekend (August 2013), 10-11.
Most Warren Buffett quotes, TEBI, https://www.evidenceinvestor.com/warren-buffetts-advice-investors-25-quotes/. Robin Powell (May 2018).
Dimensional’s performance: portfolios and benchmarks
–US Small Cap benchmark is Russell 2000 Index.
–US Large Cap Value benchmark is Russell 1000 Value Index.
–US Small Cap Value benchmark is Russell 2000 Value Index.
–International Small Company prospectus benchmark is MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends). Due to unavailability of returns data from inception date, performance is that of MSCI All Country World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends) from 10/96 to 12/98 and MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends) from 1/99 forward.
–International Small Cap Value prospectus benchmark is MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends). Due to unavailability of returns data from inception date, performance is that of MSCI All Country World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends) from 1/95 to 12/98 and MSCI World ex USA Small Cap Index (net dividends) from 1/99 forward.
–International Value benchmark is MSCI World ex USA Index (net dividends).
–Emerging Markets Small Cap prospectus benchmark is MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends). Due to unavailability of returns data from inception date, performance is that of MSCI Emerging Markets Index (gross dividends) from 4/98 to 12/98 and MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends) from 1/99 forward.
–Emerging Markets Value prospectus benchmark is MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends). Due to unavailability of returns data from inception date, performance is that of MSCI Emerging Markets Index (gross dividends) from 5/98 to 12/98 and MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends) from 1/99 forward.
–Emerging Markets prospectus benchmark is MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends). Due to unavailability of returns data from inception date, performance is that of MSCI Emerging Markets Index (gross dividends) from 5/94 to 12/98 and MSCI Emerging Markets Index (net dividends) from 1/99 forward.
–One-Year Fixed benchmark is BofA Merrill Lynch 6-Month US Treasury Bill Index
–Intermediate Government benchmark is Bloomberg Barclays US Government Bond Index
–Five-Year Global benchmark is Citigroup World Government Bond Index 1-5 Years (hedged to USD).
Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. MSCI data © MSCI 2016, all rights reserved. Except as noted above, MSCI indices are net of foreign withholding taxes on dividends since January 1999. © 2016 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated; all rights reserved. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Bloomberg Barclays data provided by Bloomberg. Citigroup bond indices © 2016 by Citigroup. Indices are not available for direct investment.
Returns are annualized from the first full month and reflect compound returns and assume reinvestment of dividends and other earnings. Performance data shown represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Current performance may be higher or lower than the performance shown. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. To obtain the most current month-end performance data, visit us.dimensional.com.
Data Appendix
–Stock is the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest of the corporation.
–Treasury securities are negotiable debt issued by the United States Department of the Treasury. They are backed by the government’s full faith and credit and are exempt from state and local taxes.
–CRSP is a non-profit center that also functions as a vendor of historical data. CRSP end-of-day historical data covers roughly 26,500 stocks, both active and inactive. OTC bulletin board stocks are not included.
–US-domiciled mutual fund data is from the CRSP Survivor-Bias-Free US Mutual Fund Database, provided by the Center for Research in Security Prices, University of Chicago.
–Certain types of equity and fixed income funds were excluded from the performance study. For equities, index funds, sector funds, and funds with a narrow investment focus, such as real estate and gold, were excluded. Index funds, money market funds, municipal bond funds, and asset-backed security funds were excluded from fixed income.
–Funds are identified using Lipper fund classification codes. Correlation coefficients are computed for each fund with respect to diversified benchmark indices using all return data available between January 1, 2001, and December 31, 2015. The index most highly correlated with a fund is assigned as its benchmark. Winner funds are those whose cumulative return over the period exceeded that of their respective benchmark. Loser funds are funds that did not survive the period or whose cumulative return did not exceed their respective benchmark.
–Expense ratio ranges: The ranges of expense ratios for equity funds over the five-, 10-, and 15-year periods are 0.01% to 4.90%, 0.01% to 4.72%, and 0.07% to 4.44%, respectively. For fixed income funds, ranges over the same periods are 0.02% to 3.09%, 0.06% to 2.67%, and 0.03% to 3.66%, respectively.
–Portfolio turnover ranges: Ranges for equity fund turnover over the five-, 10-, and 15-year periods are 1% to 1,535%, 1% to 1,388%, and 2% to 2,318%, respectively.
–Benchmark data provided by Bloomberg Barclays, MSCI, Russell, Citigroup, BofA Merrill Lynch, and S&P. Bloomberg Barclays data provided by Bloomberg. MSCI data © MSCI 2016, all rights reserved. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes. Citigroup bond indices © 2016 by Citigroup. The BofA Merrill Lynch index is used with permission; © 2016 Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated; all rights reserved. Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. The S&P data is provided by Standard & Poor’s Index Services Group. Benchmark indices are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio.
–Mutual fund investment values will fluctuate, and shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than original cost. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against a loss in a declining market. There is no guarantee investment strategies will be successful.
–Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Index Descriptions
–Dimensional US Small Cap Index was created by Dimensional in March 2007 and is compiled by Dimensional. It represents a market-capitalization-weighted index of securities of the smallest US companies whose market capitalization falls in the lowest 8% of the total market capitalization of the Eligible Market. The Eligible Market is composed of securities of US companies traded on the NYSE, NYSE MKT (formerly AMEX), and Nasdaq Global Market. Exclusions: Non-US companies, REITs, UITs, and investment companies. From January 1975 to the present, the index also excludes companies with the lowest profitability and highest relative price within the small cap universe. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: CRSP and Compustat. The index monthly returns are computed as the simple average of the monthly returns of 12 sub-indices, each one reconstituted once a year at the end of a different month of the year. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional US Small Cap Index was amended on January 1, 2014, to include profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index.
–Dimensional US Small Cap Value Index is compiled by Dimensional from CRSP and Compustat data. Targets securities of US companies traded on the NYSE, NYSE MKT (formerly AMEX), and Nasdaq Global Market whose relative price is in the bottom 35% of the Dimensional US Small Cap Index after the exclusion of utilities, companies lacking financial data, and companies with negative relative price. The index emphasizes securities with higher profitability, lower relative price, and lower market capitalization. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Exclusions: non-US companies, REITs, UITs, and investment companies. The index has been retroactively calculated by Dimensional and did not exist prior to March 2007. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional US Small Cap Value Index was amended in January 2014 to include direct profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index. Prior to January 1975: Targets securities of US companies traded on the NYSE, NYSE MKT (formerly AMEX), and Nasdaq Global Market whose relative price is in the bottom 25% of the Dimensional US Small Cap Index after the exclusion of utilities, companies lacking financial data, and companies with negative relative price.
–Dimensional International Marketwide Value Index is compiled by Dimensional from Bloomberg securities data. The index consists of companies whose relative price is in the bottom 33% of their country’s companies after the exclusion of utilities and companies with either negative or missing relative price data. The index emphasizes companies with smaller capitalization, lower relative price, and higher profitability. The index also excludes those companies with the lowest profitability and highest relative price within their country’s value universe. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Exclusions: REITs and investment companies. The index has been retroactively calculated by Dimensional and did not exist prior to April 2008. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional International Marketwide Value Index was amended in January 2014 to include direct profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index.
–Dimensional International Small Cap Index was created by Dimensional in April 2008 and is compiled by Dimensional. July 1981–December 1993: It Includes non-US developed securities in the bottom 10% of market capitalization in each eligible country. All securities are market capitalization weighted. Each country is capped at 50%. Rebalanced semiannually. January 1994–Present: Market-capitalization-weighted index of small company securities in the eligible markets excluding those with the lowest profitability and highest relative price within the small cap universe. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. The index monthly returns are computed as the simple average of the monthly returns of four sub-indices, each one reconstituted once a year at the end of a different quarter of the year. Prior to July 1981, the index is 50% UK and 50% Japan. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional International Small Cap Index was amended on January 1, 2014, to include profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index.
–Dimensional International Small Cap Value Index is defined as companies whose relative price is in the bottom 35% of their country’s respective constituents in the Dimensional International Small Cap Index after the exclusion of utilities and companies with either negative or missing relative price data. The index also excludes those companies with the lowest profitability within their country’s small value universe. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Exclusions: REITs and investment companies. The index has been retroactively calculated by Dimensional and did not exist prior to April 2008. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional International Small Cap Value Index was amended in January 2014 to include direct profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index. Prior to January 1994: Created by Dimensional; includes securities of MSCI EAFE countries in the top 30% of book-to-market by market capitalization conditional on the securities being in the bottom 10% of market capitalization, excluding the bottom 1%. All securities are market-capitalization weighted. Each country is capped at 50%; rebalanced semiannually.
–Dimensional US High Profitability Index was created by Dimensional in January 2014 and represents an index consisting of US companies. It is compiled by Dimensional. Dimensional sorts stocks into three profitability groups from high to low. Each group represents one-third of the market capitalization. Similarly, stocks are sorted into three relative price groups. The intersections of the three profitability groups and the three relative price groups yield nine subgroups formed on profitability and relative price. The index represents the average return of the three high-profitability subgroups. It is rebalanced twice per year. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: CRSP and Compustat.
–Dimensional US Low Profitability Index was created by Dimensional in January 2014 and represents an index consisting of US companies. It is compiled by Dimensional. Dimensional sorts stocks into three profitability groups from high to low. Each group represents one-third of the market capitalization. Similarly, stocks are sorted into three relative price groups. The intersections of the three profitability groups and the three relative price groups yield nine subgroups formed on profitability and relative price. The index represents the average return of the three low-profitability subgroups. It is rebalanced twice per year. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: CRSP and Compustat.
–Dimensional International Low Profitability Index was created by Dimensional in January 2013 and represents an index consisting of non-US developed companies. It is compiled by Dimensional. Dimensional sorts stocks into three profitability groups from high to low. Each group represents one-third of the market capitalization of each eligible country. Similarly, stocks are sorted into three relative price groups. The intersections of the three profitability groups and the three relative price groups yield nine subgroups formed on profitability and relative price. The index represents the average return of the three low-profitability subgroups. The index is rebalanced twice per year. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: Bloomberg.
–Dimensional International High Profitability Index was created by Dimensional in January 2013 and represents an index consisting of non-US developed companies. It is compiled by Dimensional. Dimensional sorts stocks into three profitability groups from high to low. Each group represents one-third of the market capitalization of each eligible country. Similarly, stocks are sorted into three relative price groups. The intersections of the three profitability groups and the three relative price groups yield nine subgroups formed on profitability and relative price. The index represents the average return of the three high-profitability subgroups. The index is rebalanced twice per year. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: Bloomberg.
–Dimensional Emerging Markets Index is compiled by Dimensional from Bloomberg securities data. Market capitalization-weighted index of all securities in the eligible markets. The index has been retroactively calculated by Dimensional and did not exist prior to April 2008.
–Dimensional Emerging Markets Value Index is compiled by Dimensional from Bloomberg securities data. The index consists of companies whose relative price is in the bottom 33% of their country’s companies after the exclusion of utilities and companies with either negative or missing relative price data. The index emphasizes companies with smaller capitalization, lower relative price, and higher profitability. The index also excludes those companies with the lowest profitability and highest relative price within their country’s value universe. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Exclusions: REITs and investment companies. The index has been retroactively calculated by Dimensional and did not exist prior to April 2008. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional Emerging Markets Value Index was amended in January 2014 to include profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index. Prior to January 1994: Fama/French Emerging Markets Value Index.
–Dimensional Emerging Markets Low Profitability Index was created by Dimensional in April 2013 and represents an index consisting of emerging markets companies and is compiled by Dimensional. Dimensional sorts stocks into three profitability groups from high to low. Each group represents one-third of the market capitalization of each eligible country. Similarly, stocks are sorted into three relative price groups. The intersections of the three profitability groups and the three relative price groups yield nine subgroups formed on profitability and relative price. The index represents the average return of the three low-profitability subgroups. The index is rebalanced twice per year. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: Bloomberg.
–Dimensional Emerging Markets High Profitability Index was created by Dimensional in April 2013 and represents an index consisting of emerging markets companies and is compiled by Dimensional. Dimensional sorts stocks into three profitability groups from high to low. Each group represents one-third of the market capitalization of each eligible country. Similarly, stocks are sorted into three relative price groups. The intersections of the three profitability groups and the three relative price groups yield nine subgroups formed on profitability and relative price. The index represents the average return of the three high-profitability subgroups. The index is rebalanced twice per year. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. Source: Bloomberg.
–Dimensional Emerging Markets Small Cap Index was created by Dimensional in April 2008 and is compiled by Dimensional. January 1989–December 1993: Fama/French Emerging Markets Small Cap Index. January 1994–Present: Dimensional Emerging Markets Small Index Composition: Market-capitalization-weighted index of small company securities in the eligible markets excluding those with the lowest profitability and highest relative price within the small cap universe. Profitability is measured as operating income before depreciation and amortization minus interest expense scaled by book. The index monthly returns are computed as the simple average of the monthly returns of four sub-indices, each one reconstituted once a year at the end of a different quarter of the year. Source: Bloomberg. The calculation methodology for the Dimensional Emerging Markets Small Cap Index was amended on January 1, 2014, to include profitability as a factor in selecting securities for inclusion in the index.
–Fama/French US Value Index Provided by Fama/French from CRSP securities data. Includes the lower 30% in price-to-book of NYSE securities (plus NYSE Amex equivalents since July 1962 and Nasdaq equivalents since 1973).
Fama/French US Growth Index Provided by Fama/French from CRSP securities data. Includes the higher 30% in price-to-book of NYSE securities (plus NYSE Amex equivalents since July 1962 and Nasdaq equivalents since 1973).
–Fama/French International Value Index: 2008–present: Provided by Fama/French from Bloomberg securities data. Simulated strategy of MSCI EAFE + Canada countries in the lower 30% price-to-book range. 1975–2007: Provided by Fama/French from MSCI securities data.
–Fama/French International Growth Index: 2008–present: Provided by Fama/French from Bloomberg securities data. Simulated strategy of MSCI EAFE + Canada countries in the higher 30% price-to-book range. 1975–2007: Provided by Fama/French from MSCI securities data.
–Fama/French Emerging Markets Value Index: 2009–present: Provided by Fama/French from Bloomberg securities data. Simulated strategy using IFC investable universe countries. Companies in the lower 30% price-to-book range; companies weighted by float-adjusted market cap; countries weighted by country float-adjusted market cap; rebalanced monthly. 1989–2008: Provided by Fama/French from IFC securities data. IFC data provided by International Finance Corporation.
–Fama/French Emerging Markets Growth Index : 2009–present: Provided by Fama/French from Bloomberg securities data. Simulated strategy using IFC investable universe countries. Companies in the higher 30% price-to-book range; companies weighted by float-adjusted market cap; countries weighted by country float-adjusted market cap; rebalanced monthly. 1989–2008: Provided by Fama/French from IFC securities data. IFC data provided by International Finance Corporation.
–The Dimensional Indices have been retrospectively calculated by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP and did not exist prior to their index inceptions dates. Accordingly, results shown during the periods prior to each Index’s index inception date do not represent actual returns of the Index. Other periods selected may have different results, including losses. Backtested index performance is hypothetical and is provided for informational purposes only to indicate historical performance had the index been calculated over the relevant time periods. Backtested performance results assume the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains.
–Results shown during periods prior to each Index’s index inception date do not represent actual returns of the respective index. Other periods selected may have different results, including losses. Backtested index performance is hypothetical and is provided for informational purposes only to indicate historical performance had the index been calculated over the relevant time periods. Backtested performance results assume the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains.
The indices are not available for direct investment; therefore, their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio. Past performance is no guarantee of future results, and there is always the risk that an investor may lose money.
Additional Data Sources
personal.vanguard.com
us.dimensional.com
www.thefiduciaryinstitute.org
www.xyplanningnetwork.com
www.dalbar.com
www.barrons.com
www.ifa.com
www.riabiz.com
www.investmentnews.com
www.advisorperspectives.com
www.danielsolin.com
review.chicagobooth.edu
us.spindices.com/spiva
www.evidenceinvestor.com