So how did my boring, indexed based, low-cost, diversified portfolio with a balance of 37% stocks and 63% bonds fare in less than three short months?  

Good news!

My “boring” portfolio is ahead YTD. It’s in the black. It’s up for the year. It’s profitable again. “Happy days are here again.”

After declining as much as $50,000 during the stock market lows in February, as of Friday’s close March 11, I am up by $5,000 YTD.*

Advisers, financial professionals and authors regularly preach about staying the course by creating a plan that you stick with, not matter what the market does. My portfolio is a working example of what most legitimate fiduciary financial advisers advise:

1. Diversify among the core domestic stock asset classes: Total Market Index which include large cap, mid cap and small cap United States equity markets.
2. Diversify among the core international stock asset classes: both emerging markets and developed markets.
3. Diversify among the core Bond Asset classes: corporate and government bonds, domestic and international bonds, and intermediate and short-term maturity dates. This explains the many different bond fund in the pie chart at the end of this article.
4. Finally, create a stock/bond split allocation depending on your need to take a risk and when you want your money.

I have a 37% stock / 63% bond allocation. The stock allocation has grown, and I will be looking at reducing my equity allocation and moving some money into the bond allocation. The goal is to get closer to my original plan of 30% stock/70% bond. I need this money now for retirement, and so I do not want, or need to take unnecessary risk.

Calculating the stock/bond split is straight forward. First, add the bond investments and then add the stock investments. The table below shows these totals. Then divide the bond (or the stocks) by the total portfolio amount, resulting in the stock/bond split.

After reading this report, is my portfolio boring now?

*As of a week later, Friday, March 18, I am up $15,000 year to date.