Benchmarks for model portfolios
36 ETFIQ benchmarks in 6 families, each a written rule over broad, low-cost ETFs. They measure model portfolios the way the S&P 500 measures large US stocks, and none is a recommendation.
Over 10 years to Sep 30, 2026, strategic benchmarks at 20% to 95% stocks returned +3.41% to +11.78% a year, hypothetical.
One sentence, recomputed every trading night. A benchmark is a rule, not a recommendation.
| Family | Benchmark | Stocks | Band | 1 year | 3 years, ann. | Volatility 3Y ↑ | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tactical | Tactical from 20 | 20% | 15 to 30 | +4.14% | +6.05% | 4.83% | 0.12% |
| Income | Income 20 | 20% | 15 to 30 | +2.70% | +8.00% | 5.20% | 0.10% |
| Strategic | US Bonds | 0% | below the bands | −1.85% | +4.05% | 5.55% | 0.03% |
| Tax-aware | Municipal Bonds | 0% | below the bands | −2.15% | +2.76% | 5.59% | 0.03% |
| Income | Income 40 | 40% | 30 to 50 | +5.75% | +9.96% | 5.68% | 0.15% |
| Tactical | Tactical from 40 | 40% | 30 to 50 | +7.17% | +8.50% | 5.90% | 0.11% |
| Strategic | Strategic 20 | 20% | 15 to 30 | +1.67% | +7.40% | 6.18% | 0.04% |
| Income | Income 60 | 60% | 50 to 70 | +8.87% | +11.94% | 6.32% | 0.21% |
| Tax-aware | Tax-Aware 20 | 20% | 15 to 30 | +1.42% | +6.34% | 6.33% | 0.04% |
| Factor | Factor 20 | 20% | 15 to 30 | +2.86% | +7.71% | 6.41% | 0.05% |
| Income | Income 80 | 80% | 70 to 85 | +12.06% | +13.93% | 7.08% | 0.26% |
| Thematic | Thematic 20 | 20% | 15 to 30 | +1.60% | +8.42% | 7.23% | 0.13% |
| Strategic | Strategic 40 | 40% | 30 to 50 | +5.27% | +10.82% | 7.25% | 0.04% |
| Tactical | Tactical from 60 | 60% | 50 to 70 | +10.22% | +10.97% | 7.27% | 0.09% |
| Tax-aware | Tax-Aware 40 | 40% | 30 to 50 | +5.06% | +9.99% | 7.42% | 0.04% |
| Income | Income 95 | 95% | over 85 | +14.50% | +15.44% | 7.70% | 0.31% |
| Factor | Factor 40 | 40% | 30 to 50 | +7.70% | +11.43% | 7.84% | 0.07% |
| Strategic | Strategic 60 | 60% | 50 to 70 | +8.93% | +14.30% | 8.59% | 0.05% |
| Tax-aware | Tax-Aware 60 | 60% | 50 to 70 | +8.78% | +13.73% | 8.73% | 0.05% |
| Tactical | Tactical from 80 | 80% | 70 to 85 | +13.32% | +13.45% | 8.79% | 0.08% |
| Factor | Factor 60 | 60% | 50 to 70 | +12.68% | +15.21% | 9.61% | 0.09% |
| Thematic | Thematic 40 | 40% | 30 to 50 | +5.06% | +12.82% | 9.70% | 0.24% |
| Tactical | Tactical from 95 | 95% | over 85 | +15.66% | +15.33% | 10.00% | 0.06% |
| Strategic | Strategic 80 | 80% | 70 to 85 | +12.65% | +17.84% | 10.10% | 0.05% |
| Tax-aware | Tax-Aware 80 | 80% | 70 to 85 | +12.57% | +17.55% | 10.18% | 0.05% |
| Strategic | Strategic 95 | 95% | over 85 | +15.49% | +20.54% | 11.30% | 0.06% |
| Tax-aware | Tax-Aware 95 | 95% | over 85 | +15.47% | +20.46% | 11.32% | 0.06% |
| Factor | Factor 80 | 80% | 70 to 85 | +17.80% | +19.06% | 11.55% | 0.11% |
| Strategic | Global Stocks | 100% | over 85 | +16.45% | +21.45% | 11.71% | 0.06% |
| Thematic | Thematic 60 | 60% | 50 to 70 | +8.55% | +17.24% | 12.48% | 0.34% |
| Strategic | US Stocks | 100% | over 85 | +15.38% | +22.34% | 12.88% | 0.03% |
| Factor | Factor 95 | 95% | over 85 | +21.73% | +21.98% | 13.08% | 0.12% |
| Factor | Factor 100 | 100% | over 85 | +23.06% | +22.96% | 13.59% | 0.13% |
| Thematic | Thematic 80 | 80% | 70 to 85 | +12.05% | +21.69% | 15.39% | 0.45% |
| Thematic | Thematic 95 | 95% | over 85 | +14.68% | +25.04% | 17.61% | 0.52% |
| Thematic | Thematic 100 | 100% | over 85 | +15.56% | +26.16% | 18.36% | 0.55% |
A written rule over broad, low-cost ETFs, frozen on Oct 3, 2026, with its weights, calendar and returns on its own page. Figures before Oct 5, 2026 are hypothetical: today’s rule and funds applied to earlier prices. Total returns are market price with distributions reinvested, net of each fund’s own fees, with nothing else deducted. The price source does not carry funds that closed before 2016, so nothing here is free of survivorship bias. Methodology v1.3 →
Questions people ask about the ETFIQ benchmarks
- What is an ETFIQ benchmark?
- A rule over broad, low-cost ETFs, written down before its returns were looked at, that measures model portfolios the way the S&P 500 measures large US stocks. Its weights, rule and returns are published.
- Can I invest in an ETFIQ benchmark?
- No. A benchmark is a published yardstick, not a fund, and ETFIQ publishes no trades for any of them. It takes no payment from the issuer of any fund a benchmark holds.
- Why are some returns hypothetical?
- Each family’s rule is frozen on a stated date. Returns before it apply today’s rule and funds to earlier prices, which is look-ahead; returns from it are tracked. The price source does not carry funds that closed before 2016, so nothing here is free of survivorship bias.
ETFIQ, Benchmarks for model portfolios: all 36, data as of Oct 7, 2026. https://etfiq.com/benchmarks/
Free to use with attribution for figures ETFIQ computes; issuer data stays under its owner's terms. The underlying files are at Open data. Figures before Oct 5, 2026 are hypothetical.
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices. Data sourced by Tiingo.