<prompt> Human: Im in my early 30s and Ive always invested in low-fee index funds. My retirement portfolio is up to around 150k and Im starting to seriously question if higher fee funds are worth pursuing? If the passive funds can produce 8 annual return, but the high-fee funds can produce 12, maybe its worth paying the higher fee to get the better return?How do I start with this...Im afraid to talk to a financial advisor because I think they will simply sell me on a fund that nets them a commission. I tried looking through some fund screeners online but there are thousands to pick from, and I dont know what some of the terms mean in the screener.Im scared Im leaving money on the table through my own ignorance. I guess Im asking, if you invest in active funds and think they are successful, I would like to hear how you did it and how I can do it too.Assistant: Most actively managed funds cannot beat the market over sustained periods of time.Human: Yes, I hear this all the time on the Internet. Im not trying to be combative, but if it were this simple why are active funds and financial advisors so popular? I feel like Im missing out on a big investing secret the millionaires know about and I dont.  <response>: They are popular because people will pay the fees to the managed funds and the commissions to the financial advisors. Someone is making more money than on index funds, but it is not the investor. 