Likewise, most actively managed foreign funds have beaten the Morgan Stanley Europe, Australasia and Far East index of foreign stocks. These stocks are not as carefully researched as are large U.S. stocks, so it's easier for savvy managers to uncover bargains. As a consequence, you can probably do better with actively managed funds in these markets. But if you use actively managed funds, you need to spend some time monitoring them. They can't simply be bought and forgotten.
Index funds can.
Moreover, if your choice is between hiring an investment adviser to build a portfolio for you and buying index funds, you'll almost certainly do far better with index funds because your costs will be much lower. Another approach Our complete title list Mind your costs 2001 The Kiplinger Washington Editors, Inc.