Robust Asset Allocation
Robust Asset Allocation is a tactical asset allocation strategy reviewed on a monthly 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 2014-12-02 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
- Monthly
- Backtest data through
- 2026-08-19
- History boundary
- The recorded 2014-12-02 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical.
- Rule / approach
- 1. Universe: 5 risky (VTI, VEU, VNQ, DBC, GLD) + 5 safe (IEF, TLT, TIP, AGG, SHY) 2. Compute 12-month total return for all assets 3. For each risky asset: if 12m return > 0 → hold it (20% slot) 4. If 12m return < 0 → replace that 20% slot…
- 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 September; scheduled 2026-09-01 at 09:30 ET. Review the published signal before placing any trade.
Robust Asset Allocation at a glance
Robust Asset Allocation is a tactical asset allocation (TAA) strategy by Wes Gray (Alpha Architect) across US Equity, International Equity, REITs, Commodities, rebalanced monthly. Backtested 1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19 (40.3 years): 9.3% CAGR, 1.02 Sharpe, -22.0% max drawdown, 9.3% volatility.
- Type
- Tactical (TAA)
- Author
- Wes Gray (Alpha Architect)
- Rebalancing
- Monthly
- Risk
- Moderate
- Period
- 1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19
- CAGR
- 9.3%
- Sharpe
- 1.02
- Max Drawdown
- -22.0%
- Volatility
- 9.3%
Robust Asset Allocation — Tactical Asset Allocation Strategy
Robust Asset Allocation by Wes Gray of Alpha Architect applies absolute momentum as a binary filter across five risky asset classes, with a best-safe-asset replacement mechanism for failing assets.
Each risky asset gets an equal 20% slot. If its 12-month return is positive, it is held. If negative, that 20% slot is replaced by the single best-performing safe asset. An optional aggressive variant adds a second filter: a risky asset is only replaced if its 12-month return is negative AND its price is below the 12-month SMA.
Robust Asset Allocation: frequently asked questions
- What is Robust Asset Allocation?
- Five-asset equal-weight allocation (US/intl stocks, REITs, commodities, gold) with absolute momentum filter. Any asset with negative 12-month return is replaced by the best-performing safe bond ETF. Monthly rebalancing.
- Who created the Robust Asset Allocation strategy?
- Robust Asset Allocation was developed by Wes Gray (Alpha Architect). It is based on Gray, W. (Alpha Architect). Robust Asset Allocation.
- What is the historical return and maximum drawdown of Robust Asset Allocation?
- Backtested from 1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19, Robust Asset Allocation returned 9.3% CAGR with a -22.0% maximum drawdown and a Sharpe ratio of 1.02. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
- How often is Robust Asset Allocation rebalanced?
- Robust Asset Allocation is rebalanced monthly. BestFolio publishes the updated allocation signal each period.
- Is Robust Asset Allocation a tactical asset allocation strategy?
- Yes. Robust Asset Allocation is a tactical asset allocation (TAA) strategy: it adjusts its holdings based on market signals each period rather than holding a fixed allocation.
Backtest Performance (1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19)
| Metric | Robust Asset Allocation |
|---|---|
| CAGR | 9.3% |
| Max Drawdown | -22.0% |
| Sharpe | 1.02 |
| Sortino | 1.41 |
| Volatility | 9.3% |
| Calmar | 0.42 |
| Total Return | 3501.9% |
| Backtest Period | 40.3 years |
Strategy Details
- Type
- Tactical (TAA)
- Rebalancing
- monthly
- Risk Level
- moderate
- Variants
- 2
- Author
- Wes Gray (Alpha Architect)
- Source
- Gray, W. (Alpha Architect). Robust Asset Allocation
Asset Classes
- US Equity
- International Equity
- REITs
- Commodities
- Gold
- Bonds
Categories
Further reading
New to this approach? Read what tactical asset allocation is and how it works.
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