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)
| Metric | Bogleheads Three-Fund |
|---|---|
| CAGR | 8.3% |
| Max Drawdown | -36.7% |
| Sharpe | 0.93 |
| Sortino | 1.22 |
| Volatility | 10.2% |
| Calmar | 0.23 |
| Total Return | 2071.1% |
| Backtest Period | 38.5 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
Track Bogleheads Three-Fund in Your Portfolio
Sign up for BestFolio to get monthly rebalancing signals, blend strategies into custom portfolios, and receive alerts when allocations change.