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Investment Visual

Richer Retirement Portfolio

May 30, 2007 – Sep 23, 2026, Rebalanced annually

Backtest it
Richer RetirementS&P 500
Final balance$32,152$71,426
CAGR6.23%10.71%
Max drawdown−31.08%−55.19%
Sharpe ratio0.620.62

Allocation

  • SPYS&P 50011%
  • VOUS mid-cap11%
  • VBUS small-cap11%
  • IWCUS micro-cap11%
  • VEUInternational stocks11%
  • IEIIntermediate Treasuries40%
  • BILTreasury bills5%

Loading the growth chart…

Growth of $10,000

  • Richer Retirement
  • S&P 500

Metrics

ReturnRicher RetirementS&P 500
Final balance$32,152$71,426
Total return221.52%614.26%
CAGR6.23%10.71%
Calendar yearsRicher RetirementS&P 500
Best year17.45%32.31%
Worst year−16.47%−36.80%
Positive years14 of 1815 of 18
RiskRicher RetirementS&P 500
Max drawdown−31.08%−55.19%
Longest drawdown2.7 years4.9 years
Volatility (annualized)10.64%19.70%
Risk-adjustedRicher RetirementS&P 500
Sharpe ratio0.620.62
Sortino ratio0.870.87
Calmar ratio0.200.19

Worst drawdowns

DeclinePeakBottomRecovered
−31.1%Oct 2007Mar 2009Mar 2010
−20.1%Nov 2021Oct 2022Jul 2024
−19.1%Feb 2020Mar 2020Aug 2020
−12.4%Apr 2011Oct 2011Feb 2012
−11.8%Aug 2018Dec 2018Apr 2019

Annual returns

YearRicher RetirementS&P 500
2007*+0.76%−3.36%
2008−16.47%−36.80%
2009+17.45%+26.35%
2010+14.65%+15.06%
2011+0.37%+1.89%
2012+10.50%+15.99%
2013+17.35%+32.31%
2014+5.00%+13.46%
2015−0.85%+1.23%
2016+7.89%+12.00%
2017+11.24%+21.71%
2018−4.92%−4.57%
2019+17.08%+31.22%
2020+12.44%+18.33%
2021+9.75%+28.73%
2022−13.85%−18.18%
2023+11.40%+26.18%
2024+9.08%+24.89%
2025+13.22%+17.72%
2026*+7.16%+13.47%

* Partial year

About the Richer Retirement Portfolio

Bill Bengen is the financial planner behind the 4% rule for retirement withdrawals. His 1994 study used only large US stocks and intermediate Treasuries. His later research added small companies and raised the rate to 4.5% by 2006. In his 2025 book A Richer Retirement, he spread the stocks wider and added some cash. That took it to 4.7%.

Stocks get 55%, split equally between large, mid-size, small and very small US companies and international shares. Intermediate Treasuries get 40% and Treasury bills 5%.

The Richer Retirement Portfolio returned 6.2% a year from May 2007 to Sep 2026, against 10.7% for the S&P 500. Its biggest drop was 31.1%, against 55.2% for the S&P 500. It took 2.4 years to recover. It beat the S&P 500 in 2 of 18 full years.

Uses daily closing prices with dividends reinvested. Fund fees are included, but not taxes or trading costs. The backtest starts on May 30, 2007, the first day all seven funds have prices. The S&P 500 is SPY.

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