Indexing vs. Active Management Investment Guide | Adviser
Special Report

Indexing vs. Active Management: The Adviser Investments Perspective

July 1, 2020

Active or passive? The debate rages on: Is it better to put your investment dollars in the hands of a professional (and pay for their expertise) or to cut costs and try to match the return of the market with an index fund?

As recently as 2019, pundits were ready to anoint passive the winner after news that index funds’ collective assets under management had surged passed those in actively managed funds. But when the COVID-19 pandemic brought extreme volatility to the markets in 2020, those same headline writers now declared it active investing’s moment in the sun.

At Adviser Investments, we believe that the key to successful investing is to be an informed investor—that means looking beyond the headlines to understand the merits of both active and passive investing, and the role each can play in your portfolio. This special report explains the pros and cons of both investment styles, as well as where we stand in the great debate and how we incorporate our philosophy into the management of more than $5 billion for individuals and organizations.

Among the topics discussed:

  • Where and when the fee advantage of index funds and ETFs makes the most sense
  • Whether active managers manage risks more capably than index funds
  • Can active managers actually beat the market?
  • Tips and tricks to analyze and monitor mutual fund stock-pickers
  • …and much more!

Experts, Indexes, Benchmarks and Markets

So, what do we mean when we talk about “active” and “passive” funds?

An active fund is one overseen by a professional fund

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