Steer clear of their costly, conflict-filled game. : As we rumble along with what is now the longest bull market in history, it’s worthwhile to look back and ask: Could you have done better by doing something different? The investment research firm produces a report every six months it calls the “Active/Passive Barometer.” The report is meant to answer a basic question, whether investors should use expensive actively managed funds or simply own low-cost index funds that track the stock market. The newest edition of the barometer report holds that just 36% of active managers beat their indexing peers.