We provide ETF model portfolios suitable for any brokerage for beginners.
We also provide fixed income bond fund based portfolios that have consistently outperformed even some of the best bond mutual funds.
See our investment methodology
How does our service work?
- Investors open an account or use an existing account in a brokerage such as Schwab, Fidelity or Etrade.
- Investors choose a model portfolio to follow. Use our easy-to-use Get Started Guide to follow or customize a portfolio with a personal risk profile. After that, the portfolio will be added to the dashboard and you are now following it.
- They then receive regular emails or notifications on how to rebalance the portfolio, usually at the end of a month. On the next trading day (the first trading day of the next month), they make trades/rebalancing in their own brokerage investment account to mimic the model portfolio — mainly based on the percentage allocation to each fund.
Note: all of our portfolios invest in only ETFs or no-load no transaction fee mutual funds.
ETF Model Portfolios
What?
We provide two customizable ETF model portfolios based on two types of asset allocation strategies:
Strategic Asset Allocation: MyPlanIQ ETF Strategic Stock Allocation Moderate
- Description: Invest in a diversified portfolio of multiple assets, buy-and-hold without frequently changing the asset allocation weights.
- Suitable: For long-term (more than 15 years, preferably more than 20 years), want to be tax efficient and can withstand interim drawdown or loss as high as 50% or more.
- Pros:
- Less error-prone
- Infrequent rebalancing or transactions
- Tax efficient
- Cons:
- Interim loss or drawdown can be substantial
- Possible low returns for an extended period, such as 10 years or longer
Tactical Asset Allocation: MyPlanIQ ETF Tactical Stock Allocation Moderate
- Description: Invest in a diversified portfolio of multiple assets, dynamically adjust stock and bond allocations dynamicall to minimize losses during market stress.
- Suitable: For long-term (more than 10 years or preferably longer) capital. Investors are willing to rebalance as frequent as monthly.
- Pros:
- Reduce large interim loss or drawdown
- Less sensitive to investment entry point
- Likely to improve returns
- Cons
- Demand more frequent rebalancing or transactions
- Less tax efficient — more suitable in a tax-deferred account such as 401(k) or IRA
- Can experience a period of lower returns compared to a broad-based strategic allocation or a buy-and-hold benchmark, especially in some bull markets
See MyPlanIQ subscription service description for more details.
Representative Candidate ETFs
| Asset Class | Ticker/Portfolio Name |
|---|---|
| US Stocks | VTI (Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF) |
| US REITs | VNQ (Vanguard REIT ETF) |
| Intl’ Developed Market Stocks | VEA (Vanguard FTSE Developed Markets ETF) |
| Emerging Market Stocks | VWO (Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF) |
| Intermediate Bonds | BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF) |
| Total Return Bonds | BOND (PIMCO Total Return Active ETF) |
| Total Return Bonds | TOTL (SPDR® DoubleLine Total Return Tact ETF) |
| Intermediate Corp Bonds | VCIT (Vanguard Intermediate-Term Corp Bd ETF) |
| National Municipal Bonds (Tax-Exempt) | MUB (iShares National AMT-Free Muni Bond) |
| High Yield Municipal Bonds (Tax Exempt) | HYD (Market Vectors® High-Yield Municipal ETF) |
| …… | …… |
Latest ETF Model Portfolios Performance
| Name | YTD Return | 1Yr AR | 3Yr AR | 5Yr AR | 10Yr AR | 15Yr AR | 20Yr AR | Inception |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyPlanIQ ETF Strategic Stock Allocation Moderate | 1.91% | 6.58% | 6.36% | 8.91% | 7.55% | NA | NA | 8.39% |
| MyPlanIQ ETF Tactical Stock Allocation Moderate | 0.20% | 4.25% | 6.41% | 9.21% | 7.58% | 9.35% | 10.86% | 7.69% |
Benchmark index funds returns
| Name | YTD Return | 1Yr AR | 3Yr AR | 5Yr AR | 10Yr AR | 15Yr AR | 20Yr AR | Inception |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VBINX (VANGUARD BALANCED INDEX FUND INVESTOR SHARES) | 4.52% | 6.72% | 7.58% | 6.04% | 7.29% | 8.43% | 7.08% | 7.21% |
| DGSIX (GLOBAL ALLOCATION 60/40 PORTFOLIO - INSTITUTIONAL CLASS) | 6.57% | 9.93% | 9.71% | 8.76% | 7.28% | 7.54% | 6.50% | 6.75% |
Benefits of subscription
FREE No-Risk one month trial for a basic subscription
Choose to customize and follow asset allocation model portfolios for your 401k plans, IRA, or a taxable brokerage account
Our asset allocation portfolios deliver better returns with less risk than a standard strategic asset allocation portfolio in the long term
Choose to follow our fixed income portfolios that have outperformed some of the best bond funds
Our well-received high-quality newsletters
Detailed subscription plan comparison
Recent Articles
- August 2025 MyPlanIQ Portfolio Update
- The Most Reliable Retirement Savings: Why $1.8 Million is a Popular Lie
- The Most Reliable Retirement Savings Amount You Need in 2025
- The Best Age (62, 67, or 70) to Claim Your Social Security Benefits
- Retirement Withdrawals in Optimal Order
- Best Strategy to Withdraw Funds in Retirement
- Retirement Milestone Cheat Sheet
- Savings Hacks
- July 2025 MyPlanIQ Portfolio Update
Free newsletters
High quality resources for 401k, 403b, 529 retirement plans on investment, contribution, fees, retirement planning and much more ...
Puzzled on what to invest?
- We ask a few questions to decide your personal return and risk expectations
- We build a custom portfolio for your plan (401(k), 403(b), 529 ...) or for a brokerage account
- We monitor and send timely rebalance emails on what investment funds to buy and sell
Looking for ideas to generate income?
- ETF or mutual fund income portfolios for 4-7% annual income
- Dividend stock funds
- Passive real estate investments
- more ...
Portfolio Calculator (Simulator)
Customize Asset Allocation Portfolios
Retirement Calculator
Investment Calculator
Looking for a (forgotten) 401(k)?
Find plan contact info, plan expenses, investment options, rollover your old plan, or learn how to select investments on your 401k plan ...