Replies to post #277 on 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.

[Kirk]

Brinker Fixed Income Advisor- 2009 Performance

Oddly, this return data for 2008 is not posted anywhere I can find on any of Bob Brinker's web sites. Probably not good for newsletter sales to post it.

Mark Hulbert says Brinker's "fixed income advisor" model portfolio #1 lost 21.7% last year, 2008.

Mark Hulbert says Brinker's "fixed income advisor" model portfolio #2 lost 11.5% last year, 2008.

Mark Hulbert says Brinker's "fixed income advisor" model portfolio #3 lost 5.2% last year, 2008.

==> The Total Bond Index Fund at Vanguard gained 5.1% last year, 2008.

Mark Hulbert says Brinker's "Fixed income only" portfolio in “Marketimer” lost 2.1% in 2008.

ALL FOUR of Brinker's fixed income ONLY portfolios lost money in an up year for fixed income, 2008.