Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Bill Bernstein's No Brainer 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.

As of Jun 13, 2026, the Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio returned 7.81% Year-To-Date and 9.96% of annualized return in the last 10 years.

Based on dividend-adjusted daily data since Nov 12, 2001, Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio's average daily return is +0.04%, while the average monthly return is +0.72%. At this rate, an investment would double in approximately 8.1 years.

Historically, 66% of months were positive and 34% were negative. The best month was Nov 2020 with a return of +11.2%, while the worst month was Oct 2008 at -15.8%. The longest winning streak lasted 15 consecutive months, and the longest losing streak was 5 months.

On a daily basis, Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio closed higher 55% of trading days. The best single day was Oct 13, 2008 with a return of +7.4%, while the worst single day was Mar 16, 2020 at -8.4%.

Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio has an annualized alpha of 2.04%, beta of 0.72, and R2 of 0.91 versus S&P 500 Index. Calculated based on daily prices since November 12, 2001.

• This portfolio participates in less of S&P 500 Index's moves in both directions, but captures a larger share of gains (82.88%) than losses (81.22%) - typical of diversified or defensive assets.
• This portfolio generated an annualized alpha of 2.04% versus S&P 500 Index - delivering returns beyond what market exposure alone would predict.

Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio has an expense ratio of 0.06%, which is considered low. Below, you can find the expense ratios of the portfolio's funds side by side and easily compare their relative costs.

Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio ranks 38 for risk / return — below 38% of Portfolios on our site. The returns aren't fully compensating for the risk involved. This isn't necessarily a dealbreaker, but factor it into your decision — especially if you're risk-averse.

The Sharpe ratio helps investors understand how much return they're getting for the level of risk taken. A higher Sharpe ratio indicates better risk-adjusted performance, meaning more reward for each unit of risk. Learn how to interpret the Sharpe ratio.

The current Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio Sharpe ratio is 1.75 as of Jun 13, 2026 (the value is recalculated daily), calculated over the past 12 months.

Compared to the broad market, where average Sharpe ratios range from 1.53 to 2.41, this portfolio's current Sharpe ratio falls between the 25th and 75th percentiles. This indicates that its risk-adjusted performance is in line with the majority of portfolios, suggesting a balanced approach to risk and return—likely suitable for a wide range of investors.

The chart below shows the rolling Sharpe ratio of Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio compared to the selected benchmark. This view highlights how the investment's risk-adjusted performance has changed over time.

Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio provided a 2.24% dividend yield over the last twelve months.

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.

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Bill Bernstein's No Brainer 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 Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio was 46.73%, occurring on Mar 9, 2009. Recovery took 477 trading sessions.

The current Bill Bernstein's No Brainer Portfolio drawdown is 0.79%.

The chart below shows the rolling one-month volatility.