For years, we’ve been sharing the results of Dimensional Fund Advisors’ annually updated “Mutual Fund Landscape” analysis.  As we first expressed back in 2013, “This analysis of the US mutual fund industry performance casts doubt on the ability of investors to form a winning long-term strategy by picking outperforming funds based on past returns. It also raises questions about the effectiveness of investment strategies that attempt to add value by identifying mispriced securities.”

This is one message that bears repeating. Especially since, this year, somebody got creative over at Dimensional and produced an engaging video version. Check it out!

Guided by a board of financial academics and a mission to advance the science of investing, Dimensional Fund Advisors might seem like a surprising source for an article promoting the Tao principle of “wei wu-wei,” or a way to “do without doing.”

But it’s not so surprising, once you appreciate how challenging it can be to Take the Long View® approach to patient, persistent investing – instead of continuously indulging in hyperactive bursts of trading activity.

Vice President Jim Parker of DFA Australia explains the difference in his recent article, “The Tao of Wealth Management.”

At Hill Investment Group, we share Dimensional’s perspective, advising our clients on how to build and preserve personal wealth through a “less is more” approach to their investing. Instead of spinning our wheels chasing today’s crisis or predicting tomorrow’s hot trend, we dedicate our energy to substantively improving our clients’ personal and financial well-being.

In short, while it may seem as if our course is a quiet one, we work hard every day to help our clients achieve wei wu-wei.

When you invest your hard-earned money, of course you hope to end up with more than when you started. Better yet, you would prefer to NOT give up returns you could have had by investing optimally.

But what is “optimal” investing? It’s not about pursuing an active investment strategy – i.e., trying to consistently pick winners, dodge losers, and accurately forecast when to be in and out of up and down markets. Nor is it about hiring an active manager who thinks they can do the same. The evidence is clear: The challenges of active investing are more likely to set you back than advance your interests.

For the past several years, Dimensional Fund Advisors has been tracking mutual fund track records in “The Mutual Fund Landscape.” If anything, the terrain keeps getting  tougher. This year’s report found that, across 15 years ending December 2017, only half of the stock funds in existence at the beginning were even around at the end, and only 14% were able to survive and outperform their Morningstar benchmarks.

The moral of the story: To run a successful marathon it’s better to pace yourself than chase the wind. Same thing for your wealth. Take the Long View®.