It’s a question that drives much of the financial advisory world. Advisors often position themselves as the solution—but their guidance is frequently skewed. They tend to overemphasize risk while ignoring one of the most critical factors in long-term investing: lost opportunity cost.

When I wrote Earn Twice the S&P, I introduced a lifelong investment plan that began aggressively and shifted toward conservatism with age. But the evolution of the Stars model changed my perspective.

Because Stars uses a long holding period, accuracy approaches 100% over time. Risk approaches zero. Why? You don’t experience losses. The value of your investments continues rising, and when you sell, it’s always at a gain.

The implications are massive. Consider this:
Bonds may offer a guaranteed 6% return.
The best version of the Stars model has returned 32%.
The opportunity cost of not using the Stars model is 26% per year. Over 5 years, that compounds to 3x your portfolio.
Warren Buffett once said, “An intelligent investor should always go with the best option.”

For me—and for investors at any age—that option is the Stars model.

Anything else comes at a permanent cost.