Of course he did. sPY may not have been his benchmark.
His goal, like most, was not to underperform the market. Between QE and non-transitory inflation, we're losing between 15-18% per year on our money {conservatively.}
If you're not keeping up, your wealth is headed South. He was averaging under 6% per year return after the fee and opportunity costs associated with compounding interest with EJ.
Financial Planning Cheat Sheet that works for most:
62% - S&P ETF Index
30% - Blue Chip Fund (Dump dividends back into ETF if possible)
6-8% - Cash and Cash Derivatives
(Expense Ratio should be .05-.06% on average depending on the fund.)
This formula is updated online regularly based on FED moves and other factors. Bonds are largely dead thanks to QE and Obama.
Get in a ROTH 401k.
Don't do trusts with brokers. If you feel like you need a family trust (most don't), head to an attorney. Should run you about $1,500 {a one time fee only.}
What am I missing?
The only time one would use a full-service broker is if they are financially uncertain, don't spend much time on the web and would otherwise have money under a mattress.
If you're seeking alpha, there might be a full-service broker with some insider info on a niche market, but that's not going to last long (everything corrects to mean quickly) and you'll once again get chopped up with fees.
The example I posted above isn't an exception. It's the norm.
From the lawsuits I've read, it's clear that most agents are just following instruction guidelines from St. Louis. Many only know to compare pre-cost returns on funds. They also have no idea what they are making off any one individual b/c their paycheck comes broken down in fee structure format vs. individual accounts. This way, if Dr. Davis asks them how much they are paying in fees to the agent, the agent can confidently state that particular small portion of a much larger bag of fees that comes from many different directions.
What am I missing?