Broad low-cost stock portfolio with a strong US tilt and balanced style exposure
Report created on Aug 12, 2026Risk profile
4/7
Diversification profile
3/5
Positions
-
SC Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
SCHX - US8085242019 50.00% -
SC Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF
SCHM - US8085245087 20.00% -
SC Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF
SCHD - US8085247976 10.00% -
SC Schwab International Equity ETF
SCHF - US8085248057 10.00% -
SC Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF
SCHE - US8085247067 5.00% -
SC Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF
SCHY - US8085246721 5.00%
This portfolio is a simple six-ETF setup, fully invested in stocks. About half sits in a broad U.S. large‑cap fund, with another fifth in U.S. mid‑caps. The rest is spread across U.S. and international dividend ETFs plus broad developed and emerging ex‑US equity. So the core is broad market index exposure, lightly overlaid with dividend tilts and non‑US diversification. This kind of structure matters because most of the risk and return comes from how the big building blocks are arranged, not from small tweaks. Here, the positioning leans toward mainstream equity exposure with a clear home bias to the U.S., supported by a modest allocation to foreign and higher‑yielding stocks.
Growth
From April 2021 to August 2026, $1,000 in this portfolio grew to about $1,736, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.04%. CAGR is like average speed on a road trip: it smooths bumps into one yearly pace. The maximum drawdown was about -24%, similar in size to the US and global market drawdowns over the same period. The portfolio slightly lagged both the US market and, to a lesser extent, the global market, mainly due to its mix versus those benchmarks. It still delivered strong absolute growth, but the data reminds that even diversified, all‑equity portfolios can see large temporary drops and rely on a handful of very strong days for most long‑term gains.
Projection
The forward projection uses a Monte Carlo simulation, which basically replays many versions of the future by mixing and matching patterns from past returns. Here, 1,000 simulated paths for a $1,000 investment over 15 years produce a median outcome of about $2,694, with a wide possible range from roughly $987 to $7,843. The average annualized return across simulations is 8.03%, lower than the recent historical number, reflecting some built‑in caution. Monte Carlo doesn’t “predict” the future; it just shows what could happen if markets behave broadly like they have before. It’s useful for seeing that outcomes can vary a lot even when the starting portfolio stays the same.
Asset classes
- Stocks 100%
Asset‑class wise, this portfolio is 100% in equities, with no bonds or cash buffers in the mix. That makes the overall risk profile more tied to stock market ups and downs, rather than being dampened by fixed income. Compared with typical “balanced” mixes that include meaningful bond exposure, this is more growth‑oriented in structure. Being fully in stocks can help when markets trend upward, as there’s no allocation stuck in lower‑return assets, but it also means drawdowns can be sharper and more emotionally challenging. The diversification is within equities (across size, style, and regions) rather than across different asset classes that might behave differently in stress periods.
Sectors
- Technology 27%
- Financials 14%
- Industrials 12%
- Health Care 10%
- Consumer Discretionary 9%
- Telecommunications 7%
- Consumer Staples 6%
- Energy 5%
- Basic Materials 3%
- Real Estate 3%
- Utilities 3%
Sector exposure is reasonably broad, with technology the largest slice at 27%, followed by financials, industrials, health care, and consumer‑related areas. This is not an extreme tech bet, but tech is clearly a major driver, in line with common broad‑market benchmarks where large tech companies dominate index weights. A tech‑heavier tilt often boosts returns during periods of innovation and low interest rates, but can mean more volatility when rates rise or when growth expectations cool. The presence of energy, utilities, real estate, and basic materials adds some cyclical and defensive balance. Overall, the sector mix looks well‑spread, which helps avoid being overly dependent on a single part of the economy.
Regions
- North America 81%
- Europe Developed 9%
- Asia Developed 3%
- Asia Emerging 3%
- Japan 2%
- Australasia 1%
- Africa/Middle East 1%
- Latin America 1%
Geographically, about 81% of the portfolio is in North America, with the rest spread across developed Europe, developed Asia, Japan, and small slices in emerging regions. That’s a noticeable U.S. and North America tilt compared with global market indices, where the U.S. is large but not quite this dominant. A strong home bias can feel intuitive, since news and companies are familiar, and the U.S. has done very well in recent years. The flip side is that results become tightly linked to one economy and currency. The non‑U.S. exposures, while smaller, still introduce different economic cycles, policy regimes, and currencies, which can help diversification over the long run.
Market capitalization
- Mega-cap 32%
- Large-cap 31%
- Mid-cap 24%
- Small-cap 12%
By market capitalization, the portfolio is split across mega‑cap (32%), large‑cap (31%), mid‑cap (24%), and small‑cap (12%) stocks. That’s a fairly broad spectrum, with a solid core in the biggest global companies but a meaningful satellite in mid and small caps. Larger companies tend to be more stable and widely followed, while smaller firms can be more volatile but may offer stronger growth spurts. This mix means performance won’t be driven only by a handful of giants, but those giants still play a big role. The presence of mid and small caps adds another layer of diversification across company size and business maturity.
True holdings
-
AA Apple Inc. 3.71%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
NV NVIDIA Corporation 3.55%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
MS Microsoft Corporation 2.17%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
AM Amazon.com Inc 1.68%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class A 1.45%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
AV Broadcom Inc 1.34%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class C 1.17%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
ME Meta Platforms Inc. 0.97%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
-
23 Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. 0.82%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF
-
LL Eli Lilly and Company 0.72%
Part of fund(s):- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
- Top 10 total 17.58%
Looking through the ETFs’ top holdings, the largest underlying positions are familiar mega‑cap names like Apple, NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Broadcom, Meta, and Taiwan Semiconductor. None of these is held directly; exposure comes via multiple funds, which can create “hidden” concentration. For example, Apple alone adds up to roughly 3.7% of the portfolio just from ETF slices. Because only top‑10 ETF positions are captured, real overlaps are likely higher than shown. This overlap is normal for broad‑market ETFs, but it means that when a handful of mega‑caps move sharply, they can influence the whole portfolio more than the raw fund count suggests.
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 exposure across value, size, momentum, quality, yield, and low volatility sits close to neutral for all six. Factor exposure just means how much the portfolio leans into specific traits that research has linked to returns, like cheapness (value) or stability (low volatility). A neutral reading suggests this mix behaves broadly like the wider market, without strong tilts toward classic factor strategies. That can be helpful if the goal is to capture overall market behavior rather than make big bets on any one style. It also means the portfolio’s ups and downs are more likely to be driven by overall equity conditions and regional weights than by factor timing.
Risk contribution
-
Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF
Weight: 50.00% 52.5% -
Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF
Weight: 20.00% 23.6% -
Schwab International Equity ETF
Weight: 10.00% 9.2% -
Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF
Weight: 10.00% 7.4% -
Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF
Weight: 5.00% 4.2% - Top 5 risk contribution 96.9%
Risk contribution shows how much each ETF drives the portfolio’s overall volatility, which can differ from its weight. Here, the U.S. large‑cap fund is 50% of assets but about 53% of total risk, so its influence is almost perfectly proportional. The mid‑cap ETF is 20% of the weight but over 23% of risk, reflecting the bumpier ride of mid‑caps. The dividend and international funds contribute less risk than their weights, meaning they slightly soften overall swings. The top three positions together account for about 85% of portfolio risk, so most of the ups and downs trace back to that core trio of broad U.S. and international equity 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.
On the efficient frontier chart, the current portfolio sits below the line that represents the best risk/return combinations possible using these same ETFs. The Sharpe ratio—return per unit of risk after accounting for a 4% risk‑free rate—is 0.49, compared with 0.79 for the optimal mix and 0.71 for the minimum‑variance mix. The model suggests that, at roughly the same risk level, a different weighting of these existing funds could have produced higher expected returns historically. Being below the frontier doesn’t mean the portfolio is “bad”; it just means it hasn’t historically squeezed the maximum risk‑adjusted return out of the ingredients already in the cart.
Dividends
- Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF 3.10%
- Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF 2.60%
- Schwab International Equity ETF 3.00%
- Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF 1.20%
- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF 1.00%
- Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF 3.30%
- Weighted yield (per year) 1.64%
The blended dividend yield across all holdings is about 1.64%, coming from a mix of low‑yield broad market funds and higher‑yield dividend ETFs. Dividend yield is the annual cash payment as a percentage of price, like rent from owning shares. The dedicated dividend funds pay around 3% or slightly more, while the big U.S. large‑cap and mid‑cap ETFs sit closer to 1%. This structure means total return is likely to be driven more by price changes than by income, but dividends still provide a modest baseline of cashflow. Those payments can help offset volatility a bit, especially if reinvested, though they won’t dominate the portfolio’s overall performance.
Ongoing product costs
- Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF 0.06%
- Schwab Emerging Markets Equity ETF 0.11%
- Schwab International Equity ETF 0.06%
- Schwab U.S. Mid-Cap ETF 0.04%
- Schwab U.S. Large-Cap ETF 0.03%
- Schwab International Dividend Equity ETF 0.14%
- Weighted costs total (per year) 0.05%
Costs are a notable strength here. The total expense ratio (TER) across the portfolio is about 0.05%, which is extremely low by industry standards. TER is the annual fee charged by funds, taken directly out of returns, similar to a small ongoing service charge. Low costs matter because they compound quietly over time: every fraction of a percent saved stays invested and can grow. Many investors in similar broad‑market strategies pay several times this level, which can add up significantly over decades. This cost structure is well‑aligned with best practices for passive, diversified investing and provides a solid foundation for capturing more of whatever the markets deliver.
What next?
Ready to invest in this portfolio?
Select a broker that fits your needs and watch for low fees to maximize your returns.
Create your own report?
Join our community!
The information provided on this platform is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial or investment advice. Insightfolio does not provide investment advice, personalized recommendations, or guidance regarding the purchase, holding, or sale of financial assets. The tools and content are intended for educational purposes only and are not tailored to individual circumstances, financial needs, or objectives.
Insightfolio assumes no liability for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Users are solely responsible for verifying the information and making independent decisions based on their own research and careful consideration. Use of the platform should not replace consultation with qualified financial professionals.
Investments involve risks. Users should be aware that the value of investments may fluctuate and that past performance is not an indicator of future results. Investment decisions should be based on personal financial goals, risk tolerance, and independent evaluation of relevant information.
Insightfolio does not endorse or guarantee the suitability of any particular financial product, security, or strategy. Any projections, forecasts, or hypothetical scenarios presented on the platform are for illustrative purposes only and are not guarantees of future outcomes.
By accessing the services, information, or content offered by Insightfolio, users acknowledge and agree to these terms of the disclaimer. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use our platform.
Instrument logos provided by Elbstream.
Help us improve Insightfolio
Your feedback makes a difference! Share your thoughts in our quick survey. Take the survey