The number-one way that the finance industry makes its money is by collecting fees from people in order to manage their money. Pension funds, mutual funds, hedge funds, endowment funds…it seems like every dollar you save gets a hefty cut as it passes through the hands of middleman after middleman. And they can’t all beat the market, can they? But America’s love affair with money managers may be going lukewarm, as more and more investors move their wealth into passive management. Passive management means piggybacking on the wisdom of the market instead of paying one pro big bucks to try to out-guess the other pros. Exchange Traded Funds, offered by companies such as BlackRock and Vanguard, are one of the main passive investment vehicles that have emerged in recent years. Meanwhile, some big pension funds are turning to passive management. This could be the dawn of a new, laid-back financial age. And many other provocative thoughts.  Economic Trends That Surprise