Baron Funds FAQ

To invest directly in the Baron mutual funds, you can open an account with our transfer agent, DST.

Before opening your account, be sure to:

• Carefully review the prospectus for each of our no-load mutual funds.
• Determine which type of investment account you would like to open. Choose from many options including Individual Retirement Accounts (e.g., Traditional, Roth, or SEP IRA), Education Savings Accounts (e.g., Coverdell), Regular Investment Accounts, and more.

Once you are ready, click here to invest with us.

You may also purchase Baron mutual funds through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary that may charge you a fee. Please contact the broker-dealer or other financial intermediary for additional information regarding fees, minimums, and how to invest.

To invest in the Baron mutual funds, you must be a U.S. citizen or resident alien, and you must reside in the United States or its territories or have a U.S. Military address. Shares of our mutual funds are offered for sale in the United States and its territories only.

To complete an application, please have the following information available:

• Social Security Number (SSN) or Tax Identification Number (TIN)
• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Residential Address or U.S. Military Address

Additional information you may need:

• If you are opening an IRA: the address and SSN of your beneficiary
• If opening an UGMA/UTMA or Coverdell Education Savings Account: the name, address, SSN, and date of birth of the minor
• If opening a trust: the first and last pages of a trust agreement
• If opening a corporate account: the articles of incorporation, business license of corporation, and beneficial owner information

The minimum initial investment amount for the Baron Retail share class is $2,000. However, the initial investment minimum is lowered to $500 if you establish an automatic investment plan (AIP). The minimum initial investment amount for the Baron Institutional and R6 share classes are $1 million and $5 million respectively.

• Decide how much you would like to invest and how frequently.
  • For accounts starting with less than $2,0000, a $50 monthly minimum is required until you reach $2,000 (Retail shares only). 
• Choose the Baron Fund/s you would like to invest in. For a list of our funds, click here.
• Complete the Automatic Investment Plan Enrollment Form which can be found here.

Please make checks payable to Baron Funds. We do not accept cash, cashier’s checks, traveler’s checks, money orders, credit cards, credit card checks, third-party checks (except for properly endorsed IRA rollover checks), starter checks, or business checks. Only purchases in U.S. dollars drawn on U.S. banks can be accepted.

Checks should be mailed to addresses below:

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

Wire Instructions:

UMB Bank, N.A.

ABA NO. 1010-0069-5

FBO BARON FUNDS, ACCOUNT NO. 98-7037-101-4

OWNER’S NAME, OWNER’S ACCOUNT NO., SPECIFY FUND NAME

If you have any questions or would like to confirm the status of your check or wire, please call our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

We offer the following accounts for minors:

Coverdell Education Savings Account (ESA)

Formerly known as “Education IRAs”, these accounts offer tax-free investing for qualified elementary, secondary and college expenses.

Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA)/Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) Account

While these accounts may not offer the tax advantages of Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, they are less restrictive and can be used for any general investment needs that benefit a minor.

We offer three UCITS funds for individual, non-U.S. investors. For additional information on these funds and how to invest, please visit our website here and select Non-U.S. Investors at the top of the page.

You may purchase U.S. Baron mutual funds through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary that is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act, and such broker-dealer or other financial intermediary will be responsible for collecting the required information. Please contact a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary to confirm if the U.S. Baron mutual funds are available for you to invest in and for additional information regarding fees, minimums, and how to invest.

You can purchase, exchange, or redeem Fund shares on any business day by written request, via the internet, wire transfer or by telephone. If you have banking instructions on file with Baron Funds, you can conduct transactions online if you login to your account or by telephone at 1-800-442-3814. Otherwise, you can conduct transactions by mail:

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

Please click here to register for online account access or to sign into your online account.

If you have any additional questions on how to purchase, exchange, or redeem, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

Please complete sections 1, 2, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

You may also make these changes online. Please click here to register for online account access or to sign into your online account.

Please complete sections 1, 3, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

You may also make these changes online. Please click here to register for online account access or to sign into your online account.

Please complete sections 1, 4, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Please note, a signature guarantee* is required in section 10.

*A Signature Guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and protects investors from unauthorized requests. A Signature Guarantee may be obtained from an officer of a commercial bank or trust company, savings and loan or savings bank, or a member firm of a domestic stock exchange. Notarization by a notary public is NOT acceptable.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

Please complete sections 1, 5, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

Please complete sections 1, 6, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here. Mail the completed form to Baron Funds with a voided check from your new bank account (we cannot accept starter checks).

Please note, a signature guarantee* is required in section 10.

*A Signature Guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and protects investors from unauthorized requests. A Signature Guarantee may be obtained from an officer of a commercial bank or trust company, savings and loan or savings bank, or a member firm of a domestic stock exchange. Notarization by a notary public is NOT acceptable.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

You may also make these changes online. Please click here to register for online account access or to sign into your online account.

If you have an IRA or Transfer on Death (TOD) account, please complete sections 1, 7, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Please note, a signature guarantee* is required in section 10 for TOD accounts only.

*A Signature Guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and protects investors from unauthorized requests. A Signature Guarantee may be obtained from an officer of a commercial bank or trust company, savings and loan or savings bank, or a member firm of a domestic stock exchange. Notarization by a notary public is NOT acceptable.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you do not have an IRA or TOD account, please call our transfer agent, DST for directions on how to add/change the beneficiary information. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

Please complete sections 1, 8, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

Please complete sections 1, 9, and 10 on our Account Maintenance Form which can be found here and mail the completed form to Baron Funds.

Overnight Mail Address:

Baron Funds

430 West 7th Street

Kansas City, MO 64105-1514

Regular Mail Address:

Baron Funds

PO BOX 219946

Kansas City, MO 64121-9946

If you have any questions or would like to check on the status of your request, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

You may also make these changes online. Please click here to register for online account access or to sign into your online account.

A Signature Guarantee assures that a signature is genuine and protects investors from unauthorized requests. A Signature Guarantee may be obtained from an officer of a commercial bank or trust company, savings and loan or savings bank, or a member firm of a domestic stock exchange.

Please visit our website here and register as a New User. If you have already registered for an online account, please use your username and password to log in as an Existing User.

If you need assistance with your online account please call our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.

Please register or sign into your online account here and go to Account Profile -> Delivery Preferences -> E-Delivery and Email Address. Here you will be able to update the delivery method from mail to email for various documents including statements. Agree to the Terms and Conditions and click Submit.

Please visit our website here and navigate to the “Go Paperless” section. Follow the prompts to sign up for e-delivery. Once we receive your enrollment information, we will confirm your registration and begin notifying you via e-mail when any regulatory materials are available on our website. You will start receiving e-mails with hyperlinks rather than hard copies of quarterly reports, prospectuses and supplements, special announcements, and proxies.

Performance for the calendar, 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year periods and since inception are available on our website here. On this page you will be able to compare the performance and expense ratios of all our Funds. Please select the appropriate share class at the top of the page.

Expense ratios are available on our website, under Products, Fund Pricing & Performance here. On this page you will be able to compare the performance and expense ratios of all our Funds. Please be sure to select the appropriate share class on the toolbar at the top of the page.

Fund holdings are available on our website under Products here.

After selecting a Fund, you will be directed to the Fund’s homepage. Fund holdings are available in the Portfolio Holdings & Characteristics section of the Fund’s homepage.

Please note, you can toggle between “Top 10 Holdings” and “All Holdings”.

• The top 10 holdings are updated and posted to our website every month-end.
• All holdings are updated and posted to our website every quarter-end.

Regulatory documents are available on our website under Products here.

After selecting a Fund, you will be directed to the Fund’s homepage. Regulatory documents are available in the Documents section of the Fund’s homepage.

If you prefer to have regulatory documents mailed to you, please contact us at 1-800-99-BARON.

Dividends, capital gains and spillback distributions can be found on our website under Individuals, Tax Center here. Please select the appropriate share class from the drop down at the top of the page.

After selecting the appropriate year, you will see the Baron Funds that had a distribution that year. If the Baron Fund you are invested in is not listed, that Baron Fund did not have a distribution that year.

A mutual fund dividend is income from dividends and interest, less operating expenses, earned by a mutual fund’s holdings. Income in excess of the fund’s expenses must be paid as a dividend to shareholders at least once per year.

Capital gains and losses may be generated when a portfolio manager sells securities held by a mutual fund. Any realized gains that exceed realized losses are passed on to shareholders in the form of capital gain distributions and must be reported on your tax return (even if they are reinvested). These gains are classified as long or short-term gains and are taxed differently. A gain on the sale of an investment owned for one year or less is considered short-term for federal income tax purposes and is taxed as ordinary income. A gain on the sale of an investment owned for more than one year is considered long term for federal income tax purposes and taxed at long-term capital gains tax rates.

Tax law requires that mutual funds pay substantially all net investment income and net capital gains to their investors, who may elect to either receive cash or reinvest in additional shares of the fund. Net investment income and capital gain distributions are made annually. Additionally, certain funds may be subject to an additional distribution, referred to as a spillback distribution.

Spillback distributions are distributions of ordinary and/or capital gains from the previous fiscal year that were not distributed by the end of that year. Spillback distributions must be declared within 9½ months (the fund’s extended tax return due date) of the end of the fund’s fiscal year. The extended tax return due dates for Baron Funds are July 15th and October 15th for the September 30th and December 31st fiscal year end funds, respectively. Even though they represent ordinary income and/or capital gains earned by the fund in the previous fiscal year, they are taxable in the year in which they are paid.

No. Distributions do not impact total return. Although the NAV will drop when the distribution is paid, shareholders who reinvest their distributions will also receive more shares.

Shareholders are responsible for paying taxes on distributions they receive each year, whether they receive the distributions in cash or reinvest them in additional shares of the fund. Funds report distributions to shareholders on IRS Form 1099-DIV at the end of each calendar year. Certain types of fund accounts, such as Individual Retirement and 401(k) accounts, are tax advantaged. Therefore, shareholders who own these types of accounts pay taxes, if any, on fund distributions only when money is withdrawn from the account and will receive different IRS reports. Please speak to your tax professional for specific information regarding your tax situation.

Capital gain estimates for the Baron Funds expected to pay capital gains will be posted to the website here the month prior to the payable date.

Record Date: Shareholders who purchase Baron Fund shares before or on the record date (shareholders of record) are eligible to receive the distribution.

Ex-Date: The Fund’s NAV will be reduced by the amount of the distribution on this day. Shareholders who purchase Fund shares on the ex-date are not eligible to receive the distribution.

Payable Date: Distributions will be paid to shareholders of record on this day. Shares are reinvested at the NAV per share on the ex-dividend date.

As a shareholder, you may receive one or more of the following tax forms:

• Form 1099-DIV

  Reports taxable ordinary income, qualified dividends and capital gains distributed to nonretirement accounts. Please note, you will not receive a Form 1099-DIV if the distribution from a Fund in your non-retirement account is less than $10.

• Form 1099-B

  Reports redemptions or exchanges from non-retirement accounts.

• Form 1099-Q

  Reports withdrawals from education savings accounts (e.g., Coverdell accounts).

• Form 1099-R

  Reports withdrawals from retirement accounts. This form also reports recharacterizations, rollovers, conversions or excess contribution removals.

• Form 5498 and Form 5498-ESA

  Reports contributions made to retirement (5498) and education savings accounts (5498-ESA) through the current year’s tax deadline.

Tax forms are typically mailed and made available online by January 31st of the year following the distribution.

Note, Form 5498 and Form 5498-ESA are typically mailed and made available online by May 31st of the same year the contribution was made.

Please click here to register for online account access or to sign into your online account.

If you have any questions or would like to check the status of your tax forms, please contact our transfer agent, DST. They can be reached at 1-800-442-3814, Monday – Friday from 9am to 5pm ET.