Investing· 6 min read
Index Funds vs. The Algorithm
A side-by-side look at 10-year returns from S&P 500 index funds against the 'algorithmic' strategies sold on YouTube.
The pitch is familiar: a proprietary system, a backtest screenshot, a Discord link. We took twelve of the most-marketed quant strategies and ran them against a boring three-fund portfolio.
Nine underperformed after fees. Two matched. One beat — and was sold for $4,800 a year.
This piece walks through the methodology, the assumptions, and what a retail investor should actually take away.