The managers running the biggest active funds picked stocks that beat the market in 2025 — and most still lagged their benchmark. A Morningstar do-nothing experiment and a body of academic research explain why active funds underperform even when the picking is good: skilled buying undone by poor selling, the hidden cost of trading, and the incentives that keep managers churning. The UK evidence points the same way.
Many people still believe that investment companies exist to help them. The reality is quite different. The fund management industry is extremely powerful, and its main priority is not your financial wellbeing. Instead of focusing on consumer outcomes, it tends to protect its profit margins. According to financial analyst LOUISE COOPER, the industry thrives on complexity and confusion. It has become skilled at making investing seem harder than it really is. Key takeaways 1. T
Robin Powell
Mar 3, 20253 min read
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