Ahead of SPY at 11 of 60 month-ends.
Same starting value · dividends reinvested
Selected allocation CAGR +5.9%
SPY CAGR +12.0%
Shaded: major market crises Bear Market (2022)
Couch Potato Portfolio (1991 original)
2 ETFs · Fixed income · U.S. large cap
Where this allocation comes from
Scott Burns · Newspaper column (Dallas Morning News) · 1991
Also known as: Original Couch Potato · Traditional Couch Potato
50% S&P 500 index fund and 50% US total bond market, the Couch Potato as Scott Burns first described it in 1991.
| Asset in the source | Weight | Lifolio ETF |
|---|---|---|
| S&P 500 | 50% | SPY |
| US aggregate bonds | 50% | BND |
The S&P 500 slot uses SPY, which tracks the same index as the Vanguard 500 Index Fund Burns named.
Source: scottburns.com scottburns.com scottburns.com
Lifolio is not affiliated with or endorsed by the people or organizations cited. Figures are historical simulations under Lifolio's standard conditions. Sources checked 2026-11-01.
- $10,000 lump sum
- Monthly rebalancing
- Dividends reinvested
- Benchmark: SPY
- No taxes or fees
- $10,000 became
- $13,343 SPY alone: $17,597 −$4,254 vs SPY
- Annual return
- +5.9% SPY +12.0% -6.0pp vs SPY
- Max drawdown (month-end)
- -19.2% SPY -23.9% +4.8pp vs SPY Regained 17 mo after the low
- Below the high at period end
- -0.7% 2026-10
Key points for this allocation
- By asset class: bonds 50% · equities 50%.
- Its dividend yield over the last 12 months was 2.6%; the results reinvest dividends.
- During the Bear Market (2022) it returned -16.1%, while SPY returned -19.7%.
Overview ⌄
Compare allocations
The same holdings at different splits. Pick a row to update everything below.
Exploration on Lifolio; these counts do not establish investment performance or preference.
Growth
Starting from $10,000, shown with SPY over the same window. Shaded bands mark major market crises.
Declines and recoveries
Month-end decline from the previous high. Closer to 0% means a smaller fall.
The deepest fall was -19.2%, regained 17 months after the low.
Values below 0% are loss periods
Calendar-year returns
Only years with all twelve months. The table also lists the deepest fall within each year (the in-year low).
Of 4 complete years: 1 with a loss, 1 ahead of SPY.
Show as a table
| Year | Selected allocation | SPY | In-year low |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | +12.4% | +17.7% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | +12.7% | +24.9% | -3.2% |
| 2023 | +15.6% | +26.2% | -6.5% |
| 2022 | -15.3% | -18.2% | -19.2% |
Depending on when you bought
Every month in the window taken as a start, held one, three or five years.
Observed windows overlap and are not independent samples. These shares are not probabilities of future gains.
Holdings
Holdings of the selected split and what each one is.
- BNDVanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF Shares 50%
An ETF investing across the U.S. bond market.
- SPYState Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust 50%
A U.S. large-cap equity ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index.
Questions & methodology
Review calculation settings and how to interpret the selected allocation.
What does the Couch Potato Portfolio (1991 original) hold?
Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund ETF Shares (BND): An ETF investing across the U.S. bond market. State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY): A U.S. large-cap equity ETF tracking the S&P 500 Index.
What were the return and risk of the Couch Potato Portfolio (1991 original)?
From 2021-10-29 to 2026-10-30, the annualized return was +5.9%, maximum drawdown was -19.2%, and Sharpe ratio was 0.24.
How did it compare with holding SPY alone?
From 2021-10-29 to 2026-10-30, the annual return was +5.9% for this split and +12.0% for SPY. Over the same window the maximum drawdown was -19.2% for this split and -23.9% for SPY.
How far did the Couch Potato Portfolio (1991 original) fall, and how long did it take to get back?
Over the selected 5 years, the largest month-end decline was -19.2%, from a high in 2021-12 to a low in 2022-09. It regained the old high 17 months after the low.
How many losing years did the Couch Potato Portfolio (1991 original) have?
1 of 4 complete calendar years ended with a loss. The worst was 2022 (-15.3%).
Are dividends, taxes and exchange rates included?
Dividends are reinvested and results are in USD. Taxes, currency moves against your home currency and trading fees are not included. These results use US-listed ETFs; Korea-listed ETFs such as KODEX and TIGER can be added in the backtest.
The server calculates portfolio examples and actual user allocations with the same period, starting balance and settings. Validated metrics and their supporting charts are shown together.
Price data through: 2026-10-30