Well, I would say if discretionary money management wasn’t something you felt comfortable with, then TBG certainly isn’t a good fit.  I would, however, look at it a bit differently than the concern I am hearing in your question.  For starters, if you own ETFs, you’re currently having an algorithm set your holdings within it, and if you own any mutual funds, a team of folks you have never met trade positions each day.  Neither of these is done based on your goals; they are done based on a strategy outlined in a prospectus.  One size fits all.  I would say the benefit of a tenured professional team of 70+ fiduciaries focused solely on planning for and achieving your financial goals via customized and active portfolio management speaks to itself as an advantage.  I could go on and on, but no, you aren’t able to replicate this on your own at home, and yes, you are better off letting professionals handle it.
~ Brian T. Szytel, September 5, 2024

Yes, your asset allocation would be completely customized to you and your goals/objectives and set by your advisor working with the IC.  In some cases, there could be existing positions we may hold for the coming calendar year or two due to unrealized gain exposure, and we would adjust our overall allocation accordingly.  The Dividend Equity positions you would own, however (knowing that the percentage allocated to this component of the portfolio would be unique to you) would be the same 32 names that I own and that every client of TBG owns.

We want our clients to all benefit from uniform equity management so when we buy or sell or add or trim any position, it happens for every client at the exact same time with identical pricing.  Your Fixed Income portfolio would be unique to your allocation.  Taxable vs. Tax-Free bonds, funds vs. individual etc.   Your Alternative Investments would be unique to your goals as well.  This customization in asset allocation is what drives the risk/reward paradigm in the portfolio and would be adjusted as economic and market conditions change.
~ Brian T. Szytel, September 4, 2024

Monetary inflation DOES impact wages. QE does not because it does not get into the circulation of the money supply but stays “on the shelf” in excess bank reserves.
~ David L. Bahnsen, September 3, 2024

Since each client has a custom portfolio blended with not just broad market stock indexes and the high-grade aggregate bond index like the 60/40 index, it's really pretty apples to oranges.  We would almost always include a percentage allocation to alternative investments like real estate, hedge funds, private equity, and the like.  Our fixed-income portfolios don't resemble the aggregate bond index, but they have a more diverse mix of credit quality and duration targeting.  On top of some of those nuances, that allocation is actively managed through different market cycles rather than the static 60/40 mix.  So, like I said, pretty apples to oranges (and I’ll let you decide which one appears to be more thoughtful and dynamic).

To your question on the performance comparison, if we took 2022 as an example, both stocks and bonds were down over 10% in unison for the first time in our (and most of our parents) lifetimes (S&P 500 -18% and AGG -13%), so it was the worst year for the 60/40 almost ever.  The fact that our Dividend portfolio and Alternatives were up that year gives us too unfair of an advantage to compare being so recent.  Instead, I would look at them as totally different, with the 60/40 still providing a basic level of diversification and asset allocation and our portfolios taking that to a higher and actively managed level to achieve actual real-life goals for people.
~Brian T. Szytel, August, 29, 2024