PortfoliosLab logo
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Performance
Risk-Adjusted Performance
Dividends
Drawdowns
Volatility
Diversification

Asset Allocation


Performance

Performance Chart

The chart shows the growth of an initial investment of $10,000 in Paul Merriman Ultimate 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.


200.00%250.00%300.00%350.00%400.00%450.00%NovemberDecember2025FebruaryMarchApril
236.22%
400.39%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

The earliest data available for this chart is Sep 9, 2010, corresponding to the inception date of VIOV

Returns By Period

As of Apr 28, 2025, the Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio returned -3.21% Year-To-Date and 6.97% of annualized return in the last 10 years.


YTD1M6M1Y5Y*10Y*
^GSPC
S&P 500
-6.06%-1.00%-4.87%8.34%14.11%10.27%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio-3.21%-1.74%-3.97%6.43%11.91%6.97%
VTV
Vanguard Value ETF
-2.12%-3.56%-4.01%6.78%13.65%9.69%
VIOV
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF
-15.58%-6.05%-12.93%-4.29%12.27%6.35%
VV
Vanguard Large-Cap ETF
-5.64%-0.72%-3.96%10.02%15.76%12.17%
VEU
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF
8.08%1.38%3.83%10.71%10.60%5.05%
VIOO
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF
-13.02%-3.93%-11.58%-3.52%11.64%7.25%
VWO
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF
1.99%-0.97%-2.21%9.44%7.90%3.22%
EFV
iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF
15.34%1.77%11.44%17.70%14.72%4.90%
DLS
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend
9.09%2.36%7.32%11.66%10.28%4.66%
VSS
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF
4.02%2.21%0.90%7.04%9.65%4.18%
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
-1.32%-3.01%-7.30%13.04%6.81%5.09%
*Annualized

Monthly Returns

The table below presents the monthly returns of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio, with color gradation from worst to best to easily spot seasonal factors. Returns are adjusted for dividends.


JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
20252.70%-0.89%-2.98%-1.99%-3.21%
2024-2.04%3.03%3.41%-4.18%4.33%-0.24%5.69%1.53%2.01%-2.64%5.28%-4.95%11.00%
20238.16%-2.91%-1.10%0.37%-2.92%6.25%4.27%-3.44%-4.60%-3.94%8.60%7.77%16.10%
2022-4.48%-1.32%1.59%-6.55%0.79%-8.21%6.84%-4.11%-9.93%8.09%7.08%-4.32%-15.40%
20211.51%5.01%3.96%3.48%2.27%0.29%-0.32%2.10%-3.50%4.15%-3.01%5.11%22.64%
2020-3.02%-8.45%-18.71%10.57%4.03%2.71%4.06%4.73%-3.01%-0.93%13.45%5.57%6.95%
20199.08%2.60%-0.06%2.98%-6.24%5.80%0.03%-2.56%3.21%2.52%2.10%3.36%24.35%
20183.55%-4.61%-0.05%0.60%1.67%-0.27%2.72%1.08%-1.05%-7.81%1.98%-8.54%-11.03%
20171.57%2.34%0.49%1.30%0.36%1.74%2.22%-0.49%3.52%1.20%2.21%1.20%19.09%
2016-5.61%-0.16%8.47%1.13%0.66%0.38%4.57%0.19%0.77%-2.73%3.69%2.65%14.16%
2015-1.29%4.80%-0.36%1.12%0.30%-1.91%-0.09%-6.11%-2.63%6.35%0.40%-2.00%-1.99%
2014-3.34%5.08%0.93%0.21%1.54%2.30%-2.25%2.64%-4.72%3.10%0.41%-0.52%5.05%

Expense Ratio

Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio has an expense ratio of 0.16%, 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.


Expense ratio chart for DLS: current value is 0.58%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
DLS: 0.58%
Expense ratio chart for EFV: current value is 0.39%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
EFV: 0.39%
Expense ratio chart for VIOV: current value is 0.15%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VIOV: 0.15%
Expense ratio chart for VNQ: current value is 0.12%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VNQ: 0.12%
Expense ratio chart for VIOO: current value is 0.10%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VIOO: 0.10%
Expense ratio chart for VWO: current value is 0.08%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VWO: 0.08%
Expense ratio chart for VEU: current value is 0.07%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VEU: 0.07%
Expense ratio chart for VSS: current value is 0.07%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VSS: 0.07%
Expense ratio chart for VTV: current value is 0.04%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VTV: 0.04%
Expense ratio chart for VV: current value is 0.04%, compared with the broader market range of 0.00% to 2.12%.0.50%1.00%1.50%2.00%
VV: 0.04%

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank

The current rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 24, meaning it’s performing worse than 76% of other portfolios on our website when it comes to balancing risk and reward. Below is a breakdown of how it compares using common performance measures.


The Risk-Adjusted Performance Rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 2424
Overall Rank
The Sharpe Ratio Rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 2424
Sharpe Ratio Rank
The Sortino Ratio Rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 2222
Sortino Ratio Rank
The Omega Ratio Rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 2222
Omega Ratio Rank
The Calmar Ratio Rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 2424
Calmar Ratio Rank
The Martin Ratio Rank of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 2828
Martin Ratio Rank
The risk-adjusted ranks indicate the investment's position relative to the market. A rank closer to 100 signifies top-performing investments, while a rank closer to 0 might suggest underperformance, based on the selected ratio. The values are calculated based on the past 12 months of returns.

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.


The chart of Sharpe ratio for Portfolio, currently valued at 0.38, compared to the broader market-4.00-2.000.002.00
Portfolio: 0.38
^GSPC: 0.46
The chart of Sortino ratio for Portfolio, currently valued at 0.65, compared to the broader market-6.00-4.00-2.000.002.004.00
Portfolio: 0.65
^GSPC: 0.77
The chart of Omega ratio for Portfolio, currently valued at 1.09, compared to the broader market0.400.600.801.001.201.401.60
Portfolio: 1.09
^GSPC: 1.11
The chart of Calmar ratio for Portfolio, currently valued at 0.38, compared to the broader market0.002.004.006.00
Portfolio: 0.38
^GSPC: 0.47
The chart of Martin ratio for Portfolio, currently valued at 1.63, compared to the broader market0.005.0010.0015.0020.00
Portfolio: 1.63
^GSPC: 1.94

Portfolio components
Sharpe ratioSortino ratioOmega ratioCalmar ratioMartin ratio
VTV
Vanguard Value ETF
0.430.701.100.461.79
VIOV
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF
-0.22-0.150.98-0.18-0.59
VV
Vanguard Large-Cap ETF
0.540.871.130.562.29
VEU
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF
0.661.051.140.822.57
VIOO
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF
-0.16-0.060.99-0.13-0.42
VWO
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF
0.620.991.130.591.96
EFV
iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF
1.051.511.211.284.28
DLS
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend
0.721.081.150.942.50
VSS
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF
0.470.761.100.431.59
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
0.701.051.140.512.38

The current Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio Sharpe ratio is 0.38. This value is calculated based on the past 1 year of trading data and takes into account price changes and dividends.

Compared to the broad market, where average Sharpe ratios range from 0.39 to 0.88, this portfolio's current Sharpe ratio places it in the bottom 25%. This suggests that it may not be performing as well in terms of risk-adjusted returns compared to many other portfolios. The lower performance could be due to either lower returns, higher volatility, or a combination of both. This might indicate that the portfolio requires some fine-tuning. You can use the Portfolio Optimization tool to find an allocation that maximizes the Sharpe ratio.

Use the chart below to compare the Sharpe ratio of Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio with the selected benchmark, providing insights into the investment's historical performance in terms of risk-adjusted returns. Go to the Sharpe ratio tool for more fine-grained control over the calculation options.


Rolling 12-month Sharpe Ratio0.001.002.003.00NovemberDecember2025FebruaryMarchApril
0.38
0.46
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

Dividends

Dividend yield

Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio provided a 2.93% dividend yield over the last twelve months.


TTM20242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
Portfolio2.93%2.98%3.01%3.01%2.44%2.12%2.82%2.98%2.50%2.63%2.62%2.75%
VTV
Vanguard Value ETF
2.38%2.31%2.46%2.52%2.15%2.56%2.50%2.73%2.29%2.44%2.60%2.22%
VIOV
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF
2.22%1.78%2.18%1.81%1.59%1.42%1.60%1.76%1.43%1.17%1.32%1.27%
VV
Vanguard Large-Cap ETF
1.34%1.24%1.41%1.66%1.19%1.46%1.81%2.09%1.75%1.98%1.96%1.77%
VEU
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF
2.97%3.24%3.32%3.12%3.07%2.00%3.10%3.27%2.66%2.96%2.95%3.52%
VIOO
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF
1.71%1.48%1.47%1.51%1.16%1.09%1.37%1.32%1.11%0.95%1.26%1.06%
VWO
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF
3.16%3.20%3.52%4.11%2.63%1.91%3.24%2.88%2.30%2.52%3.26%2.86%
EFV
iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF
4.04%4.67%4.36%4.17%4.07%2.42%4.62%4.56%3.56%3.27%3.59%4.87%
DLS
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend
3.95%4.56%4.29%4.96%3.29%2.50%3.37%3.66%2.79%3.29%2.72%3.61%
VSS
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF
3.31%3.44%3.14%2.30%2.74%1.90%3.25%2.80%2.83%2.93%2.66%2.67%
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
4.18%3.85%3.95%3.91%2.56%3.93%3.39%4.74%4.23%4.82%3.92%3.60%

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.


-20.00%-15.00%-10.00%-5.00%0.00%NovemberDecember2025FebruaryMarchApril
-8.01%
-10.07%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

Worst Drawdowns

The table below displays the maximum drawdowns of the Paul Merriman Ultimate 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 Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio was 38.57%, occurring on Mar 23, 2020. Recovery took 172 trading sessions.

The current Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio drawdown is 8.01%.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-38.57%Jan 21, 202044Mar 23, 2020172Nov 24, 2020216
-24.61%May 2, 2011108Oct 3, 2011304Dec 18, 2012412
-24.38%Jan 5, 2022186Sep 30, 2022368Mar 20, 2024554
-19.62%Jan 29, 2018229Dec 24, 2018216Nov 1, 2019445
-18.4%May 19, 2015186Feb 11, 2016117Jul 29, 2016303

Volatility

Volatility Chart

The current Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio volatility is 11.92%, 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.


2.00%4.00%6.00%8.00%10.00%12.00%14.00%NovemberDecember2025FebruaryMarchApril
11.92%
14.23%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

Diversification

Diversification Metrics


Number of Effective Assets
2.004.006.008.0010.00
Effective Assets: 10.00

The portfolio contains 10 assets, with an effective number of assets of 10.00, reflecting the diversification based on asset allocation. This number of effective assets suggests that the portfolio's investments are spread across a variety of assets, indicating a well-diversified allocation. However, true diversification also depends on the correlations between assets.

Asset Correlations Table

The table below displays the correlation coefficients between the individual components of the portfolio, the entire portfolio, and the chosen benchmark.

^GSPCVNQVWOVIOVVIOODLSEFVVTVVSSVVVEUPortfolio
^GSPC1.000.630.710.740.800.770.770.900.791.000.820.91
VNQ0.631.000.470.580.610.550.540.650.550.630.560.71
VWO0.710.471.000.570.600.770.770.660.850.710.880.78
VIOV0.740.580.571.000.930.650.680.800.670.740.670.87
VIOO0.800.610.600.931.000.680.700.820.700.800.710.90
DLS0.770.550.770.650.681.000.920.750.940.770.930.87
EFV0.770.540.770.680.700.921.000.800.900.770.950.88
VTV0.900.650.660.800.820.750.801.000.760.890.790.92
VSS0.790.550.850.670.700.940.900.761.000.790.950.89
VV1.000.630.710.740.800.770.770.890.791.000.820.91
VEU0.820.560.880.670.710.930.950.790.950.821.000.90
Portfolio0.910.710.780.870.900.870.880.920.890.910.901.00
The correlation results are calculated based on daily price changes starting from Sep 10, 2010