3 Bruce Fund (BRUFX) Since its creation in 1983, the no-load, actively managed, mid-value, moderately balanced allocation fund, which has $343 million under management, has weathered busts and booms. During the past five years, BRUFX’s total return was 4.82% versus 1.70% for the S&P 500 Index. Since 2002, BRUFX’s total return was 16.84% versus 3.7% from S&P. Slaughter says that BRUFX is “ideal for individual investors looking for a mutual fund with traditional investing qualities, mostly made up of domestic stocks: 36.06%, bonds: 29.47%, cash: 17.34%, foreign securities: 2.15%, and convertible and zero coupon government bonds.†As for sector weightings, BRUFX holdings include 8.16% in healthcare, 2.05% in technology, and 4.89% in industrials. Full-year 2011 SEC filings showed that the largest individual holdings were in AMERCO, the parent of U-Haul; Abbott Laboratories; Flotek Industries, an energy services firm; and Mannkind Corp., a therapeutic product maker with a focus on diabetes and cancer.
Net assets: $343.2 million
1-year return: 3.12%
3-year return: 24.27%
5-year return: 4.82%
YTD return: 4.98%
Min. initial investment: $1,000
Sales Load: no front/back load
Expense Ratio: 0.82%