Bogleheads 3 and 4 Fund Portfolio: Backtest and Performance Analysis

Jack Bogle’s famous advice was to avoid searching for individual stocks, sectors, or markets that may perform better and simply invest in the entire market. This means using index funds to build a diversified portfolio. The Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio (global stocks, U.S. bonds) and Bogleheads 4 Fund Portfolio (global stocks, global bonds) are good examples of the approach. Let’s find out what they are about.

Boglehead 3 Fund Portfolio is a simple, low-cost investment strategy that consists of three index funds: a U.S. Total Stock Market Index Fund, an International Stock Market Index Fund, and a U.S. Total Bond Market Index Fund. Boglehead 4 Fund Portfolio adds Total International Bond Market Index Fund to the mix. Both portfolios aim to provide diversification and long-term growth, with a focus on minimizing costs.

In this post, we take a look at the Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio (global stocks, U.S. bonds) and Bogleheads 4 Fund Portfolio (global stocks, global bonds). We end the article with backtests of both portfolios.

Table of contents:

What is the Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio?

The Bogleheads 3 Fund Portfolio is a low-cost investment strategy that was popularized by the Bogleheads, a group of investors who follow the philosophy of investing legend Jack Bogle. The strategy involves investing in three index funds that provide broad exposure to the stock and bond markets. The three funds are:

U.S. Total Stock Market Index Fund