Expert Advice

Indexing — The Only Rational Choice

Charley Ellis on why index investing is the most sensible choice for the prudent retirement investor.

Charley Ellis: If you had all of your investments in index funds and ETFs and somebody came along and said, “Boy, have I got an opportunity for you. It does involve a much higher fee. You got to get used to that. Secondly, you’ll have more taxes. Third, you’ll have more uncertainly and anxiety.”

“Fourth, it doesn’t actually — we can’t promise the results. We’ll make promises, but we can’t guarantee the results. And actually the experience is it doesn’t work terribly well on many different circumstances. And over the long term it just doesn’t do as well,” would anybody buy it? Certainly not.