A New Take on the Active vs. Passive Investing Debate | Morgan Stanley (2024)

Index Definitions

S&P 500 Index:The Standard & Poor's (S&P) 500 Index tracks the performance of 500 widely held, large-capitalization US stocks.

Asset Class Risk Considerations

International investingentails greater risk, as well as greater potential rewards compared to U.S. investing. These risks include political and economic uncertainties of foreign countries as well as the risk of currency fluctuations. These risks are magnified in countries withemerging markets, since these countries may have relatively unstable governments and less established markets and economies.

Equity securitiesmay fluctuate in response to news on companies, industries, market conditions and general economic environment.

Investing in smaller companiesinvolves greater risks not associated with investing in more established companies, such as business risk, significant stock price fluctuations and illiquidity.

Asset allocation and diversificationdo not assure a profit or protect against loss in declining financial markets.

The indices are unmanaged. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. They are used for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the performance of any specific investment.

The indices selected by Morgan Stanley Wealth Management to measure performance are representative of broad asset classes. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management retains the right to change representative indices at any time.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or sell or a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument or to participate in any trading strategy. Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Morgan Stanley Wealth Management or its affiliates. All opinions are subject to change without notice. Neither the information provided nor any opinion expressed constitutes a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources considered to be reliable. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC does not guarantee their accuracy or completeness.

The author(s) (if any authors are noted) principally responsible for the preparation of this material receive compensation based upon various factors, including quality and accuracy of their work, firm revenues (including trading and capital markets revenues), client feedback and competitive factors. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is involved in many businesses that may relate to companies, securities or instruments mentioned in this material.

Return and principal value of investments will fluctuate and, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost. There is no guarantee that past performance or information relating to return, volatility, style reliability and other attributes will be predictive of future results.

The securities/instruments discussed in this material may not be suitable for all investors. The appropriateness of a particular investment or strategy will depend on an investor's individual circ*mstances and objectives. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management recommends that investors independently evaluate specific investments and strategies, and encourages investors to seek the advice of a financial advisor. The value of and income from investments may vary because of changes in interest rates, foreign exchange rates, default rates, prepayment rates, securities/instruments prices, market indexes, operational or financial conditions of companies and other issuers or other factors. Certain information contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements. Estimates of future performance are based on assumptions that may not be realized. Actual events may differ from those assumed and changes to any assumptions may have a material impact on any projections or estimates. Other events not taken into account may occur and may significantly affect the projections or estimates. Certain assumptions may have been made for modeling purposes only to simplify the presentation and/or calculation of any projections or estimates, and Morgan Stanley Wealth Management does not represent that any such assumptions will reflect actual future events. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that estimated returns or projections will be realized or that actual returns or performance results will not materially differ from those estimated herein.

This material should not be viewed as advice or recommendations with respect to asset allocation or any particular investment. This information is not intended to, and should not, form a primary basis for any investment decisions that you may make. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is not acting as a fiduciary under either the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended or under section 4975 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as amended in providing this material.

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, its affiliates and Morgan Stanley Financial Advisors do not provide legal or tax advice. Each client should always consult his/her personal tax and/or legal advisor for information concerning his/her individual situation and to learn about any potential tax or other implications that may result from acting on a particular recommendation.

This material, or any portion thereof, may not be reprinted, sold or redistributed without the written consent of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.

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A New Take on the Active vs. Passive Investing Debate | Morgan Stanley (2024)

FAQs

What is the debate between active and passive investing? ›

In simple terms, active investors attempt to outperform the returns of a specific benchmark, whereas passive investors accept the market return by tracking a specific index.

Which is better, passive or active investing? ›

Passive investment is less expensive, less complex, and often produces superior after-tax results over medium to long time horizons when compared to actively managed portfolios.

What are the arguments against passive investing? ›

Critics of passive investing say funds that simply track an index will always underperform the market when costs are taken into account. In contrast, active managers can potentially deliver market-beating returns by carefully choosing the stocks they hold.

What are Morgan Stanley's values? ›

Working at Morgan Stanley

Underpinning all that we do are five core values: Do the right thing, put clients first, lead with exceptional ideas, commit to diversity and inclusion, and give back.

What are the 5 advantages of passive investing? ›

Advantages of Passive Investing
  • Steady Earning. Investing in Passive Funds means you're in it for a long race. ...
  • Fewer Efforts. As one of the most known benefits of passive investing, low maintenance is something that active investing surely lacks. ...
  • Affordable. ...
  • Lower Risk. ...
  • Saving on Capital Gain Tax.
Sep 29, 2022

What is active vs passive investing for dummies? ›

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.

What are the 3 disadvantages of active investment? ›

However, an active investment strategy also has certain limitations like:
  • More expensive: Actively buying and selling a stock or mutual fund asset adds transaction fees, making active investing costlier than passive investing.
  • High tax bill: Active managers have to pay high taxes for their net gains yearly.

Why is passive investing becoming more popular? ›

Because active investing is generally more expensive (you need to pay research analysts and portfolio managers, as well as additional costs due to more frequent trading), many active managers fail to beat the index after accounting for expenses—consequently, passive investing has often outperformed active because of ...

Why active funds are better than passive funds? ›

Nature: Active funds are more dynamic and flexible, as they can adapt to changing market conditions and opportunities. Passive funds are more static and rigid, as they follow a predetermined strategy and do not deviate from the index.

What are the hidden risks of passive investing? ›

Once that decision has been made, there may be reasons for adopting passive investment approaches, but investors should realise that they may face unforeseen risks. These include undesirable concentrations of stocks, systemic risk and buying at too high valuations.

What is the purpose of passive investing? ›

Passive investing is a long-term investment strategy that focuses on buying and holding investments for the long term. Its goal is to build wealth gradually over time by buying and holding a diverse portfolio of investments and relying on the market to provide positive returns over time.

Are passive funds risky? ›

Less volatile: Passive funds are relatively less risky than active funds because they do not involve unsystematic risks like stock selection.

What is Morgan Stanley's competitive advantage? ›

In conclusion, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) exhibits a strong market position with diversified revenue streams and robust financial performance, which are central to its competitive advantage.

Is Morgan Stanley a good investment firm? ›

FACTS: 97% of our clients say they are satisfied with the firm, and 98% are satisfied with how their Morgan Stanley Financial Advisor handles questions and requests (Morgan Stanley Client Council Survey, Q2 2021).

Why is Morgan Stanley better? ›

In 2021, Morgan Stanley was named the best U.S. investment bank thanks to its agility in adapting to the pandemic and finding new opportunities for clients. Their technology team is often regarded as one of the best in the industry and they are often selected as lead bookrunner on technology IPOs.

What are the disadvantages of active investing? ›

Though active investing may have potential advantages over passive investing, it also comes with potential limitations to consider:
  • Requires high engagement. ...
  • Demands higher risk tolerance. ...
  • Tends not to beat benchmarks over time.

What is better passive or active income? ›

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.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of passive and active management of an investment fund? ›

Active investing
Active fundsPassive funds
ProsPotential to capture mispricing opportunities and beat the marketConvenient and low-cost way of gaining exposure to certain assets/industries
ConsFees are typically higher and there is no guarantee of outperformanceNo opportunity to outperform the market
2 more rows
Sep 26, 2023

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