Beginner’s Guide to Investing: The Three Fund Portfolio

by | May 21, 2023 | Fidelity IRA | 21 comments




Here’s an easy, simple, and passive investing strategy for ANYONE, especially beginners. It’s called the Three Fund Portfolio. Enjoy! Instagram: @humphreytalks

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What is a 3 fund portfolio?
– A three fund portfolio is an investing strategy that consists of buying 3 basic asset classes in the form of an index funds: one for total domestic stock market, one for international, and one for a bond fund.
– Explain what an index fund is.
– So in this strategy, we’ll be using Vanguard Index Funds, you’ll want one fund for the total domestic stock market, one for international, and one for a bond fund.
– The tickers that most people tend to buy are: VTSAX, VTIAX and VBTLX.
– I’ll explain how to buy these later, and what type of percentage of each you should own, and also a modification that I make specifically on my own, but for now lets talk about WHY the 3 fund portfolio reigns supreme.

Why should you invest in a three fund portfolio?
– In any great investing strategy – what we want to look for are investments that are 1) Simple, 2) Diversified, 3) Have low fees, 4) Have a good risk/reward ratio.
– A three fund portfolio offers simplicity – it’s only three funds
– It offers diversification – each index fund that tracks these markets has over 10,000+ securities.
– And in terms of costs, By owning vanguard funds, fees are known for being lower than industry average.
– No manager risk (mutual fund), in a mutual fund, they’re professionally managed and the fees are higher – but you talk about that in your earlier video.
– Now in order to buy Vanguard funds, I want to note that these are all vanguard index funds can be purchased on Vanguard, Fidelity, or TD Ameritrade, but if you DON’T have any of those platforms, they are also available in their ETF versions as VTI, VXUS, and BND on many other platforms.

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How to allocate:
– So basically we understand the concept of the three fund portfolio now, but how should we divvy up our money in this strategy?
– There are a bunch of allocations in this strategy ranging from:

– First you need to decide how risky you want to be. If you’re young, you may be able to be riskier than someone who is approaching retirement age. In your case, you want to choose an allocation of the three funds that will give you the biggest benefit to upside throughout time.
– Something like 60% US, 30% Intl, and 10% Bonds might work well. The reason you don’t want a high proportion of bonds right now is that bond returns have been poor with 30 year treasuries only near 1%. What you can do is substitute your US bond fund with an all world bond fund etf, such as BNDW – that’s what I personally hold.
– Anyway lets look at some historical returns of the allocations:

Disclaimer: I am not a financial advisor, any investment commentary are my opinions only. Some of the products and services that appear on this channel are from companies that I have an affiliate relationship with, such as Robinhood, for which I recieve a small percentage made via those links, but it doesn’t cost you anything extra!…(read more)


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Investing in the stock market can be intimidating for beginners. With so many options available, it can be difficult to know where to start. However, starting a simple investing portfolio using a three fund portfolio is an excellent way for beginners to dip their toes into the world of investing.

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A three fund portfolio consists of three main investments: a total stock market index fund, a total international stock market index fund, and a total bond market index fund. These three funds represent a diversified basket of investments that can offer a balanced and relatively safe investment strategy.

One of the primary advantages of a three fund portfolio is its simplicity. With only three funds to manage, it is easy to keep track of your investments and to adjust your portfolio as needed over time. This simplicity also makes it easier for beginners to understand and to stick to their investment strategy.

Another benefit of a three fund portfolio is that it offers a diversified mix of investments. The total stock market index fund provides exposure to the broad U.S. stock market and can offer long-term growth potential. The total international stock market index fund provides exposure to international markets and can help mitigate risk from U.S.-based investments. Finally, the total bond market index fund offers stability and income through fixed-income investments.

To get started with a three fund portfolio, you will need to open a brokerage account with a company such as Vanguard, Fidelity, or Charles Schwab. These companies offer low-cost index mutual funds that are perfect for a three fund portfolio.

Once you have opened your account, you can start investing in the three funds that make up your portfolio. You should aim to invest a certain percentage of your portfolio in each fund, depending on your risk tolerance and investment goals. For example, you may want to allocate 50% of your portfolio to the total stock market index fund, 30% to the total international stock market index fund, and 20% to the total bond market index fund.

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It is important to keep in mind that a three fund portfolio is a long-term investment strategy. You should avoid making frequent trades and instead focus on holding your investments for the long term. Over time, your portfolio will likely grow and you can adjust your allocation as needed to meet your goals.

In conclusion, a three fund portfolio is an excellent way for beginners to get started with investing. By providing a diversified mix of investments and a simple, easy-to-manage strategy, it can help you achieve your investment goals while minimizing risk. So if you’re looking to get started with investing, consider a three fund portfolio as your first step.

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21 Comments

  1. JazzReviews

    I have made 250 dollars in 3 months on my Roth ira account just by listening to his investing tips. Thank you Humphrey!!

  2. Stardusty43

    Humphrey, I love your straightforward presentation in your videos. What books are behind you? Do you have a must-read list you’d recommend?

  3. Jeremy

    Good idea

  4. Watermelon Wonders

    Thanks for the info. If you're investing for a purchase you need around 8-10 years should you time the market to put the money in? And when should you go from 60/30/10 split to a more conservative split of US/ international/bonds?

  5. M B

    Hi Humphrey,
    Thanks for the great contents. Do you still feel the same way about these 3 stocks 2 years later or would you recommend a modification to these 3 now? Thanks!

  6. Harrison Michael

    Great video. We all strive for financial independence and better life. It’s not difficult in achieving this through the right investment, living frugally, and budgeting. I’m glad I learned early in life to work hard for financial freedom

  7. jasmin Perez

    what if the stock market crash? how does it effect your roth ira

  8. Daniel Enriquez

    Hey Humphrey I noticed your “keep Tahoe blue sticker on your lap top. Have you been to Tahoe or live around the area ?? I live in Reno which is about an hour away

  9. Aaron Varela

    Omg the reputation tour VIP box. Subscribed

  10. Matt Elvis

    Great video. Watched & liked!

  11. Elli Pando

    great video! Your content is always inspiring!

  12. miscdylaneous

    What would be the Fidelity equivalents to these three?

  13. George Osborn

    A better option is just to buy global all cap equity and global bond market. Both in accumulation. For the UK anyway…

  14. AaKash Deol

    How would I be able to buy all of these stocks, they’re all $3000 so the $6000 max would be maxed out in two stocks. Can you please give an example of using $6000 instead of the $10000. Using the aggressive model of 60,30,10.
    Thanks for the great knowledge, it always helps!

  15. Donald Locher

    The financial market has plenty of opportunities to earn which I myself took advantage of.. I made my first million from going diverse, mainly ETFs(stocks, bonds etc), coins, and gold. I'm also working on an investment plan that includes NFTs with my FA, Rita Wildrin Mora. It's been a year and half of steady growth.

  16. Toni MHamilton

    the markets are being propped up by the FED printing money with NO limit, every time the Market blips down the FED dumps cash into the dip. I see any market condition as an opportunity so far I've made over $505k in raw profits from just Q4 of 2021 alone Am I selling? Absolutely not. I have purchased growth stocks too a little at a time over the past few weeks. I am going to sit back and observe how this all plays out.

  17. Hae Lee

    Also when you look at the returns on mutual funds, it includes expesense right? So if the funds performing higher than index fund, do you think it's good to buy even though its got higher fees?

  18. Hae Lee

    Hi Humfrey.. is index fund better to hold than etfs if you are going to hold for long time? It pays higher dividends.. right?

  19. Don Ibarra

    at what average percent is your expected rate of return doing this 3 fund strategy?

  20. Abimbola Alexander

    Fidelity has there own equivalent without fees and zero minimums. is it a good idea?
    Domestic us stocks (FITLX)

    International stocks (FNIDX)

    bond index fund (FXNAX)

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