Dimensional Fund Advisors has quietly built one of the most respected investment firms in the world on the back of Nobel Prize-winning academic research. In this episode, Mitchell Sneddon sits down with Bhanu Singh, Australian CEO of Dimensional Fund Advisors and head of the largest active ETF manager in the United States, to unpack the philosophy, factors and discipline behind the firm. Bhanu walks through the legendary names on Dimensional's board and advisory panel — Eugene Fama, Kenneth French, Robert Merton, Myron Scholes and Merton Miller — and explains how their work on efficient markets, the Fama-French factor model, options pricing and arbitrage shaped modern finance and indexing as we know it. The Topics: - How Dimensional translates academic research into real-world portfolios - The five factors driving expected returns: market beta, size, value, profitability and investment - Why market efficiency doesn't mean passive indexing - How Dimensional trades 95% of equities in-house using its proprietary tick database - Why 80%+ of active managers underperform their benchmarks over the long run - The truth about home bias, yield obsession and concentration risk in Australian portfolios - Why thematic ETFs are often sold, not bought - The cultural reason Dimensional has never closed a fund Chapters: 00:00 Intro to Dimensional Fund Advisors 02:04 Nobel Laureates Behind Dimensional 11:08 Core Investment Philosophy Explained 19:49 The Four Factors: Size, Value, Profitability 35:51 Daily Operations and Trading Approach 44:01 Australian Market and Factor Investing 50:55 Dimensional's Discipline: No Fund Closures 53:47 Common Market Sayings Fact-Checked Resources for this episode - Speak with the Rask Advice team: https://rask.au/advice - Ask a question (select the Investors podcast): https://bit.ly/R-quest Show partner resources - ETF investor? Go beyond ordinary with Global X: View all funds https://www.globalxetfs.com.au - Visit TermPlus to learn more https://termplus.com.au/?utm_source=rask&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=investors&utm_term=general&utm_content=youtube_description - Have the chance to win a 5k travel voucher. Take the TermPlus survey here (last entry 31st of May) https://termplus.com.au/money-mindset-index/survey/?utm_source=rask&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=money_mindset_index&utm_term=score&utm_content=ad_read_description Rask Resources - All services: https://bit.ly/R-services - Financial Planning: https://bit.ly/R-plan - Invest with us: https://bit.ly/R-invest - Access Show Notes: https://bit.ly/R-notes - Ask a question: https://bit.ly/R-quest - We love feedback! https://raskau.typeform.com/to/ZbfHy6IP Follow us on social media: - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rask.invest - TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rask.invest DISCLAIMER: This podcast contains general financial information only. That means the information does not take into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Because of that, you should consider if the information is appropriate to you and your needs, before acting on it. If you’re confused about what that means or what your needs are, you should always consult a licensed and trusted financial planner. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information in this podcast, including any financial, taxation, and/or legal information. Remember, past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The Rask Group is NOT a qualified tax accountant, financial (tax) adviser, or financial adviser. Access The Rask Group's Financial Services Guide (FSG): https://www.rask.com.au/fsg