Broad low cost equity portfolio with strong US tilt and balanced factor exposure
Report created on Jul 16, 2026Risk profile
4/7
Diversification profile
3/5
Positions
-
VT Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
VTI - US9229087690 50.00% -
VX Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
VXUS - US9219097683 25.00% -
QQ Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
QQQM - US46138G6492 15.00% -
AV Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF
AVUV - US0250728773 10.00%
This portfolio is a simple four‑ETF, 100% stock mix. About half is in a total US market fund, a quarter in a total international fund, with the remaining quarter split between a NASDAQ 100 ETF and a US small‑cap value ETF. So it combines broad global coverage with two focused “tilts”: one toward large US growth companies and one toward smaller US value companies. Structurally, this is still dominated by diversified index funds, which keeps stock‑specific risk relatively contained. The mix aims to capture the global equity market while slightly emphasizing areas that have historically offered higher growth or different return patterns than the broad market.
Growth
From late 2020 to mid‑2026, a $1,000 investment in this portfolio grew to $2,244. That works out to a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 15.17%, which is how much it grew per year on average over the whole period. It slightly lagged the US market benchmark but outpaced the global market benchmark, reflecting its strong US weight. The max drawdown was about -26%, similar to the global benchmark and a bit deeper than the US market’s drop. This shows the portfolio captured much of the upside of US stocks while sharing in their significant, but not extreme, downside swings during tough periods. Past results, of course, don’t guarantee future returns.
Projection
The Monte Carlo projection uses past returns and volatility to simulate many possible future paths for $1,000 over 15 years. Think of it as running 1,000 “what if” scenarios where returns bounce around in different ways. The median outcome lands around $2,889, with a central band from roughly $1,780 to $4,494 showing where the middle half of outcomes clustered. There’s a 73.5% rate of ending with a positive return, and the average simulated annual return is 8.3%. These projections are useful for understanding the range of possibilities rather than a precise forecast. They rely on historical patterns continuing, which may not fully capture future shocks or regime shifts.
Asset classes
- Stocks 100%
All of this portfolio is invested in stocks, with no bonds, cash, or alternatives like real estate funds or commodities. That means it’s fully exposed to equity market ups and downs, with no built‑in stabilizer from fixed income. In strong equity markets, this can be beneficial because every dollar is working in growth assets. During major downturns, however, there’s no offsetting buffer from more defensive asset classes, so account values can drop quickly and sharply. Compared with a classic mixed stock‑bond portfolio, this structure typically offers higher long‑term return potential, but also higher short‑term volatility and deeper drawdowns.
Sectors
- Technology 33%
- Financials 14%
- Consumer Discretionary 10%
- Industrials 10%
- Telecommunications 8%
- Health Care 7%
- Consumer Staples 5%
- Energy 5%
- Basic Materials 4%
- Utilities 2%
- Real Estate 2%
Sector exposure is tilted toward technology at 33%, well above what many broad global benchmarks hold, with financials, consumer discretionary, and industrials following. Smaller slices go to telecom, health care, staples, energy, materials, utilities, and real estate, giving the portfolio representation across the economy. A tech‑heavy tilt often reflects the dominance of large US growth companies and the NASDAQ 100 allocation. This can boost performance when innovative, fast‑growing businesses lead the market, but it can also increase sensitivity to changes in interest rates, regulation, or investor sentiment toward growth stocks. The broad set of other sectors helps reduce, but not eliminate, that concentration.
Regions
- North America 76%
- Europe Developed 9%
- Asia Developed 4%
- Japan 4%
- Asia Emerging 3%
- Australasia 1%
- Africa/Middle East 1%
- Latin America 1%
Geographically, about 76% of the portfolio sits in North America, primarily the US, with the rest spread across developed Europe, Japan, other developed Asia, and smaller allocations to emerging markets and other regions. This creates a clear US tilt compared with a purely market‑cap global index, where the US share is typically a bit lower. A strong home‑country emphasis has worked well in recent decades as US markets outperformed many peers. At the same time, it means portfolio fortunes are closely tied to one economy, one regulatory system, and largely one currency. The non‑US slice still adds diversification across different growth drivers and political environments.
Market capitalization
- Mega-cap 40%
- Large-cap 28%
- Mid-cap 15%
- Small-cap 9%
- Micro-cap 6%
Market capitalization exposure skews toward larger companies, with about 40% in mega‑caps and 28% in large‑caps. Mid‑caps, small‑caps, and micro‑caps make up the remaining roughly one‑third, in part thanks to the total market fund and the dedicated small‑cap value ETF. Large and mega‑cap companies tend to be more established, with diversified businesses and more analyst coverage, which can sometimes mean more stability but less dramatic upside. Smaller companies usually bring higher volatility and more company‑specific risk, but also different growth and valuation dynamics. This blend provides a market‑like foundation with an intentional nudge toward the smaller end of the spectrum.
True holdings
-
NV NVIDIA Corporation 4.57%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
AA Apple Inc. 4.21%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
MS Microsoft Corporation 3.01%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
AM Amazon.com Inc 2.44%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class A 2.04%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
AV Broadcom Inc 1.90%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class C 1.67%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
MU Micron Technology Inc 1.51%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
TS Tesla Inc 1.33%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- LS 1x Tesla Tracker ETP Securities GBP
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
23 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 0.99%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
- Top 10 total 23.67%
Looking through to the top underlying holdings, a handful of large technology and internet‑related names stand out. NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet (both share classes), Broadcom, Micron, Tesla, and Taiwan Semiconductor together form a meaningful slice of the visible exposure. Several of these appear through multiple ETFs, which creates overlap and hidden concentration: movements in a few mega‑caps can influence the portfolio more than the fund list alone suggests. The coverage here is only about 28% of total holdings because it uses ETF top‑10 lists, so actual overlap is likely higher. Even so, the pattern clearly shows a cluster around leading global tech‑oriented companies.
Factors
Factor exposure across value, size, momentum, quality, yield, and low volatility is broadly neutral, sitting close to 50% in each case. Factor exposure describes how much a portfolio leans into specific characteristics that academic research links to long‑run returns, such as cheapness (value) or smaller size. A neutral profile means the holdings behave a lot like the broad market on these dimensions, despite the presence of a small‑cap value ETF and a growth‑oriented NASDAQ fund. Overall, this suggests no strong systematic tilt toward any single factor, which can help avoid being heavily tied to one style cycle, but also means the portfolio isn’t strongly emphasizing classic factor “premiums.”
Risk contribution
-
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 50.00% 49.7% -
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 25.00% 21.0% -
Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
Weight: 15.00% 18.2% -
Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF
Weight: 10.00% 11.0%
Risk contribution shows how much each ETF drives the portfolio’s overall ups and downs, which can differ from its dollar weight. The total US market fund is half the portfolio and contributes almost exactly half the risk, making it the primary risk driver. The NASDAQ 100 ETF is 15% by weight but contributes over 18% of risk, reflecting its higher volatility; similarly, the small‑cap value fund adds slightly more risk than its 10% weight suggests. The international fund contributes somewhat less risk than its 25% allocation. The top three holdings together explain nearly 89% of total portfolio volatility, indicating that most of the risk comes from a relatively small set of broad funds.
Risk vs. return
This chart shows the Efficient Frontier, calculated using your current assets with different allocation combinations. It highlights the best balance between risk and return based on historical data. "Efficient" portfolios maximize returns for a given risk or minimize risk for a given return. Portfolios below the curve are less efficient. This is informational and not a recommendation to buy or sell any assets.
Click on the colored dots to explore allocations.
The risk‑return chart shows this portfolio sitting on or very close to the efficient frontier. The efficient frontier represents the best possible expected return for each risk level using only the current holdings but with different weights. The current mix has a Sharpe ratio of 0.69, which measures return per unit of volatility above the risk‑free rate. While the maximum‑Sharpe combination offers higher risk‑adjusted returns, it also comes with higher volatility. The minimum‑variance mix slightly reduces risk but also expected return. Being on the frontier is a positive sign: it means, given these four ETFs, the present allocation already uses them in a broadly efficient way.
Dividends
- Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF 1.30%
- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF 0.40%
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares 1.00%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 2.60%
- Weighted yield (per year) 1.34%
The overall dividend yield of about 1.34% is modest, with the highest yield coming from the international fund and the lowest from the NASDAQ 100 ETF. Dividend yield is the cash income paid out by holdings each year, expressed as a percentage of the portfolio’s value. In this case, most of the expected return is likely to come from price changes rather than income. That’s common for equity portfolios with a strong growth component and broad market exposure. For investors spending dividends, the cash stream is present but relatively low; for those reinvesting them, dividends still quietly add to long‑term compounding even at these levels.
Ongoing product costs
- Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF 0.25%
- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF 0.15%
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares 0.03%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 0.05%
- Weighted costs total (per year) 0.08%
The portfolio’s total expense ratio (TER) is around 0.08%, which is very low by industry standards. TER is the ongoing annual fee charged by each fund, taken directly out of returns, like a small skim off the top each year. The two Vanguard funds are especially inexpensive, and even the more specialized funds remain in a reasonable range. Over long periods, lower costs help more of the portfolio’s gross return reach the investor, supporting better compounding. This fee structure is well‑aligned with best practices for passive and rules‑based investing, and it forms a solid foundation for long‑term performance because cost is one of the few factors that can be known in advance.
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