Active vs. Passive Investing: What's the Difference? - NerdWallet (2024)

FAQs

Active vs. Passive Investing: What's the Difference? - NerdWallet? ›

In active investing, you research individual companies and buy and sell stocks in an attempt to beat the stock market. In passive investing, you buy a basket of assets and try to mirror what the stock market is doing.

Active investing seeks to outperform – or “beat” – the benchmark index, while passive investing seeks to track the benchmark index. Active investing is favored by those who seek to mitigate extreme downside risk, while passive investing is often used by investors with a long-term horizon.

Active funds strive for higher returns and come with higher costs and risks. Passive funds offer steady, long-term returns at lower costs but carry market-level risks. Explore key differences between active and passive funds in this blog.

In general terms, active management refers to mutual funds that are actively managed by a portfolio manager. Passive management typically refers to funds that simply mirror the composition and performance of a specific index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500^® Index.

While passive strategies have generally proven to outperform in equities, the same is not true for fixed income. In fixed income, active managers have outperformed. Over the last decade, the average active intermediate-term bond fund has outperformed its benchmark, 60% of the time.

For example, when the market is volatile or the economy is weakening, active managers may outperform more often than when it is not. Conversely, when specific securities within the market are moving in unison or equity valuations are more uniform, passive strategies may be the better way to go.

Passive investing targets strong returns in the long term by minimizing the amount of buying and selling, but it is unlikely to beat the market and result in outsized returns in the short term. Active investment can bring those bigger returns, but it also comes with greater risks than passive investment.

A robust literature describes the incentives and stewardship practices of the “Big Three” asset managers (BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street Global Advisors), often referring to these asset managers as “passive.” This is so common that the “Big Three,” “index fund,” and “passive manager” are used almost ...

As the ETF market has evolved, different types of ETFs have been developed. They can be passively managed or actively managed. Passively managed ETFs attempt to closely track a benchmark (such as a broad stock market index, like the S&P 500), whereas actively managed ETFs intend to outperform a benchmark.

Do passive funds outperform active funds? ›

While passive funds still dominate overall due to lower fees, some investors are willing to put up with the higher fees in exchange for the expertise of an active manager to help guide them amid all the volatility or wild market price fluctuations.

Passive investments are typically associated with index funds. These include the Vanguard 500 Index Fund, SPDRF S&P 500 ETF and Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund.

Hedge funds are actively managed funds focused on alternative investments that commonly use risky investment strategies. A hedge fund investment typically requires accredited investors and a high minimum investment or net worth. Hedge funds charge higher fees than conventional investment funds.

Active investments are funds run by investment managers who try to outperform an index over time, such as the S&P 500 or the Russell 2000. Passive investments are funds intended to match, not beat, the performance of an index.

Mutual funds: Active and passive funds

To, put it simply actively managed funds aim to outperform their benchmark index by leveraging the expertise of professional fund managers, while passive funds seek to replicate the performance of a specific index.

The work-life balance that passive income provides might be an attractive pursuit, but it's more risky than active income. Earning money from a career, side hustle or other job or business might be traditional, but in today's hustle culture, generating passive income streams is seen as equally important.

Active income, generally speaking, is generated from tasks linked to your job or career that take up time. Passive income, on the other hand, is income that you can earn with relatively minimal effort, such as renting out a property or earning money from a business without much active participation.

Passive ETFs tend to follow buy-and-hold strategies to try to track a particular benchmark. Active ETFs utilize a portfolio manager's investment strategy to try outperform a benchmark. Passive ETFs tend to be lower-cost and more transparent than active ETFs, but do not provide any room for outperformance (alpha).

Active strategies may appeal to those seeking to drive specific ESG outcomes and engage directly with companies, while passive strategies could be more suitable for investors looking for a straightforward, lower-cost way to integrate ESG considerations into their portfolios.

With an active fund, you're more exposed to market volatility and potential losses. A laid-back look, or a passive fund, is slow and steady. Passive funds are a low-cost investment option that tracks the performance of market indices, such as the FTSE 100.