Fund Evaluator:
Baron WealthBuilder Institutional (BWBIX)
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Best Performing in Aggressive Allocation Over the Last Year
| 29.8% | MH Elite Small Cap Fund of Funds (MHELX) |
| 22.2% | Aristotle Portfolio OptimizationAgrGrI-2 (POEDX) |
| 18.8% | Thrivent Aggressive Allocation S (TAAIX) |
| 15.3% | MH Elite Fund of Funds (MHEFX) |
| 14.0% | Sound Mind Investing (SMIFX) |
Fund Details
Baron WealthBuilder Institutional Overview
Baron WealthBuilder Institutional (BWBIX) is an actively managed Allocation Aggressive Allocation fund. Baron Capital Group, Inc. launched the fund in 2017.
The investment seeks capital appreciation. The fund normally invests in a variety of domestic and international equity funds. The Adviser seeks to invest in businesses the advisor believes have significant opportunities for growth, sustainable competitive advantages, exceptional management, and an attractive valuation.
About Baron WealthBuilder Institutional (BWBIX)
There are 2 members of the management team with an average tenure of 7.12 years: Ronald Baron (2017), Michael Baron (2020). Management tenure is more important for actively managed funds than passive index funds.
The fund has 2 primary benchmarks: S&P 500 (TR) (1970) index with a weighting of 100% and MSCI ACWI NR USD index with a weighting of 100%. Baron WealthBuilder Institutional has 19 securities in its portfolio. The top 10 holdings constitute 79.0% of the fund’s assets. The fund meets the SEC requirement of being classified as a diversified fund. The fund is not considered to have an ESG focus with its investment selection and management.
Baron WealthBuilder Institutional is part of the Allocation global asset class and is within the Allocation fund group. Baron WealthBuilder Institutional has 10.4% of its portfolio invested in foreign issues. The overall assets allocated to domestic stock is 78.7%. There is 10.4% allocated to foreign stock, and 0.0% is allocated to preferred stocks. The bond allocation as a percentage of total assets is 0.0% (0.0% domestic bond, 0.0% foreign bond and 0.0% convertible bond). Baron WealthBuilder Institutional has -0.6% of the portfolio in cash.
Assets Under Management
The fund has $379 million in total assets, which is below the $561 million average for the Aggressive Allocation category. Normally, lower assets under management translates to higher average expense ratios, and greater total assets are desired. However, for some investment categories, such as small-cap investing, it may be difficult for the manager to fully employ the desired active strategy if assets grow too large or too quickly.
BWBIX Performance and Fees
The expense ratio measures how much of a fund’s assets are used for administrative expenses and operating expenses, including adviser fees and fees for the transfer agent and custodial services. The Baron WealthBuilder Institutional expense ratio is high compared to funds in the Aggressive Allocation category. Baron WealthBuilder Institutional has an expense ratio of 1.16%, which is 1% higher than its category average, making the fund expense ratio grade a C. While it is difficult to predict returns, it is known that high annual expense ratios reduce your rate of return, and excessive fees are difficult to overcome. Active management normally comes with higher expense ratios than passive index management. Certain investment categories such as small company and foreign also normally have higher expense ratios. It is best to compare fund expense ratios against the category averages for meaningful assessments.
High portfolio turnover can translate to higher expenses and lower aftertax returns. Baron WealthBuilder Institutional has a portfolio turnover rate of 11%, indicating that holds its assets around 0.1 years. By way of comparison, the average portfolio turnover is 47% for the Aggressive Allocation category.
Recently, in the month of July 2026, Baron WealthBuilder Institutional returned -4.9%, which earned it a grade of F, as the Aggressive Allocation category had an average return of -0.6%. The letter grades of A, B, C, D and F are based upon relative rankings within the investment category. A grade of A, for example, would indicate that the return is in the highest 20% for that time period compared to all funds in that category.
Baron WealthBuilder Institutional has a trailing yield of 0.22%, which is below the 0.94% category average. The fund normally distributes its income annually and its capital gains semi-monthly.
It’s natural to seek the best-performing investments, but you must consider the relationship between risk and return and the impact of costs and taxes on your realized returns.
Baron WealthBuilder Institutional Grades
Year to date, the fund has returned 0.6%, 8.0 percentage points worse than the category, which translates into a grade of F. The fund has returned 8.0% over the past year (grade of F), 10.5% over the past three years (grade of F) and 3.4% per year over the past five years (grade of F).
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BWBIX Trailing NAV Total Returns Data as of 7/31/26
| Last Month |
Last Quarter |
Ann'l. 1Yr |
Ann'l. 3Yr |
Ann'l. 5Yr |
Ann'l. 10Yr |
|
| BWBIX Return (NAV) | -4.9% | 3.7% | 8.0% | 10.5% | 3.4% | na |
| BWBIX Grade | F | C | F | F | F | na |
| +/- Category | -4.3% | 0.4% | -8.4% | -3.9% | -4.4% | na |
| Aggressive Allocation Avg | -0.6% | 3.3% | 16.4% | 14.4% | 7.7% | 10.5% |
| BWBIX Tax Cost Ratio | na | na | 1.8% | 0.6% | 0.8% | na |
BWBIX Annual NAV Total ReturnsData as of 7/31/26
| 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
| BWBIX Return (NAV) | 0.6% | 10.2% | 18.7% | 25.7% | -32.6% | 16.7% | 62.8% | 36.5% | -6.4% | na | na |
| BWBIX Grade | F | F | B | B | F | F | A | A | A | na | na |
| +/- Category | -8.0% | -4.9% | 3.1% | 5.4% | -13.0% | -2.4% | 45.3% | 10.7% | 2.6% | na | na |
| Aggressive Allocation Avg | 8.6% | 15.1% | 15.6% | 20.4% | -19.6% | 19.1% | 17.6% | 25.8% | -9.0% | 20.2% | 8.3% |
| Risk Measures | |
| Standard Deviation: | 16.1% |
| Total Risk Index: | 1.31 - Above Average |
| Category Risk Index: | 1.22 - High |
| Category Risk Grade: | F (102% Rank) |
| Beta: | 1.40 |
| R-Squared: | 67% |
| Leveraged Fund: | No |
| Inverse Fund: | No |
| Portfolio Characteristics | |
| Equity Investment Style: | Mid-Cap Growth |
| Bond Investment Style: | na |
| Yield: | 0.2% |
| Dividend Distribution: | Annually |
| Cap Gains Distribution: | Semi-Monthly |
| Total Assets: | $506 Mil |
| Fund Total Assets: | $ 379 Mil |
| Share Class Type: | Inst |
| Portfolio Turnover: | 11% |
Management Team
| Number of Managers: 2 | |||
| Longest Tenure: 8.6 years | |||
| Average Tenure: 7.1 years | |||
| Managers (Year): Baron Ronald (2017), Baron Michael (2020) | |||
Portfolio Composition (as of 6/30/26)
| # of Holdings: | 19 |
| % in Top 10 Holdings: | 79.0% |
| Fund is Non-Diversified: | No |
| % in Foreign Issues: | 10.4% |
Portfolio Allocation |
|
| Domestic Stock: | 78.7% |
| Foreign Stock: | 10.4% |
| Preferred Stock: | 0.0% |
| Domestic Bond: | 0.0% |
| Foreign Bond: | 0.0% |
| Convertible Bond: | 0.0% |
| Other: | 11.5% |
| Cash: | -0.6% |
Purchase Information
| Fund Family: | Baron Capital Group, Inc. |
| Phone Number: | 800-992-2766 |
| Website: | www.baronfunds.com |
| Status: | Open |
| Inception Date: | December 29, 2017 |
| Min. Initial Purchase: | $1,000,000 |
| Min. Initial IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
| True No-Load: | Yes |
| Front Load Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Deferred Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| Redemption Charge Maximum: | 0.00% |
| 12b-1 Fee: | na |
Expenses and Fees | |
| Expense Ratio (%): | 1.16% ( Rating : High ) |
| Category Average Expense Ratio (%): | 1.15% |
| Share Class: | Baron WealthBuilder Institutional |
| Min. Subsequent Purchase: | $ 0 |
| Min. Subsequent IRA Purchase: | $ 0 |
