Ahead of SPY at 16 of 60 month-ends.
Same starting value · dividends reinvested
Selected allocation CAGR +7.5%
SPY CAGR +12.0%
Shaded: major market crises Bear Market (2022)
Nine Emerging Portfolio
9 ETFs · Fixed income · International equity · U.S. value
View holdings
Fixed income · International equity · U.S. value · U.S. small & mid cap · Inflation-linked bonds · REITs & real estate · U.S. total market · Emerging markets · Sector & thematic equity
Where this allocation comes from
Scott Burns · Newspaper column (Dallas Morning News) · 2008
Also known as: Scott Burns Nine Emerging Portfolio
Eight Value 2 plus emerging-market stocks, a ninth each.
| Asset in the source | Weight | Lifolio ETF |
|---|---|---|
| US total stock market | 11.12% | VTI |
| US inflation-protected Treasuries (TIPS) | 11.11% | TIP |
| Developed-market stocks (ex-US) | 11.11% | EFA |
| International Treasuries (unhedged) | 11.11% | BWX |
| US REITs | 11.11% | VNQ |
| Energy stocks | 11.11% | XLE |
| US large-cap value | 11.11% | IWD |
| US small-cap value | 11.11% | IWN |
| Emerging-market stocks | 11.11% | VWO |
International bonds use BWX, the unhedged fund Burns named himself. BWX listed in October 2007, so history starts then.
Source: 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
- $14,355 SPY alone: $17,597 −$3,242 vs SPY
- Annual return
- +7.5% SPY +12.0% -4.5pp vs SPY
- Max drawdown (month-end)
- -17.7% SPY -23.9% +6.2pp vs SPY Regained 15 mo after the low
- Below the high at period end
- -0.9% 2026-10
Key points for this allocation
- By asset class: equities 66.7% · bonds 22.2% · real estate 11.1%.
- Its dividend yield over the last 12 months was 2.5%; the results reinvest dividends.
- During the Bear Market (2022) it returned -16.6%, 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 -17.7%, regained 15 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 | +14.3% | +17.7% | -2.8% |
| 2024 | +7.5% | +24.9% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | +11.3% | +26.2% | -9.1% |
| 2022 | -9.2% | -18.2% | -17.7% |
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.
- VTIVanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF 11.12%
An ETF investing across the U.S. equity market.
- BWXState Street SPDR Bloomberg International Treasury Bond ETF 11.11%
- EFAiShares MSCI EAFE ETF 11.11%
- IWDiShares Russell 1000 Value ETF 11.11%
- IWNiShares Russell 2000 Value ETF 11.11%
A U.S. small-cap value ETF tracking the Russell 2000 Value Index.
- TIPiShares TIPS Bond ETF 11.11%
- VNQVanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF Shares 11.11%
An ETF investing in U.S. real estate equities.
- VWOVanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Index Fund ETF Shares 11.11%
- XLEState Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF 11.11%
Questions & methodology
Review calculation settings and how to interpret the selected allocation.
What does the Nine Emerging Portfolio hold?
Vanguard Morningstar Total Stock Market ETF (VTI): An ETF investing across the U.S. equity market. State Street SPDR Bloomberg International Treasury Bond ETF (BWX) iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (EFA) iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF (IWD) iShares Russell 2000 Value ETF (IWN): A U.S. small-cap value ETF tracking the Russell 2000 Value Index. iShares TIPS Bond ETF (TIP) Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF Shares (VNQ): An ETF investing in U.S. real estate equities. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets Index Fund ETF Shares (VWO) State Street Energy Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLE)
What were the return and risk of the Nine Emerging Portfolio?
From 2021-10-29 to 2026-10-30, the annualized return was +7.5%, maximum drawdown was -17.7%, and Sharpe ratio was 0.33.
How did it compare with holding SPY alone?
From 2021-10-29 to 2026-10-30, the annual return was +7.5% for this split and +12.0% for SPY. Over the same window the maximum drawdown was -17.7% for this split and -23.9% for SPY.
How far did the Nine Emerging Portfolio fall, and how long did it take to get back?
Over the selected 5 years, the largest month-end decline was -17.7%, from a high in 2021-12 to a low in 2022-09. It regained the old high 15 months after the low.
How many losing years did the Nine Emerging Portfolio have?
1 of 4 complete calendar years ended with a loss. The worst was 2022 (-9.2%).
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