Advisor Blog

Many business owners and 401(k) plan sponsors are scrambling to understand and comply with the new Department of Labor mandated fee disclosure regulations that will become effective only a few months from now. The new regulations explained under sections 408(b)(2) and 404(a) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) require additional disclosures to be made to plan sponsors and plan participants, and require all plan service providers to furnish much more information about their services, expenses and fees. ERISA section 408(b)(2), the service provider rules, become effective April 1, 2012, while the new 404(a) participant disclosure rules become effective May 31, 2012.

The book entitled “The Quest For Alpha” by Larry E. Swedroe presents comprehensive evidence documenting the futility of active portfolio management by examining the quest for money managers that are capable of delivering alpha¹.  Swedroe references academic studies on mutual funds, pension plans, hedge funds, private equity/venture capital, individual investors, and behavioral finance.  He demonstrates that markets are indeed highly efficient and makes the ultimate conclusion that the only winning move is not to play the game.  Girolamo Cardana who was a sixteenth-century physician, mathematician, and quintessential Renaissance man made the same conclusion for gambling (which is quite similar to active management) when he said “The greatest advantage from gambling comes from not playing at all.”

Referenced in the book, Philip E. Tetlock, a professor of psychology, business and political science at the University of California (Berkeley) found that the so-called experts who make prediction their business – appearing as experts on television and talk radio, being quoted in the press, etc. – are no better than the proverbial chimps throwing darts.  His research indicates that it makes no difference whether forecasters are PhDs, economists, political scientists, journalists, or historians; whether they had policy experience or access to classified information; or whether they had logged many or few years of experience in their chosen line of work.  The only predictor of accuracy was fame, which was negatively correlated with accuracy.  The most famous made the worst forecasts.  All of these so-called experts seem to fall victim to hindsight and/or confirmation bias.

I strongly encourage you to read the book for the deeper discussions and supporting research that examines the dismal results of active management in its multiple forms.

1. If an asset's return is even higher than the risk adjusted return, that asset is said to have "positive alpha" or "abnormal returns". Investors are constantly seeking investments that have higher alpha.