Bob Brinker Data

[Kirk]

Brinker's "Balanced" Model Portfolio #3 lost 23.9% in 2008. To put this in perspective:

Vanguard's GNMA fund had stellar performance in 2008 gaining 7.22%

The Total Bond Index Fund gained 5.05%.

Vanguard's Total Stock Market Index Fund lost 37.04% in 2008.

My "Free advice" balanced portfolio that I've been giving since the 1990s, half in Vanguard's Total stock fund and half in total bond fund averaged out to a loss of "only" 16% in 2008. This beat Brinker's balanced portfolio by about 8%!

Not only did Brinker's "Balanced portfolio #3" ride the bear market down from the top "fully invested." Its performance was far worse than low fee benchmarks such as half in total stock and half in total bond market funds from Vanguard.