Golden Butterfly Portfolio
The Golden Butterfly Portfolio is a variation of the Permanent Portfolio designed to provide a steady stream of returns in any market environment. Its assets are similar to the ones of the permanent portfolio but with the inclusion of small-cap value stocks.
Asset Allocation
| Position | Category/Sector | Target Weight |
|---|---|---|
GLD SPDR Gold Trust | Precious Metals, Gold | 20% |
IJS iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF | Small Cap Value Equities | 20% |
SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | Government Bonds | 20% |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | Government Bonds | 20% |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | Large Cap Growth Equities | 20% |
Performance
Performance Chart
The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Golden Butterfly Portfolio, comparing it to the performance of the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. All prices have been adjusted for splits and dividends. The portfolio is rebalanced every 3 months.
The earliest data available for this chart is Nov 18, 2004, corresponding to the inception date of GLD
Returns By Period
As of Mar 29, 2025, the Golden Butterfly Portfolio returned 1.45% Year-To-Date and 6.51% of annualized return in the last 10 years.
| YTD | 1M | 6M | 1Y | 5Y* | 10Y* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
^GSPC S&P 500 | -5.11% | -6.27% | -2.74% | 6.22% | 16.72% | 10.48% |
| Golden Butterfly Portfolio | 0.66% | -1.66% | 0.77% | 10.86% | 10.32% | 7.09% |
| Portfolio components: | ||||||
SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 1.49% | 0.37% | 1.26% | 5.18% | 1.01% | 1.35% |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 3.91% | -2.17% | -6.64% | -0.78% | -9.06% | -1.19% |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | -5.32% | -6.34% | -2.40% | 6.62% | 18.05% | 11.73% |
IJS iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF | -10.19% | -6.67% | -8.64% | -3.67% | 16.07% | 6.66% |
GLD SPDR Gold Trust | 17.32% | 7.90% | 15.93% | 38.08% | 13.98% | 9.47% |
Monthly Returns
The table below presents the monthly returns of Golden Butterfly Portfolio, with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors. Returns are adjusted for dividends.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.28% | -0.89% | 0.66% | ||||||||||
| 2024 | -1.59% | 2.17% | 4.06% | -3.03% | 3.42% | 0.58% | 5.17% | 1.17% | 2.45% | -0.13% | 4.10% | -3.66% | 15.22% |
| 2023 | 7.51% | -3.10% | 1.59% | 0.00% | -1.51% | 3.53% | 2.92% | -2.53% | -5.15% | -1.26% | 6.91% | 6.27% | 15.19% |
| 2022 | -4.00% | 0.82% | 0.45% | -6.24% | -0.53% | -5.33% | 4.56% | -3.54% | -7.31% | 4.70% | 5.39% | -3.15% | -14.24% |
| 2021 | -0.21% | 0.84% | 1.32% | 3.05% | 2.78% | -0.42% | 0.52% | 1.24% | -2.88% | 3.41% | -0.82% | 2.52% | 11.75% |
| 2020 | 0.90% | -3.17% | -7.37% | 7.53% | 2.02% | 1.99% | 5.67% | 1.52% | -2.84% | -0.71% | 5.51% | 4.27% | 15.29% |
| 2019 | 5.68% | 1.54% | 0.05% | 1.58% | -2.55% | 5.54% | 0.71% | 2.11% | 0.32% | 1.39% | 0.78% | 1.63% | 20.15% |
| 2018 | 1.71% | -2.96% | 0.50% | -0.06% | 2.28% | -0.28% | 0.80% | 1.55% | -1.42% | -4.71% | 1.08% | -3.43% | -5.09% |
| 2017 | 1.47% | 2.20% | -0.36% | 1.08% | 0.01% | 0.56% | 1.04% | 0.98% | 1.33% | 0.48% | 1.86% | 0.97% | 12.24% |
| 2016 | -0.10% | 3.73% | 3.12% | 1.70% | -0.96% | 3.91% | 2.84% | -0.77% | 0.10% | -2.93% | 0.09% | 0.73% | 11.80% |
| 2015 | 2.38% | -0.50% | -0.30% | -1.01% | 0.11% | -1.43% | -0.98% | -1.69% | -1.44% | 3.50% | -1.15% | -1.80% | -4.36% |
| 2014 | 0.58% | 3.80% | -0.39% | 0.03% | 0.26% | 3.01% | -2.41% | 2.80% | -3.77% | 1.86% | 1.10% | 1.48% | 8.38% |
Expense Ratio
Golden Butterfly Portfolio has an expense ratio of 0.20%, which is considered low compared to other funds. Below you can find the expense ratios of portfolio funds side-by-side and effortlessly compare their relative costs.
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank
With an overall rank of 81, Golden Butterfly Portfolio is among the top 19% of portfolios on our website when it comes to balancing risk and reward. Below is a breakdown of how it compares using common performance measures.
Risk-Adjusted Performance Indicators
This table presents a comparison of risk-adjusted performance metrics for positions. Risk-adjusted metrics are performance indicators that assess an investment's returns in relation to its risk, enabling a more accurate comparison of different investment options.
| Sharpe ratio | Sortino ratio | Omega ratio | Calmar ratio | Martin ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 3.17 | 5.10 | 1.68 | 5.40 | 14.70 |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 0.01 | 0.11 | 1.01 | 0.00 | 0.02 |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | 0.54 | 0.80 | 1.10 | 0.72 | 2.44 |
IJS iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF | -0.02 | 0.11 | 1.01 | -0.03 | -0.08 |
GLD SPDR Gold Trust | 2.64 | 3.37 | 1.44 | 5.03 | 13.63 |
Dividends
Dividend yield
Golden Butterfly Portfolio provided a 2.29% dividend yield over the last twelve months.
| TTM | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 2.29% | 2.25% | 1.85% | 1.42% | 0.89% | 0.97% | 1.56% | 1.63% | 1.31% | 1.29% | 1.34% | 1.24% |
| Portfolio components: | ||||||||||||
SHY iShares 1-3 Year Treasury Bond ETF | 3.94% | 3.92% | 2.99% | 1.30% | 0.24% | 0.94% | 2.12% | 1.72% | 0.98% | 0.71% | 0.54% | 0.36% |
TLT iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF | 4.16% | 4.30% | 3.38% | 2.67% | 1.50% | 1.50% | 2.27% | 2.63% | 2.43% | 2.60% | 2.61% | 2.67% |
VTI Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF | 1.37% | 1.27% | 1.44% | 1.66% | 1.21% | 1.42% | 1.78% | 2.04% | 1.71% | 1.92% | 1.98% | 1.76% |
IJS iShares S&P SmallCap 600 Value ETF | 1.98% | 1.78% | 1.42% | 1.47% | 1.52% | 1.00% | 1.66% | 1.75% | 1.41% | 1.22% | 1.59% | 1.41% |
GLD SPDR Gold Trust | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% | 0.00% |
Drawdowns
Drawdowns Chart
The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way. Drawdowns are calculated considering price movements and all distributions paid, if any.
Worst Drawdowns
The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Golden Butterfly Portfolio. A maximum drawdown is a measure of risk, indicating the largest reduction in portfolio value due to a series of losing trades.
The maximum drawdown for the Golden Butterfly Portfolio was 21.18%, occurring on Sep 27, 2022. Recovery took 371 trading sessions.
The current Golden Butterfly Portfolio drawdown is 2.33%.
Depth | Start | To Bottom | Bottom | To Recover | End | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| -21.18% | Nov 10, 2021 | 221 | Sep 27, 2022 | 371 | Mar 20, 2024 | 592 |
| -19.56% | Feb 21, 2020 | 19 | Mar 18, 2020 | 86 | Jul 21, 2020 | 105 |
| -19.35% | Feb 29, 2008 | 186 | Nov 20, 2008 | 221 | Oct 8, 2009 | 407 |
| -11.37% | Aug 30, 2018 | 80 | Dec 24, 2018 | 89 | May 3, 2019 | 169 |
| -9.85% | Jan 23, 2015 | 249 | Jan 19, 2016 | 62 | Apr 18, 2016 | 311 |
Volatility
Volatility Chart
The current Golden Butterfly Portfolio volatility is 3.17%, representing the average percentage change in the investments's value, either up or down over the past month. The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.
Diversification
Asset Correlations Table
| GLD | SHY | TLT | IJS | VTI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLD | 1.00 | 0.24 | 0.18 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
| SHY | 0.24 | 1.00 | 0.60 | -0.19 | -0.19 |
| TLT | 0.18 | 0.60 | 1.00 | -0.27 | -0.26 |
| IJS | 0.06 | -0.19 | -0.27 | 1.00 | 0.85 |
| VTI | 0.07 | -0.19 | -0.26 | 0.85 | 1.00 |