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Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio

Last updated Apr 1, 2023

The Ultimate Portfolio is a lazy portfolio by Paul Merriman, a financial educator, founder of Merriman, LLC. The portfolio consists of 10 asset classes, 10% each with a tilt to small-cap and value stocks.

Expense Ratio

Rank 41 of 55

0.16%
0.00%0.94%
Dividend Yield

Rank 11 of 55

3.24%
0.00%4.33%
10Y Annualized Return

Rank 26 of 55

7.03%
2.63%52.97%
Sharpe Ratio

Rank 28 of 55

-0.44
-0.930.49
Maximum Drawdown

Rank 29 of 55

-38.24%
-82.98%-16.15%

Asset Allocation


Performance

The chart shows the growth of $10,000 invested in Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio in Oct 2022 and compares it to the S&P 500 index or another benchmark. It would be worth nearly $26,569 for a total return of roughly 165.69%. All prices are adjusted for splits and dividends. The portfolio is rebalanced Quarterly


150.00%200.00%250.00%NovemberDecember2023FebruaryMarch
165.69%
272.16%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

Returns

As of Apr 1, 2023, the Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio returned 4.33% Year-To-Date and 7.03% of annualized return in the last 10 years.


1 monthYear-To-Date6 months1 year5 years (annualized)10 years (annualized)
Benchmark3.51%7.03%12.88%-10.71%9.25%10.16%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio-0.46%4.33%15.94%-8.90%4.51%7.03%
VTV
Vanguard Value ETF
-0.46%-1.00%12.01%-5.42%8.84%10.55%
VIOV
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 Value ETF
-6.67%3.09%13.35%-7.95%6.17%9.44%
VV
Vanguard Large-Cap ETF
3.61%7.66%13.50%-10.08%10.93%12.11%
VEU
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US ETF
2.84%6.88%21.79%-5.66%2.63%4.58%
VIOO
Vanguard S&P Small-Cap 600 ETF
-5.27%2.46%10.94%-9.98%6.21%9.93%
VWO
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF
2.56%3.72%12.45%-10.53%-0.08%2.34%
EFV
iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF
-0.04%5.78%26.41%-1.02%1.56%3.73%
DLS
WisdomTree International SmallCap Dividend
0.16%6.24%20.93%-7.24%-0.77%4.73%
VSS
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US Small-Cap ETF
0.87%6.25%20.34%-10.86%0.84%4.37%
VNQ
Vanguard Real Estate ETF
-2.16%1.69%7.29%-21.13%5.81%5.76%

Sharpe Ratio Chart

The Sharpe ratio shows whether the portfolio's excess returns are due to smart investment decisions or a result of taking a higher risk. The higher a portfolio's Sharpe ratio, the better its risk-adjusted performance.

The current Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio Sharpe ratio is -0.44. A negative Sharpe ratio means that the risk-free rate is higher than the portfolio's return. This value does not convey any meaningful information.

The chart below displays rolling 12-month Sharpe Ratio.


-1.20-1.00-0.80-0.60-0.40-0.200.00NovemberDecember2023FebruaryMarch
-0.44
-0.46
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

Dividends

Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio granted a 3.24% dividend yield in the last twelve months.


PeriodTTM20222021202020192018201720162015201420132012

Dividend yield

3.24%3.02%2.54%2.26%3.09%3.37%2.91%3.17%3.24%3.51%3.34%3.59%

Drawdowns Chart

The Drawdowns chart displays portfolio losses from any high point along the way.


-25.00%-20.00%-15.00%-10.00%NovemberDecember2023FebruaryMarch
-12.77%
-14.33%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components

Worst Drawdowns

The table below shows the maximum drawdowns of the Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio. A maximum drawdown is an indicator of risk. It shows a reduction in portfolio value from its maximum due to a series of losing trades.

The maximum drawdown since January 2010 for the Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio is 38.24%, recorded on Mar 23, 2020. It took 171 trading sessions for the portfolio to recover.


Depth

Start

To Bottom

Bottom

To Recover

End

Total

-38.24%Jan 21, 202044Mar 23, 2020171Nov 23, 2020215
-25.31%Nov 9, 2021233Oct 12, 2022
-24.64%May 2, 2011108Oct 3, 2011304Dec 18, 2012412
-20.07%Jan 29, 2018229Dec 24, 2018234Nov 27, 2019463
-19.7%May 18, 2015187Feb 11, 2016142Sep 2, 2016329
-9.31%Jul 7, 201470Oct 13, 201489Feb 20, 2015159
-9.28%May 22, 201323Jun 24, 201355Sep 11, 201378
-7.02%Feb 22, 201117Mar 16, 201112Apr 1, 201129
-5.91%Jan 23, 20148Feb 3, 201414Feb 24, 201422
-5.6%Sep 8, 201642Nov 4, 201621Dec 6, 201663

Volatility Chart

Current Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio volatility is 12.48%. The chart below shows the rolling 10-day volatility. Volatility is a statistical measure showing how big price swings are in either direction. The higher asset volatility, the riskier it is, because the price movements are less predictable.


10.00%15.00%20.00%25.00%30.00%35.00%NovemberDecember2023FebruaryMarch
12.75%
15.42%
Paul Merriman Ultimate Portfolio
Benchmark (^GSPC)
Portfolio components