What Is a 90/10 Portfolio Strategy and How Does It Work? (2024)

FAQs

What Is a 90/10 Portfolio Strategy and How Does It Work? ›

The 90/10 strategy calls for allocating 90% of your investment capital to low-cost S&P 500 index funds and the remaining 10% to short-term government bonds. Warren Buffett described the strategy in a 2013 letter to his company's shareholders.

The rule stipulates investing 90% of one's investment capital toward low-cost stock-based index funds and the remainder 10% to short-term government bonds. The strategy comes from Buffett stating that upon his death, his wife's trust would be allocated in this method.

How do you keep yourself from going overboard? The easiest way to do it is with the 90/10 rule. It goes like this: 90% of your contributions go to safe, boring investments like low-cost total stock market index funds. The remaining 10% is yours to play with.

The 70/30 portfolio targets a 70% long term allocation to equities and 30% in all other asset classes – the actual portfolio allocation at any point in time will fluctuate to reflect prevailing investment opportunities.

Buffett said he revises his will every three years, and he still advises his wife to allocate 10% of her inheritance to short-term government bonds and 90% to a low-cost S&P 500 index fund.

To reach $976,000 in total savings, you'll need to invest consistently for around 35 years. But if you have more time to let your money grow (or if you can afford to invest more per month), you could earn even more than that. The S&P 500 ETF comes highly recommended by Warren Buffett, and for good reason.

He holds nearly 40,000 shares of the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), valued at approximately $18.73 million. He has also maintained a stake in the Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:VOO), holding 43,000 shares valued at $18.78 million.

This investment strategy seeks total return through exposure to a diversified portfolio of primarily equity, and to a lesser extent, Fixed Income asset classes with a target allocation of 80% equities and 20% Fixed Income. Target allocations can vary +/-5%.

An 80/20 portfolio operates along the same lines as a 70/30 portfolio, only you're allocating 80% of assets to stocks and 20% to fixed income. Again, the stock portion of an 80/20 portfolio could be held in individual stocks or a mix of equity mutual funds and ETFs.

Consider an aggressive investment example: A portfolio that is 80/20 would be considered aggressive as opposed to a portfolio that is 60/40, which would be considered conservative. An 80/20 portfolio invests 80% of the wealth in stocks and 20% in bonds. Whereas a 60/40 portfolio invests 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds.

At what age should you get out of the stock market? ›

There are no set ages to get into or to get out of the stock market. While older clients may want to reduce their investing risk as they age, this doesn't necessarily mean they should be totally out of the stock market.

60/40 Mix of Stocks and Bonds

Retirees can also get an income advantage with smart portfolio management. That means finding the right balance of stocks and bonds to meet an income goal. You can start that process by building a "60/40" investment portfolio.

A common asset allocation rule of thumb is the rule of 110. It is a simple way to figure out what percentage of your portfolio should be kept in stocks. To determine this number, you simply take 110 minus your age. So, if you are 40, then the rule states that 70% of your portfolio should be kept in stocks.

This reinventive basic rule to portfolio structure means allocating 60% to equities, 30% to bonds, and 10% to alternatives. The exact percentages may vary by portfolio, but the key idea is that Alternatives should be an integral part of every portfolio, in some percentage.

Set aside 12 months of your expenses in liquid fund to take care of emergencies. Invest 20% of your investable surplus into gold, that generally has an inverse correlation with equity. Allocate the balance 80% of your investable surplus in a diversified equity portfolio.

The 60/40 portfolio, defined here as a mix of 60% U.S. equities and 40% U.S. Treasury bonds, saw a rollercoaster ride down 17.5% in 2022 and up 17.2% in 2023.