Fulcrum Fees

Performance-based fees (fulcrum fees) are the heart of the Dunham story, and they continue to be an important part of how we approach asset management. Our use of fulcrum fees in all of our Funds set us apart from other firms in the industry, keeps our sub-advisers accountable to strive for the best performance results, and emphasizes a client-centric approach to all we do.


What is a Fulcrum Fee?

Simply put, a fulcrum fee is a performance-based measurement that ties the sub-adviser’s earnings to how well the fund they manage performs. In practice, this aligns their interests with the interests of your clients invested in our Dunham Funds so we are always working toward the same goal—the success of the end-client.

When our sub-advisers outperform their applicable benchmark, they are rewarded. When they underperform, their compensation is less. All of our public mutual funds operate using a fulcrum fee.

Why We Use Fulcrum Fees

Our sub-advisers are compensated using fulcrum fees because we believe performance-based advisory fees are the best way to ensure that those who oversee our Funds continue to be focused on results. Our sub-advisers will continue working with your best interests in mind, because their goals align with yours.

Fulcrum fees hold our sub-advisers accountable to our belief in how a world-class trust and investment firm should operate. This is more than a catchphrase; it is how we have built Dunham over three-plus decades of serving financial advisors and their clients.