No-Brainer (Bernstein)
StaticPromoderateBased on research by William Bernstein · Bernstein, W. The Intelligent Asset Allocator (2000)
This is BestFolio's independent implementation. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the original author.
Launched Sep 22, 2000About this Strategy
Equal-weight 4-fund portfolio: 25% each to US large-cap, US small-cap, international, and bonds..
The complete strategy logic, asset universe, and rebalancing rules are available to Pro subscribers. This includes the full methodology description, author notes, and implementation details.
Pro subscribers also get access to current signals, full backtest history, and the ability to blend this strategy into custom portfolios.
Strategy Rules
Pro subscribers only
- 1Allocate 25% each to: VOO, VB, VEA, BND
- 2Rebalance annually or when drift exceeds threshold
Key Differentiators
Research Source
Based on research by William Bernstein
Bernstein, W. The Intelligent Asset Allocator (2000)
Strategy Info
- Type
- Fixed / Strategic
- Frequency
- annual
- Next Rebalance
- Jan 409:30 ET (227d)
- Variants
- 1
- Risk Category
- moderate
- Tags
- static
- Type
- Fixed/Strategic Asset Allocation
- Trading Frequency
- Annual or on-drift rebalancing
- Number Of Holdings
- 4 ETFs
- Equity Allocation
- 75% (25% US large + 25% US small + 25% International)
- Bond Allocation
- 25%
- Weighting Scheme
- Equal weight (25% each)
- Risk Level
- Moderate to Aggressive
Asset Classes
No-Brainer (Bernstein) at a glance
No-Brainer (Bernstein) is a fixed-allocation portfolio by William Bernstein across US Large-Cap Equity, US Small-Cap Equity, International Developed Equity, US Bonds, rebalanced annual. Backtested 1987-12-31 to 2026-05-20 (38.4 years): 9.2% CAGR, 0.74 Sharpe, -45.6% max drawdown, 13.0% volatility.
- Type
- Fixed Allocation
- Author
- William Bernstein
- Rebalancing
- Annual
- Risk
- Moderate
- Period
- 1987-12-31 to 2026-05-20
- CAGR
- 9.2%
- Sharpe
- 0.74
- Max Drawdown
- -45.6%
- Volatility
- 13.0%
No-Brainer (Bernstein) — Fixed Allocation Portfolio
William Bernstein's No-Brainer portfolio: equal 25% each to US large-cap (VOO), US small-cap (VB), international developed (VEA), and US bonds (BND). The equal weighting reflects Bernstein's view that no one can predict which asset class will outperform, so equal allocation is most robust.
Backtest Performance (1987-12-31 to 2026-05-20)
| Metric | No-Brainer (Bernstein) |
|---|---|
| Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) | 9.2% |
| Maximum Drawdown | -45.6% |
| Sharpe Ratio | 0.74 |
| Sortino Ratio | 0.92 |
| Annualized Volatility | 13.0% |
| Calmar Ratio | 0.20 |
| Total Return | 2806.0% |
| Backtest Period | 38.4 years |
Strategy Details
- Type
- Fixed / Strategic
- Rebalancing
- annual
- Risk Level
- moderate
- Variants
- 1
- Author
- William Bernstein
- Source
- Bernstein, W. The Intelligent Asset Allocator (2000)
Asset Classes
- US Large-Cap Equity
- US Small-Cap Equity
- International Developed Equity
- US Bonds
Categories
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