Where Are The Customers Yachts?

Once in the dear dead days beyond recall, an out-of-town visitor was being shown the wonders of the New York financial district. When the party arrived at the Battery, one of his guides indicated some handsome ships riding at anchor. He said "look, those are the bankers' and brokers' yachts."
"Where are the customers' yachts?" asked the naive visitor.

-Ancient Story

The above is the epilogue to the classic investment book: "Where are The Customers Yachts."

 Many feel that they have to pay large sums to large firms to help them with the elusive idea that their investments will consistently beat the market. Unfortunately, nobody has found the formula to beat the market. The only ones getting rich are the banks and brokers. So why not just be the market?
The best thing one can do is build a stock portfolio that looks like the market, then balance it with short term bonds based on the amount of risk you need to mitigate.
This can be done with low cost index funds and ETFs and the help of a fee-only advisor (if needed).