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Guidelines for Achieving Optimal Portfolio Diversification

7TwelveTM Back-Tested Performance

Back-Tested Performance of the “Multi-Asset Portfolio” Concept

The fundamental (or core) concept behind the 7Twelve portfolio has been tested over a 42-year period from 1970-2011 using 7 of the 12 sub-assets: Large US equity, Small US equity, Non-US equity, Bonds, Cash, REITs, and Commodities. (These 7 sub-assets have performance histories back to 1970, whereas not all of the components in the 7Twelve do). Each sub-asset was equally weighted in the portfolio (14.3%) and annually rebalanced at the start of each year. Taxes and inflation were not taken into account.

Average Annual Returns (%)
Numbers in red indicate negative returns
Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.
  Year   Large
US Equity
Small
US Equity
Non-US
Equity
US
Bonds
 Cash  Real
Estate
Com-
modities
Equally
Weighted
Multi-Asset
Portfolio
1970 3.92 –17.43 –11.66 16.86 6.80 –4.00 15.17 1.38
1971 14.30 16.50 29.59 8.72 4.53 15.52 21.08 15.75
1972 19.00 4.43 36.35 5.16 4.24 8.01 42.43 17.09
1973 –14.69 –30.90 –14.92 4.61 7.46 –15.52 74.96 1.57
1974 –26.47 –19.95 –23.16 5.69 8.35 –21.40 39.51 –5.35
1975 37.23 52.82 35.39 7.83 6.08 19.30 –17.22 20.20
1976 23.93 57.38 2.54 15.60 5.23 47.59 –11.92 20.05
1977 –7.16 25.38 18.06 3.04 5.52 22.42 10.37 11.09
1978 6.57 23.46 32.62 1.39 7.67 10.98 31.61 16.33
1979 18.61 43.07 4.75 1.93 10.86 48.99 33.81 23.15
1980 32.50 38.60 22.58 2.71 12.71 33.12 11.08 21.90
1981 –4.92 2.03 –2.28 6.25 15.58 17.88 –23.01 1.65
1982 21.55 24.95 –1.86 32.62 11.66 20.91 11.56 17.34
1983 22.56 29.13 23.69 8.36 9.24 32.17 16.26 20.20
1984 6.27 –7.30 7.38 15.15 10.33 21.89 1.05 7.82
1985 31.73 31.05 56.16 22.10 7.97 6.50 10.01 23.65
1986 18.67 5.68 69.44 15.27 6.29 19.75 2.05 19.59
1987 5.25 –8.80 24.63 2.76 6.13 –6.59 23.77 6.74
1988 16.61 25.02 28.27 7.89 7.06 17.48 27.94 18.61
1989 31.69 16.26 10.54 14.53 8.67 2.72 38.28 17.53
1990 –3.10 –19.48 –23.45 8.96 7.99 –23.44 29.08 –3.35
1991 30.47 46.04 12.13 16.00 5.68 23.84 –6.13 18.29
1992 7.62 18.41 –12.17 7.40 3.59 15.13 4.42 6.34
1993 10.08 18.88 32.56 9.75 3.12 15.14 –12.33 11.03
1994 1.32 –1.82 7.78 –2.92 4.45 2.66 5.29 2.39
1995 37.58 28.45 11.21 18.48 5.79 12.24 20.33 19.15
1996 22.96 16.49 6.05 3.63 5.26 37.05 33.92 17.91
1997 33.36 22.36 1.78 9.66 5.31 19.66 –14.07 11.15
1998 28.58 –2.55 20.00 8.69 5.02 –17.01 –35.75 1.00
1999 21.04 21.26 26.97 –0.82 4.87 –2.58 40.92 15.95
2000 –9.10 –3.02 –14.17 11.63 6.32 31.04 49.74 10.35
2001 –11.89 2.49 –21.44 8.44 3.67 12.35 –31.93 –5.47
2002 –22.10 –20.48 –15.94 10.26 1.68 3.58 32.07 –1.56
2003 28.69 47.25 38.59 4.10 1.05 36.18 20.72 25.23
2004 10.88 18.33 20.25 4.34 1.43 33.16 17.28 15.10
2005 4.91 4.55 13.54 2.43 3.34 13.82 25.55 9.73
2006 15.79 18.37 26.34 4.33 5.07 35.97 –15.09 12.97
2007 5.49 –1.57 11.17 6.97 4.77 –17.56 32.67 5.99
2008 –37.00 –33.79 –43.38 5.24 1.51 –39.20 –46.49 –27.59
2009 26.46 27.17 31.78 5.93 0.16 28.46 13.49 19.06
2010 15.06 26.86 7.75 6.54 0.14 28.07 9.03 13.35
2011 2.11 –4.18 –12.14 7.84 0.06 9.37 –1.18 0.27
42-Year Average Annualized Return (%)
  9.80 10.62 8.87 8.28 5.72 11.38 9.70 10.26
42-Year Standard Deviation of Annual Returns
  17.75 22.25 22.76 6.57 3.41 19.65 24.71 10.47
Worst 1-Year Return (%)
  –37.00 –33.79 –43.38 –2.92 0.06 –39.20 –46.49 –27.59
Worst 3-Year Cumulative Return (%)
  –37.61 –42.24 –43.32 6.15 0.36 –35.61 –39.72 –13.30
Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.

A rebalanced, equally weighted, multi-asset portfolio produces superior risk-adjusted performance.

   
What Is 7Twelve?
7Twelve Model
7Twelve Performance
The Rationale
Back-Tested Performance

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