Baron Launches Wide-Ranging Real Estate Fund

Baron Funds has debuted the Baron Real Estate Fund, a fund that will invest directly in real estate as well as such real estate-related companies as management companies, building products, home furnishings, construction and engineering and infrastructure. The fund even has license to invest in hospitals and correctional facilities and up to 25% of its assets in securities of foreign issuers not publicly traded in the U.S.

Jeffrey Kolitch, who has been Barron’s real estate analyst for the past five years, will manage the fund.

“Real estate investing has always been an important element of what we do at Baron Funds,” said Ron Baron, chief executive and chief investment officer of Baron Funds. “The Baron Real Estate Fund has a larger investment universe than many similar funds, and given the softening of real estate markets, we see excellent opportunities in both commercial and residential real estate stocks and bonds.”

The fund requires a minimum investment of $2,000 for individual investors and $1 million for institutional shares.