Four equity ETFs blending broad US exposure small value tilt growth tech and global diversification
Report created on Jun 24, 2026Risk profile
4/7
Diversification profile
3/5
Positions
-
VO Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
VOO - US9229083632 40.00% -
AV Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF
AVUV - US0250728773 20.00% -
QQ Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
QQQM - US46138G6492 20.00% -
VX Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
VXUS - US9219097683 20.00%
This portfolio is built entirely from four equity ETFs, so it’s a pure stock portfolio with no bonds or cash. The largest slice is a broad US large‑cap fund, paired with a dedicated US small‑cap value ETF and a focused growth‑heavy Nasdaq 100 ETF. A final piece adds a diversified international equity ETF outside the US. This structure mixes core broad‑market exposure with two deliberate tilts: smaller cheaper companies and large growth names. That combination can create a useful balance between different return drivers while still being simple to understand and manage. All-in equity means higher long‑term growth potential, but also larger swings in value compared with portfolios that include bonds or other stabilizing assets.
Growth
Over the period from late 2020 to mid‑2026, $1,000 invested in this portfolio grew to about $2,399. That translates into a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.71%, meaning the value increased as if it had earned roughly 16.71% per year on average. This slightly exceeded the US market benchmark and more clearly outpaced the global market benchmark. The maximum drawdown, or largest peak‑to‑trough loss, was about -25%, very similar to broad markets, and it took just over a year to recover. A notable detail is that 90% of returns came from only 29 days, underscoring how missing a handful of strong days can significantly change long‑term results.
Projection
The forward projection uses a Monte Carlo simulation, which is basically running thousands of “what if” scenarios using past return patterns and volatility as inputs. Instead of giving a single forecast, it shows a range of potential 15‑year outcomes for $1,000 invested. The median path ends near $2,719, but plausible results span from roughly keeping pace with cash to more than tripling. Monte Carlo helps illustrate uncertainty: even with the same starting point and overall averages, actual paths can differ a lot. It’s important to remember these simulations are based on historical behavior and assumptions; they’re useful for framing expectations, but they can’t predict exactly what will happen.
Asset classes
- Stocks 100%
All of this portfolio sits in one asset class: stocks. There are no bonds, real estate funds, commodities, or cash components included in the allocation. A 100% equity structure usually offers higher long‑term return potential than mixed stock‑bond portfolios, but it also makes the ride bumpier, especially during market downturns. Diversification here happens within equities rather than across asset classes: mixing large and small companies, growth and value styles, and US vs international markets. Compared with a typical “balanced” mix that includes bonds, this portfolio leans toward growth and volatility, which is consistent with its classification as balanced within an all‑equity context but not in a traditional 60/40 sense.
Sectors
- Technology 31%
- Financials 14%
- Consumer Discretionary 12%
- Industrials 10%
- Telecommunications 9%
- Health Care 7%
- Energy 6%
- Consumer Staples 5%
- Basic Materials 3%
- Utilities 2%
- Real Estate 1%
Sector-wise, the portfolio leans heavily into technology at 31%, followed by meaningful allocations to financials, consumer discretionary, and industrials. Other sectors like health care, energy, staples, materials, utilities, and real estate have smaller weights. Compared with broad global benchmarks, this is a tech‑tilted mix, partly driven by the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and the dominance of large tech names in US markets. Tech-heavy exposure can benefit strongly from innovation and growth trends but tends to be more sensitive to interest rate changes and shifts in investor sentiment about high-growth companies. The presence of cyclicals and defensives in smaller portions still adds some balance across different parts of the economy.
Regions
- North America 81%
- Europe Developed 8%
- Asia Developed 3%
- Japan 3%
- Asia Emerging 3%
- Australasia 1%
- Latin America 1%
- Africa/Middle East 1%
Geographically, the portfolio is dominated by North America at 81%, with the remaining allocation spread across developed Europe, Japan, other developed Asia, and several emerging regions in small amounts. Relative to global market weights, this is clearly US‑tilted, which mirrors many investors’ home‑market bias. The dedicated international ETF ensures there is still exposure to other economies and currencies, but those play a supporting role rather than driving overall behavior. This alignment with US benchmarks has worked well during periods of US outperformance, yet it also means portfolio results are closely tied to the health of the US economy, policy environment, and dollar movements, with only partial offset from overseas markets.
Market capitalization
- Mega-cap 38%
- Large-cap 27%
- Mid-cap 13%
- Small-cap 11%
- Micro-cap 10%
By market capitalization, this portfolio holds a broad spectrum: 38% in mega‑caps, 27% in large‑caps, and the remainder spread across mid, small, and even micro‑caps. That’s a noticeably broader reach than a pure large‑cap index, thanks largely to the small‑cap value ETF. Larger companies usually provide stability and liquidity, while smaller firms tend to be more volatile but can offer higher growth or recovery potential over long periods. Having meaningful small and micro‑cap exposure means the portfolio doesn’t just track the fate of the biggest household names. Instead, it taps into a wider business universe, which can diversify company‑specific risks even as it increases day‑to‑day price swings.
True holdings
-
NV NVIDIA Corporation 4.78%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
AA Apple Inc 4.24%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
MS Microsoft Corporation 3.00%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
AM Amazon.com Inc 2.48%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class A 2.04%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
AV Broadcom Inc 1.90%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class C 1.72%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
MU Micron Technology Inc 1.68%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
TS Tesla Inc 1.41%
Part of fund(s):- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
- LS 1x Tesla Tracker ETP Securities GBP
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
-
ME Meta Platforms Inc. 0.85%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
- Top 10 total 24.11%
The look‑through data, limited to top‑10 ETF holdings, shows notable concentration in a handful of mega‑cap US tech and consumer names like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet. Several of these appear in multiple ETFs, so their combined exposure is higher than it might seem from any single fund. For example, NVIDIA alone accounts for nearly 5% of the overall portfolio, and the top ten underlying holdings together take a meaningful slice of total equity risk. Because only top‑10 holdings are used, true overlap is likely higher. This hidden clustering means portfolio performance can be strongly influenced by how a small group of very large companies behaves.
Factors
Factor exposure across value, size, momentum, quality, yield, and low volatility is generally neutral, sitting close to the 50% “market‑like” level for each factor. In other words, the portfolio doesn’t show strong systematic tilts toward or away from any of the classic academic factors once everything is blended together. Factor investing treats these characteristics as ingredients that help explain returns beyond simple market exposure. Here, the ingredients largely offset: the small‑cap value ETF pulls toward value and smaller size, while the Nasdaq 100 and S&P 500 lean more toward large, quality growth. The end result is a balanced factor footprint likely to behave similarly to broad markets across different environments.
Risk contribution
-
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF
Weight: 40.00% 37.6% -
Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF
Weight: 20.00% 23.6% -
Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF
Weight: 20.00% 22.6% -
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 20.00% 16.3%
Risk contribution, which measures how much each holding drives total volatility, tells an interesting story. The S&P 500 ETF is 40% of the weight and contributes about 38% of the risk, almost exactly in line. The Nasdaq 100 and small‑cap value ETFs each sit at 20% weight but contribute 23–24% and 23% of risk respectively, meaning they punch above their weight in driving ups and downs. The international ETF, at 20% weight, adds only 16% of risk, reflecting diversification and slightly lower volatility. Overall, the top three ETFs account for nearly 84% of total portfolio risk, so they largely set the tone for how bumpy the experience feels.
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 near the efficient frontier, which is the curve representing the best achievable return for each level of risk using the current holdings in different mixes. The Sharpe ratio, a simple measure of risk‑adjusted return, is 0.76 for the current allocation, while the highest possible Sharpe from reweighting only these four ETFs is 0.95. The minimum‑risk mix has slightly lower volatility with a Sharpe of 0.85. Since the current point is already efficient for its risk level, the structure is doing a solid job converting volatility into return; any changes would mainly be about personal comfort with higher or lower risk, not fixing inefficiency.
Dividends
- Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF 1.60%
- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF 0.40%
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF 1.00%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 2.50%
- Weighted yield (per year) 1.30%
The portfolio’s overall dividend yield is about 1.3%, coming from a mix of higher‑yielding international and small‑cap value holdings and lower‑yielding US growth exposure. Yield measures the cash income paid out each year as a percentage of current value, separate from price changes. The international ETF’s yield around 2.5% and the small‑cap value fund’s 1.6% help lift the blended figure, while the Nasdaq 100’s 0.4% pulls it down. This income level is in line with a growth‑oriented equity mix where returns historically come more from price appreciation than from dividends. Reinvested dividends still quietly contribute to compounding over time, even if they’re modest.
Ongoing product costs
- Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF 0.25%
- Invesco NASDAQ 100 ETF 0.15%
- Vanguard S&P 500 ETF 0.03%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 0.05%
- Weighted costs total (per year) 0.10%
Total ongoing costs, measured by the weighted average TER of about 0.10%, are impressively low for a four‑fund global equity portfolio. TER (total expense ratio) is the annual fund fee, like a small percentage shaved off in the background each year. Lower costs matter because they compound: money not spent on fees stays invested and can grow. Here, the very cheap Vanguard ETFs anchor the cost, while the more specialized small‑cap value fund charges a bit more but still within a reasonable range. Overall, this fee level supports better long‑term performance compared to higher‑cost products tracking similar indexes, and aligns well with cost‑efficient investing best practices.
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