Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) is a global investment management firm with a significant presence in the UK. They are known for their evidence-based investment philosophy, which is rooted in academic research and focuses on factors like value (cheap stocks), small size (small-cap stocks), and profitability. Dimensional’s approach is distinct from traditional active management, which relies on stock picking and market timing, and from purely passive index tracking. In the UK, Dimensional offers a range of investment solutions across different asset classes, including equities (UK, global, emerging markets), fixed income (UK gilts, global bonds), and multi-asset strategies. These strategies are typically implemented through collective investment schemes like unit trusts and OEICs (Open-Ended Investment Companies) which are available to both retail and institutional investors through financial advisors. The core principles of Dimensional’s investment philosophy, as applied in the UK market, are as follows: * **Embracing Market Efficiency:** Dimensional believes that markets are relatively efficient, meaning that prices generally reflect available information. Therefore, attempting to consistently beat the market through stock picking or market timing is considered highly unlikely. * **Targeting Factors:** Instead of trying to predict market movements, Dimensional focuses on systematically targeting specific factors that have historically shown to generate higher returns over long periods, such as value, small-cap, and profitability. They overweigh companies with these characteristics in their portfolios. * **Low Cost and High Turnover Management:** While not strictly passive, Dimensional emphasizes keeping investment costs low, including management fees and trading costs. Their investment process involves relatively low turnover compared to traditional active managers, which helps minimize trading expenses. * **Systematic Implementation:** Dimensional utilizes a systematic and rules-based approach to portfolio construction and rebalancing. This reduces the potential for human biases and ensures consistency in the investment process. Portfolios are rebalanced regularly to maintain the desired exposure to targeted factors. * **Diversification:** Diversification is a crucial element of Dimensional’s investment strategy. They construct portfolios that are broadly diversified across many different securities, minimizing the impact of any single stock or sector on overall performance. * **Patient and Long-Term Perspective:** Dimensional advocates a long-term investment horizon. The factors they target may experience periods of underperformance relative to the broader market. Patience is required to allow these factors to deliver their expected long-term benefits. Dimensional works closely with financial advisors in the UK, providing them with the resources and support needed to implement their investment strategies for clients. They conduct extensive research and education programs for advisors, explaining the rationale behind their approach and helping them communicate it effectively to investors. In summary, Dimensional Fund Advisors offers a distinct investment approach in the UK market, grounded in academic research and a focus on systematically targeting factors like value, small-cap, and profitability. They prioritize low costs, diversification, and a long-term perspective, working in partnership with financial advisors to deliver their strategies to investors.