I didn’t write this comment for investing at your level. This is investing for people who want to have a retirement and aren’t interested in stock investing as a job, because to correctly monitor markets and companies and successfully pick winners requires education and a time investment. I’ve done my fair share of picking winners out of companies that become movers, but I don’t have the risk tolerance for that anymore and this forum isn’t the place to teach people all of that. Because something works and requires minimum effort doesn’t make it rudimentary, that’s completely unfair, derogatory, and insinuates people should try more risky strategies. You completely missed the audience I wrote the comment for. Anyone at your skill and risk level doesn’t need this advice. The equivalent of me suggesting one buy a reliable Honda and here you jump in suggesting a Maserati. Not the same crowd.

They aren't worth the money they're being paid. It's really not hard to do the most long time proven plan, which is to balance a portfolio between higher risk things like an SP500 index, and lower risk things like bonds. You weight it towards the index when you're young to get high average returns, then back it off into lower risk as you get older to lock it in.

"A Random Walk Down Wall Street" goes into how this strategy has been proven out over decades when so many others have failed. You technically can beat the SP500 (and be sure to include transaction costs), but only by taking on even higher risk.

The best investment advice for most people is really, really boring and not particularly difficult. Shouldn't even try anything else until you're maxing out all of 401k, HSA, and IRA and then have some leftover to try the riskier strategies.

Easy way to gain a lot less than you would by making a few hours worth of research

Actually just avoid the stock market entirely and pay someone else to manage your money.

This doesn’t make sense?

If someone is “managing” your money, they’re managing stocks and/or investments tied to stocks, even if it’s something like a direct deposit to a CMA.

High interest savings is pretty decent if you can find the right one, it’s a no-effort way to collect interest. Just make sure you can afford the bank’s rules like minimum amounts or any fees.

As far as someone else managing your money you left out a lot. Who and how? Money managers take fees one way or the other, they trade your money around based on whatever works for the business and not always what is best for the client. No matter what any trades will incur trade fees and capital gains taxes. Those gains and fees are losses that could have been avoided. I’ll stand by my original opinion.