What is the difference between passive and active asset management? (2024)

Asset management utilizes two main investment strategies that can be used to generate returns: active asset management and passive asset management. Active asset management focuses on outperforming a benchmark, such as the S&P 500 Index, while passive management aims to mimic the asset holdings of a particular benchmark index.

Explaining the Difference Between Passive and Active Asset Management

Investors and portfolio managers who implement an active asset management strategy aim to outperform benchmark indexes by buying and selling securities, such as stocks, options and futures. Active asset management involves analyzing market trends, economic and political data, and company specific news. After analyzing these types of data, active investors purchase or sell assets. Active managers aim to generate greater returns than fund managers who mirror the holdings of securities listed on an index. Generally, the management fees assessed on active portfolios and funds are high.

Advisor Insight

Kevin Michels, CFP®, EA
Medicus Wealth Planning, Draper, UT

Many mutual funds use active management. For example, a mutual fund that invests in large U.S. companies would most likely use the S&P 500 Index as its benchmark. The objective of the fund would be to outperform the return of the S&P 500. The fund will do this by employing a manager and a team of analysts. The fund manager will pick stocks that he believes will outperform the S&P 500.

Normally, you pay more to invest in an actively-managed fund since you are paying for the fund manager’s expertise.

Passive management is usually done via ETFs or index mutual funds, which track a benchmark. The goal is to match the return of a benchmark, such as the S&P 500. Typically, it is much less expensive to employ passive management, as you aren't paying a manager for their expertise.

Contrary to active asset management, passive asset management involves purchasing assets that are held in a benchmark index. A passive asset management approach allocates a portfolio similar to a market index and applies a similar weighting as that index. Unlike active asset management, passive asset management aims to generate similar returns as the chosen index.

For example, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) is a passively managed fund for long-term investors that aims to mirror the performance of the S&P 500 Index. The manager of SPY passively manages the exchange-traded fund (ETF) by purchasing large-cap stocks held in the S&P 500 Index. Unlike actively managed funds, SPY has a low expense ratio due to its passive investment strategy and low turnover ratio.

What is the difference between passive and active asset management? (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between passive and active asset management? ›

Active management

Active management
The term active management means that an investor, a professional money manager, or a team of professionals is tracking the performance of an investment portfolio and making buy, hold, and sell decisions about the assets in it.
https://www.investopedia.com › terms › activemanagement
requires frequent buying and selling in an effort to outperform a specific benchmark or index. Passive management
Passive management
Key Takeaways

Passive management is a reference to index funds and exchange-traded funds that mirror an established index, such as the S&P 500. Passive management is the opposite of active management, in which a manager selects stocks and other securities to include in a portfolio.
https://www.investopedia.com › terms › passivemanagement
replicates a specific benchmark or index in order to match its performance. Active management portfolios strive for superior returns but take greater risks and entail larger fees.

What is the difference between actively managed and passively managed? ›

In general terms, active management refers to mutual funds that are actively managed by a portfolio manager. Passive management typically refers to funds that simply mirror the composition and performance of a specific index, such as the Standard & Poor's 500® Index.

What are active assets vs passive assets? ›

Active assets are used by a business in its daily or routine business operations for the purpose of revenue production. Active assets become inactive assets when they lose their ability to generate revenue. In contrast, passive assets are not central to the daily operations of a business but can still produce income.

What is the difference between active and passive bond management? ›

By going passive today, your bond portfolio will return approximately today's yield (less than 4%) on the index, minus fees, annually. By contrast, an active manager may be able to outperform over time, after fees.

What is the difference between passive and active risk management? ›

Unlike passive risk management, which involves merely reacting to risks as they arise, active risk management emphasizes continuous monitoring and timely response to potential threats.

What is the difference between active and passive asset management? ›

Key Takeaways. Active management requires frequent buying and selling in an effort to outperform a specific benchmark or index. Passive management replicates a specific benchmark or index in order to match its performance.

Why is passive management better than active? ›

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 ...

What is the meaning of active asset management? ›

Active asset management involves analyzing market trends, economic and political data, and company specific news. After analyzing these types of data, active investors purchase or sell assets.

What is considered a passive asset? ›

A passive asset is any asset that produces – or is held for the production of – passive income. Passive income doesn't require too much ongoing effort. After identifying and establishing your passive income stream, it won't need your everyday attention. However, it may still require some work now and then.

What are passive assets examples? ›

Cash and other assets easily convertible into cash are passive assets, even when used as working capital. Stock and securities (including tax-exempt securities) are passive assets, unless held by a dealer as inventory.

What is the difference between active and passive management in Fidelity? ›

Active ETFs may help clients achieve higher returns

Unlike passive ETFs, which are tied to an index, active ETF managers can analyze the markets and trade proactively—creating the potential for enhanced excess returns. Growth in the advisor-sold market has increased steadily over the last 5 years.

What is the difference between active and passive equity strategy? ›

Active funds strive for higher returns and come with higher costs and risks. Passive funds offer steady, long-term returns at lower costs but carry market-level risks. Explore key differences between active and passive funds in this blog.

What is the difference between active and passive management in real estate? ›

Q: What is the difference between active and passive real estate investment? A: Active investment is a hands-on role where you'll manage the property directly. Passive investment is a backseat approach; you'll put money into a syndication or REIT and spend much less time on day-to-day operations.

What is the difference between active and passively managed funds? ›

Key Takeaways

Active investing requires a hands-on approach, typically by a portfolio manager or other active participant. Passive investing involves less buying and selling, often resulting in investors buying indexed or other mutual funds.

What are 2 types of passive investment management strategies? ›

Other types of passive investment strategies that seek to track the performance of an index include:
  • Passive Mutual Funds: pools money from investors to purchase stocks, bonds, and other assets. ...
  • Passive Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs): a pooled investment vehicle that operates like a mutual fund.

What is the difference between active and passive project management? ›

Considering the active approach, we must intentionally improve project performance and recognize that passive measures rely only on a trust that we can coordinate or manage processes better and hope that everything works out (you might recall that hope is not a project management tool).

What is passively managed? ›

Key Takeaways. Passive management is a reference to index funds and exchange-traded funds that mirror an established index, such as the S&P 500. Passive management is the opposite of active management, in which a manager selects stocks and other securities to include in a portfolio.

What is the difference between actively managed performance and passive index funds? ›

Active Funds Fell Short of Passive Funds in 2023

In 2023, actively managed mutual funds and ETFs fell short of their passive peers. While notching an improvement over 2022, slightly less than half (47%) of active strategies survived and delivered higher net-of-fees returns than their average passive counterpart.

How do actively managed funds differ from passively managed funds in Quizlet? ›

Full time professional management. -For actively managed funds, investors delegate the task of selecting securities to highly trained fund managers. But in passive funds, there are still record keeping chores and other routine tasks that fund managers can perform more efficiently than can individual investors.

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