Broad low cost stock portfolio with strong US focus and balanced risk profile
Report created on May 1, 2026Risk profile
4/7
Diversification profile
3/5
Positions
-
VO Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
VOO - US9229083632 77.67% -
VX Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
VXUS - US9219097683 19.42% -
SG iShares Trust
SGOV - US46436E7186 2.91%
This portfolio is built from just three ETFs, with one core US fund dominating the mix. Roughly four-fifths sits in a broad US equity ETF, almost one-fifth in a total international stock ETF, and a small slice in an additional iShares position. This kind of “core plus small satellite” structure is simple and easy to understand. It also means most outcomes are driven by the main US fund, while the other positions play supporting roles. A concentrated ETF lineup like this keeps the moving parts limited, which can make monitoring and tax record‑keeping more straightforward than a portfolio with many small overlapping holdings.
Growth
From May 2020 to April 2026, a hypothetical $1,000 in this portfolio grew to about $2,457. That’s a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.43%, compared with 17.40% for the US market and 15.42% for the global market. CAGR is like your average speed over a long road trip, smoothing out bumps along the way. The portfolio’s worst peak‑to‑trough fall was about -24.6%, very similar to the US benchmark and slightly milder than global stocks. Overall, results track broad markets closely, with a small performance lag to the US but a modest edge over the global benchmark.
Projection
The Monte Carlo projection uses 1,000 simulations to imagine many possible 15‑year paths, based on the portfolio’s historical ups and downs. It treats past volatility like a weather pattern and then “rolls the dice” repeatedly to see different combinations of good and bad years. The median simulated outcome turns $1,000 into about $2,624, with a wide but intuitive range around it. An 8.0% average annual return across simulations is notably lower than the recent historical figure, highlighting how the model pulls expectations toward more moderate long‑term assumptions. As always, these are not predictions, just a way to visualize uncertainty.
Asset classes
- Stocks 97%
- Cash 3%
Almost all of this portfolio is in stocks, with about 97% in equities and only around 3% in cash. That stock‑heavy mix naturally pushes both potential growth and day‑to‑day swings higher than a blend that includes bonds. Compared with a classic multi‑asset mix that combines stocks and bonds, this structure leans clearly toward equity risk. At the same time, using broad index‑style funds means that equity exposure is widely spread across many companies, even though it is one main asset class. This alignment with global equity markets is consistent with a growth‑oriented approach rather than a capital‑preservation focus.
Sectors
- Technology 29%
- Financials 14%
- Industrials 10%
- Consumer Discretionary 9%
- Telecommunications 9%
- Health Care 9%
- Consumer Staples 5%
- Energy 4%
- Basic Materials 3%
- Cash 3%
- Utilities 3%
- Real Estate 2%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
Sector exposure is quite balanced, with the largest share in technology at about 29% and meaningful allocations to financials, industrials, consumer, telecoms, and healthcare. This looks broadly similar to major global equity benchmarks, where tech tends to be the largest slice but not the entire story. Having a diversified sector mix helps avoid hinging everything on one economic theme, such as only banks or only energy. Tech‑heavy allocations can be more sensitive to interest‑rate changes and innovation cycles, but here that exposure is cushioned by substantial weights in more defensive and cyclical areas, supporting a more rounded risk profile.
Regions
- North America 79%
- Europe Developed 7%
- Japan 3%
- Cash 3%
- Asia Developed 3%
- Asia Emerging 3%
- Australasia 1%
- Africa/Middle East 1%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
Geographically, about 79% of the portfolio sits in North America, with the rest spread across Europe, Japan, other developed Asia, emerging Asia, Australasia, and Africa/Middle East. This is more US‑tilted than a typical global stock index, where the US is large but not quite this dominant. A strong home‑country focus has helped over the last decade, when US stocks outpaced many other regions. The international slice still adds valuable diversification by tying part of the portfolio to different economies, currencies, and policy environments. This combination creates a “US core with global satellite” structure, which many index investors recognize.
Market capitalization
- Mega-cap 44%
- Large-cap 33%
- Mid-cap 17%
- Small-cap 1%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
By market size, the portfolio leans heavily into mega‑cap and large‑cap companies, which together make up over three‑quarters of exposure. Mid‑caps have a solid presence, while small‑caps are only a tiny fraction. Large companies often bring more stable earnings, deeper liquidity, and broader analyst coverage, which can translate into smoother behavior than pure small‑cap strategies. On the flip side, a limited small‑cap stake means less exposure to that segment’s sometimes higher long‑term growth and volatility. Overall, this size mix is very similar to standard market‑cap‑weighted indices, reflecting the structure of global stock markets themselves.
True holdings
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NV NVIDIA Corporation 5.89%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
AA Apple Inc 5.17%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
MS Microsoft Corporation 3.82%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
AM Amazon.com Inc 2.83%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class A 2.32%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
AV Broadcom Inc 2.04%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class C 1.86%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
ME Meta Platforms Inc. 1.74%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
TS Tesla Inc 1.45%
Part of fund(s):- LS 1x Tesla Tracker ETP Securities GBP
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
BR Berkshire Hathaway Inc 1.22%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
- Top 10 total 28.34%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
Looking through the ETFs, the top underlying holdings include familiar names like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Tesla, and Berkshire Hathaway. Many of these show up in multiple funds, which is why individual companies can reach 5–6% of the total portfolio even without any single‑stock positions. Because only ETF top‑10 holdings are captured, actual overlap is likely a bit higher than reported. This kind of “hidden concentration” is common in index‑based portfolios, where the same mega‑caps sit at the top of many indices. It means that headlines affecting big global leaders can noticeably sway overall portfolio performance.
Factors
Factor exposures are estimated using statistical models based on historical data and measure systematic (market-relative) tilts, not absolute portfolio characteristics. Results may vary depending on the analysis period, data availability, and currency of the underlying assets.
Factor exposures are broadly neutral across the board, with value, size, momentum, quality, yield, and low volatility all clustering around the 50% mark. Factor exposure describes how much the portfolio leans into specific characteristics that research links to returns, like cheaper valuations (value) or price trends (momentum). A neutral profile like this indicates the portfolio behaves much like the overall market rather than making big bets on any single style. That “plain vanilla” factor mix often leads to performance that closely tracks broad indices through different cycles, without sharp deviations driven by style rotations.
Risk contribution
-
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Weight: 77.67% 82.7% -
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 19.42% 17.3% -
iShares Trust
Weight: 2.91% 0.0%
Risk contribution shows how much each holding drives the portfolio’s overall ups and downs, which can differ from its weight. Here, the main S&P 500 ETF is about 78% of the portfolio but contributes roughly 83% of total risk, a touch more than its size alone would suggest. The international Vanguard ETF contributes slightly less risk than its weight, and the small iShares position barely moves the needle. This is typical when one large, diversified equity fund dominates. It means that changes in US large‑cap conditions will have the biggest impact on the portfolio’s volatility and drawdowns over time.
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‑vs‑return chart shows the current portfolio sitting on or very close to the efficient frontier. The efficient frontier is the curve of best possible returns for each risk level using only the existing holdings. The portfolio’s Sharpe ratio of 0.79, which measures return per unit of risk above cash, is solid, though slightly below the mathematically optimal mix of these same funds. The optimal configuration has a higher Sharpe of 0.98 with a bit more risk and return. Since the current point is already essentially on the frontier, the existing allocation uses these building blocks efficiently.
Dividends
- iShares Trust 3.90%
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF 1.10%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 2.80%
- Weighted yield (per year) 1.51%
The blended dividend yield of about 1.51% is modest, with the S&P 500 ETF on the lower side and the international and iShares funds offering higher payouts. Yield is the income paid out as dividends each year, expressed as a percentage of the investment value. In this portfolio, dividends are a smaller part of total return, with most of the historical growth coming from price appreciation. That’s common for broad market equity funds, especially those heavy in large US companies that emphasize share buybacks and reinvestment. Over time, even a modest yield can add up, especially if it is reinvested.
Ongoing product costs
- iShares Trust 0.07%
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF 0.03%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 0.05%
- Weighted costs total (per year) 0.04%
Total ongoing costs are very low, with an overall expense ratio around 0.04%. The individual ETFs range from 0.03% to 0.07%, which is well below many actively managed funds and even cheaper than some other index options. The expense ratio is like a small yearly membership fee taken from fund assets. Keeping this fee low means more of the portfolio’s returns stay in the account rather than going to fund providers. Over long periods, even a few tenths of a percent can compound into a meaningful difference, so these impressively low costs are a real strength of the structure.
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