Dana Anspach has been About.com’s MoneyOver55 Expert since 2008. She is also a contributor to MarketWatch as one of their RetireMentors, and the author of the book Control Your Retirement Destiny (Apress 2013), which is written specifically for the 50+ crowd to provide practical, how-to knowledge on what to do to get your finances in order to prepare for a transition out of the workforce.

Many people have a difficult time adjusting to the idea that index investing is actually better for them than trying to find someone who can sell them something that will beat the market, or who can beat the market for them.  The statistics suggest it is highly unlikely either will actually happen.

Read the article, and see what a seasoned financial planner and columnist for people over 55 has to say.

What Is The Difference Between Active and Passive Investing? 

by Dana Anspach

Active investing is like betting on who will win the Super Bowl, while passive investing would be like owning the entire NFL, and thus collecting profits on gross ticket and merchandise sales, regardless of which team wins each year.

Active investing means you (or a mutual fund manager or other investment advisor) are going to use an investment approach that typically involves research such as fundamental analysis, micro and macroeconomic analysis and/or technical analysis, because you think picking investments in this way can deliver a better outcome than owning the market in its entirety.

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