25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.

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25 Simple ETF Portfolios

Exchange-traded products have found their way into countless portfolios as investors of all walks have
embraced these financial instruments for their ease-of-use, cost-efficiency, and unparalleled
transparency. Institutional and self-directed money managers alike have taken advantage of ETFs as they
offer instant diversification along with the ability to easily tap into virtually any asset class around the globe;
with over 1,400 products on the market, there is an ETF for almost everything imaginable, spanning from
gold funds to emerging markets small caps to international bonds and everything in between [Download101
ETF Lessons Every Financial Advisor Should Learn].
A recent WSJ article by Anna Prior highlights the
sheer diversity among products in the ETF universe
and how investors can actually build fairly complete
portfolios with just a few funds. In the spirit of
simplicity, below we outline 25 All-ETF portfolios,
each comprised of just three funds in total; please
note that investors should adjust the suggested
allocations within each of the strategies to better
suite their individual risk preferences and current
income needs.

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25. Global Stocks & Bonds

This strategy spans the entire globe, covering both equity and fixed income asset classes from both
developed and emerging markets:

Ticker

ETF

VTI

Total Stock Market ETF

50%

VEU

FTSE All World Ex US ETF

30%

FWDB

Madrona Forward Global Bond ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

Allocation

0.26%

24. U.S. Total Market

This strategy is geared towards investors who are wary of international markets and would prefer to get
foreign exposure tangentially through U.S. companies with overseas operations; a small bond component is
also included to add diversification:

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

RSP

S&P Equal Weight ETF

40%

SCHA

U.S. Small-Cap ETF

40%

BND

Total Bond Market ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.22%

23. Foreign Growth

This portfolio is not for the risk-averse as it focuses entirely on foreign developed and emerging markets
equity funds along with an ex-U.S. bond component:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

SCHF

International Equity ETF

60%

DGS

Emerging Market SmallCap Fund

20%

BWX

SPDR Barclays Intl Treasury Bond

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.28%

22. Low Volatility

Anyone with capital preservation as a top priority ought to consider this safer equity-centric strategy:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

SPLV

S&P 500 Low Volatility Portfolio

50%

EFAV

MSCI EAFE Minimum Volatility ETF

30%

EEMV

MSCI Emerging Markets Minimum Volatility ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.24%

21. Ex-Financials
This is another strategy geared towards more risk-averse investors who wish to entirely steer clear of the
infamous financials sector

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

DTN

Dividend ex-Financials Fund

50%

DOO

International Dividend ex-Financials Fund

25%

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

ENGN

Industrials Bond ETF

25%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.41%

20. U.S. Dollar-Denominated

This strategy offers international stock and bond exposure while at the same time circumventing the inherent
currency risk by utilizing U.S. dollar-denominated funds:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

DBEF

MSCI EAFE Hedged Equity Fund

60%

DBEM

MSCI Emerging Markets Hedged Equity Fund

20%

EMB

J.P. Morgan USD Emerging Markets Bond ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.47%

19. BRIC Bull

The name says it all, this strategy delivers targeted exposure to the BRIC markets:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

EWZ

MSCI Brazil Capped ETF

25%

RSX

Market Vectors Russia ETF

25%

FNI

ISE Chindia Index Fund

50%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.61%

18. Ex-Europe
Investors looking to steer clear of the debt-burdened currency bloc, but still wish to maintain international
exposure, ought to consider this strategy:

Ticker

ETF

SCHB

U.S. Broad Market ETF

50%

VPL

FTSE Pacific ETF

30%

ILF

Latin America 40 ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

Allocation

0.16%

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

17. Cyclical-Tilt
This strategy focuses on the most cyclical sectors, and as such, should appeal to bullish investors with a
stomach for volatility:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

IPW

SPDR S&P International Energy Sector ETF

40%

IPK

SPDR S&P International Technology Sector ETF

40%

BJK

Market Vectors Gaming ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.53%

16. Global Consumers

As a complement to the Cyclical-Tilt Portfolio, this strategy is based around consumer staples
exposure

across the entire globe, covering both developed and emerging markets; the bond component

is heavily tilted towards consumer staples as well:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

KXI

Global Consumer Staples ETF

50%

ECON

Emerging Markets Consumer

25%

ENGN

Industrials Bond ETF

25%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.53%

15. Commodity Bull

This strategy is intended for those with a bullish outlook on the global economy and is balanced between
commodity stocks and futures-based exposure to natural resource prices:

Ticker

ETF

HAP

Market Vectors Hard Assets Producers ETF

40%

MOO

Market Vectors Agribusiness ETF

40%

RJI

Rogers International Commodity ETN

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

14. Ex-Japan

Allocation

0.56%

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

Its no secret that Asian markets are going to account for a growing share of global GDP growth over the
coming years; however, Japan has long been stuck in rut, and as such, this strategy entirely avoids
exposure to this developed market in an otherwise booming region:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

AAXJ

MSCI All Country Asia ex Japan Index Fund

50%

GMF

SPDR S&P Emerging Asia Pacific ETF

30%

AUNZ

Australia & New Zealand Debt Fund

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.60%

13. Warren Buffett Clone

This strategy revolves around the investment principles embraced by the Wall Street legend:
Ticker

ETF

Allocation

MOAT

Market Vectors Wide Moat Research ETF

40%

VIG

Dividend Appreciation ETF

40%

EES

SmallCap Earnings Fund

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.31%

12. Monthly Income

This strategy should appeal to conservative investors or those nearing retirement and in search of
meaningful current income; each of the components here pays out a monthly dividend:

Ticker

ETF

SDIV

SuperDividend ETF

40%

KBWD

KBW High Dividend Yield Financial Portfolio

30%

BND

Total Bond Market ETF

30%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

Allocation

0.37%

11. Emerging Markets Fever

This portfolio is intended for aggressive, long-term investors who wish to tap into the worlds fastest growing
economies:

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

VWO

Emerging Markets ETF

50%

EWX

SPDR S&P Emerging Markets Small Cap ETF

25%

FM

MSCI Frontier 100 Index Fund

25%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.45%

10. Commodity Countries

This strategy offers tangential exposure to commodity markets by focusing on the worlds largest producers
of natural resources:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

ABCS

ABC High Dividend ETF

40%

GUNR

Morningstar Global Upstream Natural Resources Index Fund

40%

CCX

Dreyfus Commodity Currency Fund

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.56%

9. Ultra-Cheap
The name says it all, this is a traditional stock-bond portfolio with the distinguishing feature being its rockbottom expense ratio:
Ticker

ETF

Allocation

SCHB

U.S. Broad Market ETF

50%

VEA

Europe Pacific

30%

SCHZ

U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.07%

8. Hedge Fund Clone

For anyone looking to replicate the strategies of professional money managers, this is a great starting point:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

MCRO

IQ Hedge Macro Tracker ETF

35%

LSC

S&P CTI ETN

35%

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

WDTI

Managed Futures Strategy Fund

30%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.81%

7. Retirement-Ready
Unlike most of the other strategies covered here, this portfolio is bond-heavy and geared towards very
conservative investors who wish to preserve capital and generate a steady stream of income:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

VIG

Dividend Appreciation ETF

20%

BND

Total Bond Market ETF

60%

TIP

TIPS Bond ETF

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.12%

6. Growth-Tilt
This strategy is geared towards aggressive investors with a very long-term horizon in mind:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

IWZ

Russell 3000 Growth ETF

50%

EFG

MSCI EAFE Growth ETF

30%

EGRW

MSCI Emerging Markets Growth Index Fund

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.34%

5. Storm Proof
This strategy looks to weather all economic environments by holding onto three asset classes that have
historically generated stable returns over the long-haul:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

XLP

Consumer Staples Select Sector SPDR

50%

PLW

1-30 Treasury Ladder Portfolio

30%

DBP

DB Precious Metals Fund

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.32%

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

4. All About Dividends

With interest rates still stuck at historically low levels, this strategy should appeal to anyone looking to
generate meaningful current income:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

LVL

S&P Global Dividend Opportunities Index ETF

60%

HYG

iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF

25%

EMHY

Emerging Markets High Yield Bond Fund

15%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.58%

3. Tax Escape
This strategy is intended for investors that fall in the high-income tax bracket, and as such, it avoids
dividend-paying securities; the bond component is also made up entirely of municipal debt, which is taxexempt:

Ticker

ETF

Allocation

IWF

Russell 1000 Growth ETF

50%

VBK

Small-Cap Growth ETF

20%

MUB

National AMT-Free Muni Bond ETF

30%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

0.20%

2. Big Bear
Anyone looking to go against the bull trend should consider this strategy; however, note that the holdings
here are intended to serve as complements to a traditional long-only portfolio:
Ticker

ETF

DEF

Defensive Equity ETF

50%

HDGE

Active Bear ETF

30%

UUP

DB USD Index Bullish

20%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

1. All Abroad

Allocation

0.96%

25 Simple ETF Portfolios ETFdb.com

Since most investors portfolios tend to have a glaring home-country bias, this strategy looks to avoid direct
exposure to U.S. stocks and bonds:

Ticker

ETF

VEU

FTSE All World Ex US ETF

65%

IGOV

S&P/Citigroup International Treasury Fund

20%

ELD

Emerging Markets Local Debt Fund

15%

Portfolio Expense Ratio

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This document is 2014 ETF Database. All rights reserved. http://etfdb.com/

Allocation

0.25%