Skip to content 
THE ACTIVE VS PASSIVE EXPERIMENT
Can Active Investing
Beat the Market?
Most Investors believe you can’t
I'm running a live 10k portfolio to prove otherwise.
Passive vs Active
Why This Experiment?
Most investors are told to buy passive funds and accept average returns.
But very few question it.
What if a disciplined, active approach could do better?
This is a real-money test to find out — not theory, not hindsight.
Fully Tracked. No added funds
Current performance
Updated 13th April 2026
LEAN PORTFOLIO
+13.8%
Since Launch - November 2025
FTSE 100 Total Returns
+10.89%
UK Market Benchmark
S&P 500 Total Returns
-0.14%
US Market Benchmark
Returns measured by identical start date.Benchmarks use accumulating and reflect reinvested dividends.Updated Monthly
What 's Included
- Real personal capital
- Active rules based stock selection
- Performance tracked vs FTSE 100 & S&P 500
- Every decision logged publicly
- No hype. No shortcuts. Just process
THE LEAN FRAMEWORK.
Four pillars. One disciplined process.
A structured approach combining Quality, Value, Momentum and Behaviour control.
Quality
Priority Financially Strong Companies
Strong balance sheets, strong cashflow and efficient management
Value
Buy good businesses at sensible prices
Avoid overpaying. Foucus on valuation relative to fundermentals and growth
Momentum
Back companies that are improving
Look for positive trends in earnings, sentiment, or price strength
Behaviour
Control decisions, not emotions
Rules prevent over trading, concentration risk, and reactive decisions
Hello Investor, I'm James
AKA The Lean Trader
I studied business, but the real education came from the market.
Books teach theory.
Experience teaches discipline, risk, and what actually works.
Every gain, every mistake — all part of the process.
This is investing without hindsight.
Real money. Real decisions. Fully transparent.
The site exists to answer one simple question?
Can an ordinary person, using what they’ve learned and staying disciplined, realistically do better than passive investing over time?
Not by trading constantly, but by thinking clearly, staying patient and learning from mistakes.
