Balanced Growth · Real growth with half the pain
Real growth. Half the crashes.
Built to pursue long-term growth while absorbing major market crashes far better than a standard 60/40 retirement mix. For the investor whose rule is: I want real growth without reliving 2008.
- Backtested return
- 9.07%/yr
- Worst drop
- -24.69%
- Sharpe ratio
- 0.88
- Years tested
- 25
Backtested on actual historical ETF data from June 2001, computed by the open-source Boutquin.Trading engine (as of ). Benchmark: a standard 60/40 stock-bond portfolio, which earned 7.93%. Backtested performance is hypothetical and is not indicative of future results.
Why it works
Your money holds broad US stocks, long-term Treasury bonds, gold, trend-following funds, and a tail-risk hedge that pays off when markets crash hard. When market signals flash warning, the mix shifts weight toward the defensive assets. Over more than two decades of testing, it earned 9.07% per year against 7.93% for a standard 60/40 stock-bond portfolio — with a worst drop of -24.69%, about 29% shallower.
The tail-risk overlay is signal-gated — it adds defensive weight when volatility spikes rather than holding always-on insurance, because a standing hedge tends to bleed premium over time.
The trade-off
You give up a little upside versus owning stocks outright — but shallower crashes are what actually compound over decades. This Blueprint is designed for growth with materially less downside.
What’s inside the Blueprint
Plain-English asset classes by current emphasis — Core, Significant, or Diversifier. The exact ETF tickers and target percentages, in a US or Canadian implementation, are in the subscriber view.
Current weighting as of — emphasis tiers, not exact weights.
Construction: Black-Litterman with a VIX-gated tail-risk overlay, a 12-month momentum overlay, and growth/inflation regime overlays — the mix re-derives from fresh market data, not a fixed weighting set once and forgotten.
See the full Blueprint — exact tickers, percentages, and backtests.
Balanced Growth is available on the Explorer tier (one Blueprint of your choice) and on Builder and Decumulator (all four). Start free with the IQ Score to see which archetype fits your general profile.
Important disclaimers
Educational content only. ETFWealthIQ provides financial education only. Model portfolios are illustrative examples presented for educational purposes and are not personalized investment recommendations. ETFWealthIQ is not a registered investment adviser, portfolio manager, or financial planner. Past performance of model portfolios does not guarantee future results. Before making any investment decision, consult with a qualified financial professional who understands your individual circumstances, goals, and risk tolerance.
Backtested results. All historical performance data represents backtested results computed by open-source software (Boutquin.Trading) using actual historical index and ETF return data. Backtested performance is hypothetical and does not represent actual trading. The source code used to generate these results is publicly available for audit. Actual investment results may differ materially. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Canadian investors. This educational content does not constitute investment advice under Canadian securities law. The provision of investment advice in Canada requires registration with provincial securities regulators, which ETFWealthIQ does not hold.
Open-source software. The Boutquin.Trading backtesting engine is open-source software provided under the MIT License. It is a general-purpose research tool. Use of this software to make investment decisions is at your own risk. The software authors and ETFWealthIQ are not responsible for any losses incurred.