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If the flow of investors’ cash into Vanguard last year – a record $277 billion – constituted a revenue stream, it would have qualified as the second largest company in the U.S., behind only Walmart. It also was more than the inflows of the next 16 investment managers combined. (Vanguard itself reported annual inflows of $305 billion, but that included some money that fell outside our parameters of domestic open-end mutual funds and ETFs; the data we used, as usual, came from Morningstar.)

Vanguard’s record rake was an extreme example of the general trend last year of a rush for more passive investments. Indeed, the top three fund families, rounded out by BlackRock and State Street, also focus on ETFs.

BlackRock, a distant second, drew $99 billion in 2016. Often listed as the largest asset manager in the world, BlackRock is listed here as having just $1.4 trillion in assets given our parameters.

To be sure, other well-known names in this space aren’t listed here at all since this is ranked on one-year flow data and not total AUM. For instance, T. Rowe Price had an outflow of $4.5 billion in 2016, according to Morningstar’s data. PIMCO had an outflow of $15 billion; Fidelity had an outflow of $23 billion; and Franklin Templeton had the biggest annual outflow of $42 billion.

Scroll through to see the biggest inflows of 2016.
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20. Harding Loevner

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $2,979
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $6,371
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $9,773
Total net assets (millions): $14,529
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19. Flexshares Trust

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $3,159
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $5,219
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $11,391
Total net assets (millions): $11,721
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18. ProShares

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $3,609
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $6,620
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $12,899
Total net assets (millions): $26,244
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17. Parnassus

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $3,752
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $6,757
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $8,332
Total net assets (millions): $20,437
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16. Lord Abbett

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $4,312
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): -$2,227
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $15,911
Total net assets (millions): $108,334
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15. Prudential Investments

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $4,445
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $10,356
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $20,731
Total net assets (millions): $83,546
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14. Guggenheim Investments

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $5,897
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $18,669
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $24,436
Total net assets (millions): $46,431
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13. PowerShares

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $6,543
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $1,830
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $23,690
Total net assets (millions): $103,998
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12. Metropolitan West Funds

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $7,232
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $51,490
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $59,634
Total net assets (millions): $86,694
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11. Van Eck

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $7,858
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $11,436
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $17,550
Total net assets (millions): $34,156
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10. DoubleLine

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $7,937
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $31,973
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $48,087
Total net assets (millions): $71,897
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9. Baird

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $7,986
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $22,071
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $25,488
Total net assets (millions): $32,500
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8. TIAA-CREF Asset Management

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $8,162
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $22,505
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $37,202
Total net assets (millions): $103,862
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7. Bridge Builder

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $8,393
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $25,211
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $31,108
Total net assets (millions): $32,248
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6. AQR Funds

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $10,390
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $18,369
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $25,832
Total net assets (millions): $32,534
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5. Schwab ETFs

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $16,138
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $39,079
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $48,090
Total net assets (millions): $59,750
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4. Dimensional Fund Advisors

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $21,417
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $73,850
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $111,774
Total net assets (millions): $316,073
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3. SPDR State Street Global Advisors

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $54,695
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $65,231
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $117,289
Total net assets (millions): $501,890
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2. BlackRock/iShares

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $99,405
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $307,299
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $424,568
Total net assets (millions): $1,203,390
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1. Vanguard

2016 estimated net flows (millions): $277,257
3-Yr, estimated net flows (millions): $726,473
5-Yr,estimated net flows (millions): $997,101
Total net assets (millions): $3,404,657
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