Portfolios Using Just 3 ETFs: Risk vs. Return Scatterplot

Below is a chart of portfolios using three ETFs, with each ETF representing a different asset class.

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5 portfolios with variations on the 1/3+1/3+1/3 asset allocation strategy.

• Portfolio 1 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term Treasuries + 1/3 REIT

• Portfolio 2 = 1/3 REIT + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/6 Gold + 1/6 Commodities

• Portfolio 3 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 2/9 Short Term Treasuries + 1/9 Commodities + 1/3 REIT

• Portfolio 4 = 1/3 REIT + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/9 Gold + 1/9 Short Term Treasuries + 1/9 Commodities

  Portfolio 5 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Money Market + 1/3 REIT

• 56 portfolios representing all the possible combinations of choosing 3 funds from a set of 8 asset classes:

• Portfolio 6 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds

• Portfolio 7 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds

• Portfolio 8 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market

• Portfolio 9 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 10 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 11 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 12 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds

• Portfolio 13 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market

• Portfolio 14 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 15 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 16 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 17 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market

• Portfolio 18 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 19 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 20 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 21 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 22 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 23 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 24 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 25 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 26 = 1/3 Gold + 1/3 Commodities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 27 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds

• Portfolio 28 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market

• Portfolio 29 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 30 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 31 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 32 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market

• Portfolio 33 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 34 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 35 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 36 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 37 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 38 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 39 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 40 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 41 = 1/3 Real Estate + 1/3 Commodities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 42 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market

• Portfolio 43 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 44 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 45 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 46 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 47 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 48 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 49 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 50 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 51 = 1/3 Long Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 52 = 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 U.S. Equities

• Portfolio 53 = 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 54 = 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 55 = 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 56 = 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 57 = 1/3 Short Term U.S. Government Bonds + 1/3 Commodities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 58 = 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 Commodities

• Portfolio 59 = 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 60 = 1/3 U.S. Total Bond Market + 1/3 Commodities + 1/3 International Equities

• Portfolio 61 = 1/3 U.S. Equities + 1/3 Commodities + 1/3 International Equities