Broad low-cost index core with a modest small cap value tilt and balanced stock bond mix
Report created on May 7, 2026Risk profile
4/7
Diversification profile
4/5
Positions
-
VT Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
VTI - US9229087690 55.00% -
VX Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
VXUS - US9219097683 20.00% -
BN Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF Shares
BND - US9219378356 15.00% -
AV Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF
AVUV - US0250728773 10.00%
This portfolio is built around three broad index funds plus a focused small cap value fund. About half sits in a total US stock market ETF, with another fifth in a total international stock ETF. A smaller slice holds a diversified US bond market ETF, and the rest is in a US small cap value ETF. This structure creates a simple, “core plus tilt” setup: broad global equity coverage, a stabilizing bond component, and an intentional lean into a specific equity segment. The pieces are all diversified funds, so risk comes more from how much is in each bucket than from any single stock. Overall, it’s a classic balanced, stock‑heavy allocation using low-cost building blocks.
Growth
Over the period since late 2019, $1,000 grew to about $2,235, which is a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.01%. CAGR is like your average speed on a long road trip, smoothing out the bumps along the way. The portfolio’s max drawdown was about -31% during early 2020, meaning a fairly sharp but temporary drop. Compared with a US market benchmark, returns were modestly lower, but drawdowns were slightly smaller. Versus the global market, performance was quite similar, trailing only slightly. This shows the mix has delivered strong absolute returns and handled the COVID shock reasonably well, though it hasn’t fully kept pace with the very strong US equity benchmark.
Projection
The Monte Carlo projection uses 1,000 simulations to explore many possible 15‑year paths based on how similar portfolios have behaved historically. Think of it as rolling the dice thousands of times with realistic odds, not predicting one exact future. The median outcome turns $1,000 into about $2,669, with a wide “likely” range from roughly $1,806 to $3,726. Extreme but still plausible results span roughly $1,042 to $6,152. The average annual return across simulations is about 7.3%. This highlights that even with the same starting portfolio, outcomes can vary a lot. It also underlines that historical patterns are just a guide, not a guarantee of what will actually happen.
Asset classes
- Stocks 85%
- Bonds 15%
By asset class, the portfolio is 85% in stocks and 15% in bonds. That’s a stock‑heavy but still “balanced” mix, where bonds act as a shock absorber. Stocks are the main engine for long‑term growth, while bonds tend to be more stable and help smooth the ride during equity selloffs. Many broad benchmarks that include both stocks and bonds often sit somewhere between 40–60% bonds, so this portfolio leans more toward growth than those. The relatively small bond slice explains why the historical drawdown was meaningful but not extreme for an equity‑dominated allocation. It’s a straightforward structure: growth‑oriented, with some ballast.
Sectors
- Technology 21%
- Financials 14%
- Industrials 10%
- Consumer Discretionary 9%
- Health Care 8%
- Telecommunications 7%
- Energy 5%
- Consumer Staples 4%
- Basic Materials 3%
- Utilities 2%
- Real Estate 2%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
Sector exposure is spread across technology, financials, industrials, consumer areas, health care, and more. Technology is the largest at 21%, but not overwhelmingly so, while financials and industrials follow with double‑digit shares. This looks broadly similar to common global equity benchmarks, where tech is usually the biggest slice but still part of a full mix. A balanced sector profile means the portfolio isn’t overly tied to the fortunes of just one area of the economy. For instance, if tech hits a rough patch, exposure to sectors like health care, consumer staples, or utilities can help offset some of that. This alignment with broad benchmarks is a solid indicator of healthy diversification.
Regions
- North America 66%
- Europe Developed 8%
- Japan 3%
- Asia Developed 3%
- Asia Emerging 3%
- Australasia 1%
- Africa/Middle East 1%
- Latin America 1%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
Geographically, about two‑thirds of the equity exposure is in North America, with the rest spread across Europe, Japan, other developed Asia, and emerging regions. Global market indices are often roughly 60% US‑centric, so this allocation is slightly more tilted to North America but still in the same ballpark. There is meaningful, though smaller, exposure to Europe and various other regions, including emerging markets. That mix provides a good amount of global diversification while still letting US markets drive much of the behavior. It also means portfolio results will be influenced heavily by the US economy and dollar, with non‑US holdings adding some currency and regional variety.
Market capitalization
- Mega-cap 31%
- Large-cap 23%
- Mid-cap 14%
- Small-cap 9%
- Micro-cap 6%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
The market cap breakdown shows strong representation of mega‑ and large‑cap companies, but also meaningful mid‑, small‑, and even micro‑cap exposure. Mega‑caps and large‑caps together make up over half the equity slice, which is typical for index‑based portfolios mirroring the overall market. The small and micro positions, helped by the dedicated small cap value fund, introduce more exposure to younger, often more volatile businesses. This blend can add return potential and diversification because smaller companies sometimes behave differently from the giants. At the same time, the sizeable mega‑cap weight keeps the portfolio closely aligned with broad market behavior, rather than making it an aggressive small‑cap play.
True holdings
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NV NVIDIA Corporation 3.52%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
AA Apple Inc 3.26%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
MS Microsoft Corporation 2.40%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
AM Amazon.com Inc 1.76%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class A 1.46%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
AV Broadcom Inc 1.28%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
GO Alphabet Inc Class C 1.16%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
ME Meta Platforms Inc. 1.09%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
TS Tesla Inc 0.91%
Part of fund(s):- LS 1x Tesla Tracker ETP Securities GBP
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
-
BR Berkshire Hathaway Inc 0.75%
Part of fund(s):- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
- Top 10 total 17.60%
This breakdown covers the equity portion of your portfolio only.
Looking through the ETFs’ top holdings, the largest underlying positions are big US names like NVIDIA, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Broadcom, Meta, Tesla, and Berkshire Hathaway. Together, they make up noticeable but not overwhelming shares of the total portfolio, with the largest single company below 4%. Because these stocks appear in multiple ETFs, they create some overlap—essentially reinforcing exposure to major US growth names. However, only about 21% of ETF assets are captured in the top‑10 lists, so actual overlap is likely higher but still spread across thousands of securities. This indicates that while a handful of mega‑caps influence returns, no single company dominates overall risk.
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.
The factor exposures—value, size, momentum, quality, yield, and low volatility—are all in the “neutral” band around the 50% market‑average point. Factor exposure is like looking at the portfolio’s DNA: it shows whether it leans toward traits like cheap stocks (value), smaller companies (size), or stable names (low volatility). Here, the readings suggest a broadly market‑like profile rather than a strong tilt toward any one style, even with the small cap value fund included. That means the portfolio’s behavior is likely to be driven more by overall market moves than by factor bets. It’s essentially using the broad market’s mix of characteristics rather than trying to emphasize a particular style.
Risk contribution
-
Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 55.00% 64.3% -
Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 20.00% 19.9% -
Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF
Weight: 10.00% 14.3% -
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF Shares
Weight: 15.00% 1.5%
Risk contribution shows how much each holding adds to the portfolio’s overall ups and downs, which can differ from its weight. The total US stock market ETF is 55% of assets but contributes about 64% of risk, slightly punching above its weight. The international stock ETF lines up almost exactly with its weight, while the small cap value ETF contributes more risk (14%) than its 10% allocation suggests, reflecting its higher volatility. The bond ETF is 15% of the portfolio but adds only about 1.5% of total risk, acting as a true stabilizer. With the three equity funds driving nearly all risk, the portfolio’s behavior is largely an equity story moderated by bonds.
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 efficient frontier analysis compares the current portfolio with two theoretical mixes of the same funds: one that maximizes the Sharpe ratio and one that minimizes volatility. The Sharpe ratio measures risk‑adjusted return, like miles per gallon for a car—higher is better. The current portfolio has a Sharpe of 0.55, while the optimal mix reaches 0.75 with somewhat higher risk, and the minimum‑variance mix sits at very low risk and return. Importantly, the current allocation lies on or very near the efficient frontier. That means, given these four holdings, the mix is already using them in a mathematically efficient way for its chosen risk level, without obvious wasted risk.
Dividends
- Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF 1.30%
- Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF Shares 3.90%
- Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund ETF Shares 1.00%
- Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund ETF Shares 2.70%
- Weighted yield (per year) 1.80%
The overall dividend yield is about 1.8%, combining relatively low yields from the US total stock and small cap value funds, a higher yield from international stocks, and an even higher yield from the bond fund. Dividend yield is the annual cash payout as a percentage of the current value—like rent for owning the investment. Here, income is present but not the main focus; most return historically has come from price growth rather than payouts. The bond ETF’s 3.9% yield contributes a solid share of the income stream, while the equity funds lean more toward total‑return exposure. This setup keeps the portfolio growth‑oriented with a modest, diversified income layer.
Ongoing product costs
- Avantis® U.S. Small Cap Value ETF 0.25%
- Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF Shares 0.03%
- 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) 0.06%
The weighted ongoing cost (TER) for the portfolio is about 0.06% per year, driven by ultra‑low fees on the three Vanguard index funds and a slightly higher but still modest fee on the small cap value ETF. TER, or Total Expense Ratio, is like a subscription fee charged as a percentage of assets annually. At this level, costs are impressively low compared with many actively managed funds or more niche products. Low fees matter because they come off returns every single year and compound over time—money not paid in costs stays invested. This cost profile is a clear strength and supports better long‑term outcomes relative to higher‑fee alternatives.
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