Lazy Portfolios: Lazy Portfolios: Simple Strategies for Long-Term Passive Investing
Famous investment gurus like Warren Buffett, David Swensen and William Bernstein have proposed model portfolios that invest in ultra-low cost index ETFs or mutual funds. These funds represent major investment asset classes such as US stocks, Foreign stocks and bonds.
Introduction to Lazy Portfolios
The portfolios are ‘lazy’ as they are meant to be essentially buy and hold for a long term, only rebalanced regularly like annually. They are perfect for long-term investors seeking diversification and minimal maintenance.
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How to Use Lazy Portfolios
Not only you can simply mimic a lazy portfolio in a brokerage account for your IRAs or taxable investments, you can also mimic a lazy portfolio in your retirement savings accounts such as 401(k) or 403(b). To do so, you’ll need to find similar funds or investment options in your plans for funds in a lazy portfolio to invest.
For many 401(k) or 403(b) investors, MyPlanIQ Asset Allocation Template Portfolios come handy.
Lazy Portfolio Performance
Lazy portfolios are low maintenance. They are thus extremely tax efficient, making them very suitable for taxable investment accounts. Because they are simple and require less attention, unlike actively managed portfolios, they are less prone to implementation errors that might include human errors, human emotion-driven errors and just actively trading cost. On the other hand, they are subject to large market swings.
Famous Lazy Portfolios
The following are several famous lazy portfolios that have stood the time of testing.
| Name | # of Funds | Main Assets | Stocks/Bonds | Annualized Return (5Y) | Annualized Return (10Y) | Annualized Return (15Y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Buffett Index Fund Portfolio | 2 | Fixed Income, US Equity | 90%/10% | 16.78% | 11.35% | 11.90% |
| P David Swensen Yale Individual Investor Portfolio Annual Rebalancing | 5 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 70%/30% | 9.03% | 6.60% | 8.08% |
| William Bernstein Cowards | 9 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 9.93% | 5.92% | 6.48% |
| Talmud | 3 | Fixed Income, Real Estate, US Equity | 66.7%/33.3% | 8.45% | 5.10% | 7.47% |
| Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio | 4 | CASH, Commodities, Fixed Income, US Equity | 50%/50% | 7.02% | 6.23% | 6.51% |
| Ted Aronson Family Taxable Portfolio | 11 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 80%/20% | 11.19% | 7.07% | 7.80% |
| Rick Ferri Core Four Lazy Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.70% | 6.05% | 7.01% |
| Bogleheads Three Fund Portfolio | 3 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.60% | 7.98% | 8.73% |
| VSMGX (VANGUARD LIFESTRATEGY MODERATE GROWTH FUND INVESTOR SHARES) | - | - | 60%/40% | 9.01% | 5.84% | 6.67% |
| VFINX (VANGUARD 500 INDEX FUND INVESTOR SHARES) | - | - | 100%/0% | 18.53% | 12.39% | 13.02% |
Resources and Further Reading
- Bogleheads, a site devoted to buy and hold of index funds, has some wonderful detailed descriptions on some of the lazy portfolios listed here.
- You can also find more detailed information here on MyPlanIQ core asset allocation template portfolios.
Tools for Lazy Portfolios
Portfolio Calculator (Simulator)
Enter fund allocation and quickly get a back test result on the performance of this ‘lazy’ portfolio
Dollar Cost Average Calculator
See how DCA has worked on a portfolio, fund or stock
Asset Allocation Calculator
Answer a few quesitons to derive asset allocation weights tailored to your investment expectation and risk tolerance
Customize Allocation Portfolios
Build a custom model portfolio using strategic or tactical asset allocation strategies, tailored to a 401(k) or a brokerage account.
Free newsletters
High quality resources for 401k, 403b, 529 retirement plans on investment, contribution, fees, retirement planning and much more …
Comprehensive List of Lazy Portfolios and Their Latest Performance
The following is the list of guru proposed lazy portfolios. Click on them to reveal their holdings and historical returns and many portfolio statistics.
| Name | # of Funds | Main Assets | Stocks/Bonds | Annualized Return (5Y) | Annualized Return (10Y) | Annualized Return (15Y) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P David Swensen Yale Individual Investor Portfolio Annual Rebalancing | 5 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 70%/30% | 9.03% | 6.60% | 8.08% |
| Warren Buffett Index Fund Portfolio | 2 | Fixed Income, US Equity | 90%/10% | 16.78% | 11.35% | 11.90% |
| MyPlanIQ Core Four Assets | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.88% | 6.15% | 7.06% |
| MyPlanIQ Core Five Assets | 5 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.77% | 6.10% | 6.96% |
| MyPlanIQ Core Three Assets | 3 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 60%/40% | 9.37% | 6.54% | 7.27% |
| MyPlanIQ Core Six Assets | 6 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.73% | 5.93% | 6.88% |
| MyPlanIQ Core Two Assets | 2 | Fixed Income, US Equity | 60%/40% | 10.28% | 7.60% | 8.58% |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 100/0 Allocation | 10 | Commodities, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 100%/0% | 15.29% | 8.48% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 90/10 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 90%/10% | 13.92% | 7.93% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 80/20 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.55% | 7.34% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 70/30 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 70%/30% | 11.18% | 6.73% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 60/40 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 10.42% | 6.39% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 50/50 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 50%/50% | 8.36% | 5.26% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 40/60 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 40%/60% | 7.00% | 4.59% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 30/70 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 30%/70% | 5.64% | 3.91% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 20/80 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 20%/80% | 4.28% | 3.22% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam10/90 Allocation | 12 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 10%/90% | 2.91% | 2.51% | NA |
| William Bernstein Sheltered Sam 0/100 Allocation | 2 | Fixed Income | 0%/100% | 1.54% | 1.78% | 1.94% |
| William Bernstein Cowards | 9 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 9.93% | 5.92% | 6.48% |
| William Bernstein Smart Money | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.94% | 5.55% | 5.80% |
| Talmud | 3 | Fixed Income, Real Estate, US Equity | 66.7%/33.3% | 8.45% | 5.10% | 7.47% |
| Scott Burn`s AssetBuilder DFA Model Portfolio 09 | 11 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 61%/39% | 9.99% | 5.07% | 5.32% |
| Scott Burns Couch Portfolio | 2 | Fixed Income, US Equity | 50%/50% | 10.06% | 7.14% | 8.00% |
| Scott Burns Margaritaville Portfolio | 3 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 66.66%/33.34% | 10.45% | 6.60% | NA |
| Ray Dalio All Weather Portfolio | 5 | Commodities, Fixed Income, US Equity | 45%/55% | 4.04% | 4.75% | 6.21% |
| Harry Browne Permanent Portfolio | 4 | CASH, Commodities, Fixed Income, US Equity | 50%/50% | 7.02% | 6.23% | 6.51% |
| P Permanent Portfolio ETF Version | 9 | Commodities, Corporate Bond, Fixed Income, Real Estate, SECTOR EQUITY, Single Currency, US Equity | 55%/45% | 9.54% | 5.58% | 5.56% |
| Simplified Permanent Portfolio | 3 | Commodities, Fixed Income, US Equity | 50%/50% | 6.85% | 6.10% | 6.53% |
| Doug Ramsey All Asset No Authority (AANA) Lazy Portfolio | 7 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 85.7%/14.3% | 11.00% | 6.45% | 7.17% |
| Dimensional Retirement Income Fund | 7 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 20.4%/79.6% | 4.92% | 3.76% | 4.11% |
| Larry Swedroe Conervative Lazy Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 30%/70% | 3.72% | 2.92% | 4.09% |
| Larry Swedroe Eliminate Fat Tails Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 30%/70% | 5.43% | 3.48% | 3.71% |
| Larry Swedroe Minimize FatTails Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 30%/70% | 5.29% | 3.25% | 3.59% |
| Larry Swedroe Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 30%/70% | 2.87% | 2.68% | 3.63% |
| Larry Swedroe Simple Portfolio | 6 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 60%/40% | 10.13% | 5.49% | 6.58% |
| The Coffee House Lazy Portfolio ETFs | 7 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 10.16% | 5.88% | 7.13% |
| The Original Coffee House Lazy Portfolio Index Funds | 7 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 9.76% | 5.65% | 7.05% |
| Wasik Nano | 5 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 10.19% | 6.04% | 7.31% |
| The Couch Potato | 2 | Fixed Income, US Equity | 50%/50% | 12.14% | 7.89% | 8.38% |
| Tim Maurer Simple Money Portfolio | 7 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 60%/40% | 7.89% | 4.78% | 5.82% |
| Ted Aronson Family Taxable Portfolio | 11 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 80%/20% | 11.19% | 7.07% | 7.80% |
| Tyler Golden Butterfly Portfolio | 5 | Commodities, Fixed Income, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.33% | 6.28% | 7.20% |
| Tyler Pinwheel Portfolio | 8 | Commodities, EQUITY, Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 75%/25% | 12.02% | 6.98% | NA |
| Roger Gibson Five Assets | 6 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.21% | 6.23% | NA |
| FundAdvice Paul Merriman Ultimate Buy and Hold All Stocks | 10 | International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 100%/0% | 13.60% | 6.87% | 8.15% |
| Rick Ferri Core Four Lazy Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 60%/40% | 8.70% | 6.05% | 7.01% |
| Alex Green The Gone Fishin Lazy Portfolio | 10 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, SECTOR EQUITY, US Equity | 30.73%/15.41% | 10.54% | 5.99% | 6.65% |
| Israelsen 7Twelve Portfolio | 12 | CASH, Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 66.68%/33.32% | 10.51% | 5.88% | NA |
| Armstrong Ideal Index | 7 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 77.42%/22.58% | 9.19% | 5.04% | 6.10% |
| P Andrew Tobias Three Fund Lazy Portfolio Annual Balance | 3 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 66.6%/33.3% | 10.37% | 6.50% | 7.05% |
| Burton Malkiel Mid-Fifties Portfolio | 9 | CASH, Corporate Bond, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 74.5%/25.5% | 10.63% | 6.65% | NA |
| Ben Stein Long Term Lazy Portfolio | 6 | CASH, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.11% | 6.83% | 7.60% |
| Bill Bernstein No Brainer Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 75%/25% | 11.45% | 6.98% | NA |
| Bogleheads Four Fund Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.62% | 7.96% | NA |
| Bogleheads Three Fund Portfolio | 3 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.60% | 7.98% | 8.73% |
| Vanguard Four Fund Portfolio | 4 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 60%/40% | 9.33% | 6.35% | NA |
| Gyroscopic Investing Desert Portfolio | 3 | Commodities, Fixed Income, US Equity | 40%/60% | 8.11% | 6.34% | 6.68% |
| Jane Bryant Quinn Portfolio | 5 | Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 70%/30% | 10.79% | 7.05% | 8.13% |
| John Bogle Late Sixties and Beyond | 8 | Corporate Bond, Emerging Markets Bond, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 71%/29% | 10.30% | 6.73% | 7.68% |
| John Bogle Late Thirties to Early Forties | 8 | Corporate Bond, Emerging Markets Bond, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 85%/15% | 12.05% | 7.45% | 8.18% |
| Marc Faber Portfolio | 6 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 75%/25% | 9.80% | 6.64% | 7.16% |
| Mebane Faber GAA Global Asset Allocation Portfolio | 10 | Commodities, Corporate Bond, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 50.5%/49.5% | 6.67% | 4.99% | NA |
| Mebane Faber Ivy Portfolio | 5 | Commodities, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 80%/20% | 12.31% | 5.75% | 6.10% |
| Paul Farrell Second Grader | 3 | Fixed Income, International Equity, US Equity | 90%/10% | 14.37% | 8.94% | 9.57% |
| Rob Arnott Portfolio | 8 | Commodities, Corporate Bond, Fixed Income, International Equity, Real Estate, US Equity | 40%/60% | 5.58% | 4.09% | NA |
| VBINX (VANGUARD BALANCED INDEX FUND INVESTOR SHARES) | - | - | 60%/40% | 10.44% | 7.65% | 8.63% |
| VSMGX (VANGUARD LIFESTRATEGY MODERATE GROWTH FUND INVESTOR SHARES) | - | - | 60%/40% | 9.01% | 5.84% | 6.67% |
| DGSIX (GLOBAL ALLOCATION 60/40 PORTFOLIO - INSTITUTIONAL CLASS) | - | - | 60%/40% | 10.91% | 6.50% | 7.05% |
| VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF) | - | - | 100%/0% | 18.10% | 11.76% | 12.74% |
| VNQ (Vanguard Real Estate ETF) | - | - | 100%/0% | 9.43% | 4.85% | 8.39% |
| VEA (Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF) | - | - | 100%/0% | 12.13% | 5.60% | 5.77% |
| VWO (Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF) | - | - | 100%/0% | 9.48% | 4.03% | 3.29% |
| GLD (SPDR Gold Shares) | - | - | 0%/100% | 14.25% | 9.75% | 6.70% |
| BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF) | - | - | 0%/100% | -0.28% | 1.42% | 2.38% |
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