Bogleheads Three Fund Portfolio
Background
The Bogleheads Three-Fund Portfolio was inspired by the investment philosophy of John C. “Jack” Bogle, founder of Vanguard and pioneer of low-cost index investing. It was popularized by the Bogleheads community, an online group of investors who follow Bogle’s core principles of simplicity, diversification, and minimizing costs. The portfolio reflects the belief that broad exposure to the global stock and bond markets—achieved through just a few total-market index funds—is sufficient for most long-term investors to achieve solid, risk-adjusted returns without unnecessary complexity.
Primary Goals
The primary goal of the Three-Fund Portfolio is to provide long-term growth and stability through global diversification at the lowest possible cost. By combining broad U.S. equity, international equity, and U.S. bond market exposure, it aims to capture the returns of the entire investable market while avoiding concentrated bets on any single region or asset class. A secondary goal is simplicity and behavioral discipline—helping investors stay invested through market cycles by using a strategy that is easy to understand, rebalance, and maintain.
The portfolio’s design works across various economic and market conditions:
- Economic growth: Stock holdings benefit from rising corporate earnings and global expansion.
- Inflation or rising rates: The bond portion provides stability and income, while equities can adjust over time to inflationary environments.
- Market volatility or recessions: Bonds tend to hold value or appreciate, softening declines in equities and offering rebalancing opportunities.
Together, these elements support a balanced, low-maintenance approach intended to perform consistently over decades of changing market regimes.
Construction
The Three-Fund Portfolio uses three broad, low-cost index funds to represent nearly the entire global market:
- U.S. Total Stock Market Fund: Provides exposure to thousands of domestic companies across all sizes and sectors, capturing the overall performance of the U.S. economy.
- Total International Stock Market Fund: Includes developed and emerging markets, adding diversification beyond the U.S. and reducing dependence on a single economy.
- Total Bond Market Fund: Covers investment-grade U.S. government and corporate bonds, providing income and stability during equity downturns.
These three components form a globally diversified foundation that emphasizes low costs, transparency, and long-term compounding. The simplicity of the structure allows investors to tailor the stock-to-bond mix to their risk tolerance while maintaining broad exposure and minimal maintenance.
Performance & Returns
Total Return by Period
Updated: Nov 21, 2025
| 1 Day | 1 Week | 28 Days | 90 Days | 1 Year | 3 Years | 5 Years | 10 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.74% | -1.06% | -1.94% | 1.27% | 8.85% | 32.80% | 25.15% | 69.98% |
Total Return by Year
| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.65% | 15.77% | -15.94% | 10.99% | 13.51% | 19.89% | -4.89% | 15.08% | 7.25% | -0.33% |
10 Year Performance
| Total Return | Annualized Return | CAGR | Max Drawdown | Sharpe Ratio | Sortino Ratio | Calmar Ratio | Ulcer Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 69.98% | 5.91% | 5.46% | -36.89% | 0.27 | 0.33 | 0.16 | 0.08 |
Asset Allocation
| Symbol | Description | Weight % |
|---|---|---|
| VTI | Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | 40.0 |
| VXUS | Vanguard Total International Stock ETF | 20.0 |
| BND | Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF | 40.0 |
Total Return Graph
No Taxes, No Rebalancing.