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Bogleheads Three-Fund

Bogleheads Three-Fund is a fixed-allocation portfolio reviewed on a annual cadence. Its hypothetical backtest runs through 2026-08-19. BestFolio supplies the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access. The recorded 1999-11-21 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical. Users review each scheduled signal and place any resulting trades in their own brokerage. BestFolio does not execute trades or provide personalized investment advice.

Cadence
Annual
Backtest data through
2026-08-19
History boundary
The recorded 1999-11-21 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical.
Rule / approach
1. Allocate 40% to VTI (Vanguard Total US Stock Market) 2. Allocate 20% to VXUS (Vanguard Total International Stock) 3. Allocate 40% to BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market) 4. Rebalance annually or when drift exceeds threshold
BestFolio supplies
the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access
Customer action
Review each scheduled signal and place any required trades in your own brokerage; BestFolio does not execute orders.
Costs and exclusions
net of a modeled one-way transaction cost (10 bps, scaled up to 3x under stress); taxes, fund-expense drift, or market impact are not modeled
Freshness
The latest available backtest ends 2026-08-19. A run timestamp is not exposed here, so no stronger freshness claim is made.
Next expected action
First trading day of 2027 (annual); scheduled 2027-01-04 at 09:30 ET. Review the published signal before placing any trade.

Bogleheads Three-Fund at a glance

Bogleheads Three-Fund is a fixed-allocation portfolio by Bogleheads / Taylor Larimore across US Equity, International Equity, US Bonds, rebalanced annual. Backtested 1987-12-31 to 2026-08-19 (38.5 years): 8.3% CAGR, 0.93 Sharpe, -36.7% max drawdown, 10.2% volatility.

Type
Fixed Allocation
Author
Bogleheads / Taylor Larimore
Rebalancing
Annual
Risk
Moderate
Period
1987-12-31 to 2026-08-19
CAGR
8.3%
Sharpe
0.93
Max Drawdown
-36.7%
Volatility
10.2%

Bogleheads Three-Fund Fixed Allocation Portfolio

The Bogleheads Three-Fund Portfolio, championed by Taylor Larimore and the Bogleheads forum, captures the entire global stock market plus the US bond market in just three low-cost index funds: 40% US stocks (VTI), 20% international stocks (VXUS), and 40% bonds (BND).

Bogleheads Three-Fund: frequently asked questions

What is Bogleheads Three-Fund?
The most popular lazy portfolio: US stocks, international stocks, and US bonds. Simple, diversified, low-cost.
Who created the Bogleheads Three-Fund strategy?
Bogleheads Three-Fund was developed by Bogleheads / Taylor Larimore. It is based on Larimore, T. The Bogleheads' Guide to the Three-Fund Portfolio (2018).
What is the historical return and maximum drawdown of Bogleheads Three-Fund?
Backtested from 1987-12-31 to 2026-08-19, Bogleheads Three-Fund returned 8.3% CAGR with a -36.7% maximum drawdown and a Sharpe ratio of 0.93. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
How often is Bogleheads Three-Fund rebalanced?
Bogleheads Three-Fund is rebalanced annual. BestFolio publishes the updated allocation signal each period.
Is Bogleheads Three-Fund a fixed or tactical strategy?
Bogleheads Three-Fund is a fixed-allocation (strategic) portfolio: it holds a set allocation and rebalances on schedule rather than rotating based on market signals.

Backtest Performance (1987-12-31 to 2026-08-19)

MetricBogleheads Three-Fund
CAGR8.3%
Max Drawdown-36.7%
Sharpe0.93
Sortino1.22
Volatility10.2%
Calmar0.23
Total Return2071.1%
Backtest Period38.5 years

Strategy Details

Type
Fixed / Strategic
Rebalancing
annual
Risk Level
moderate
Variants
2
Author
Bogleheads / Taylor Larimore
Source
Larimore, T. The Bogleheads' Guide to the Three-Fund Portfolio (2018)

Asset Classes

  • US Equity
  • International Equity
  • US Bonds

Categories

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