The following data table includes the latest ETF rankings for 20 basic ETFs and the Buy-Hold-Sell recommendations. GLD is the only ETF under-performing SHY so I would avoid gold as an investment. ETF Rankings: The overall strength of this market is illustrated by the fact that not one of
Portfolio Requirements: Basic Ideas For Construction
Basic portfolio construction requires that long-term goals include diversification, a risk reduction model, and equity orientation. Here is how I outline the thinking process when putting together a portfolio of securities. Think diversification through asset allocation. Each asset class included in the Strategic
Beginner Advice: Getting Started With Portfolio Construction
Several days* ago a friend wrote and asked about setting up a portfolio where $500 would be deposited every month. What advice would I pass on to such an investor? The first bit
Asset Classes: How Many Should I Own?
With much recent attention given to answering the money managers most perplexing question, what percent of the portfolio should be invested in each asset class, the whole idea of how many asset classes to include in a portfolio has been neglected. William Bernstein answers the question
Strategic Asset Allocation: A Starting Point For Portfolio Construction
Much is made of the importance of asset allocation here at ITA Wealth Management. Long-time readers are familiar with the general layout of the portfolios and new readers will find more information by doing a search for “Dashboard.” Not all portfolios tracked on this blog use the seventeen asset allocation
Portfolio Construction: The Essential Decisions
William J. Bernstein, in his most recent book, “The Investor’s Manifesto” writes, “Before diving into the most important issue faced by any investor–the asset allocation decision–you will need to understand four things: save as much as you can, make sure you have enough liquid taxable assets for emergencies,
Correlation Matrix of Critical ETFs
As requested in a comment, here is the correlation matrix of critical ETFs used in nearly all the ITA portfolios. I cut the time frame to 23 months of data so VSS and VNQI did not show up with “short-term” data errors. Identical percentages were assigned to each ETF with