ATLASWhat does a 30/70 conservative ETF portfolio look like?
30/70 conservative portfolio: 30% stocks, 50% bonds, 20% inflation-protected bonds. Using VTI, VXUS, BND, and SCHP, this mix returned +9.6% per year over the last 3 years and +3.1% per year over 5 years; its largest drop in the last 5 years was -18.6%.
Updated November 2, 2026 · Source: ATLAS daily price data and fund distributions
A 30/70 mix keeps most of the money in bonds and a smaller part in stocks. Conservative allocations like this are common in income-oriented and capital-preservation funds. This example uses 20% US stocks, 10% international stocks, 50% total bonds and 20% inflation-protected bonds.
Allocation of this example
| ETF | What it holds | Weight | Expense ratio | 12-month yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VTIVanguard Total Stock Market ETF | US total stock market | 20% | 0.03% | 1.07% |
| VXUSVanguard Total International Stock ETF | International stocks outside the US | 10% | 0.05% | 2.40% |
| BNDVanguard Total Bond Market ETF | US total bond market | 50% | 0.03% | 4.14% |
| SCHPSchwab U.S. TIPS ETF | US inflation-protected bonds (TIPS) | 20% | 0.02% | 4.86% |
| Weighted average | 100% | 0.03% | 3.50% | |
How this mix behaved in the past
- Last 1 year+3.7%Oct 2025 – Nov 2026
- Last 3 years, per year+9.6%+31.6% · Nov 2023 – Nov 2026
- Last 5 years, per year+3.1%+16.5% · Nov 2021 – Nov 2026
- Volatility, last 3 years6.1%Nov 2023 – Nov 2026
- Largest drop, last 5 years-18.6%high Nov 2021, low Oct 2022
- Largest drop since Jan 2011-18.6%high Nov 2021, low Oct 2022
Total return in USD, distributions reinvested. Volatility is the annualised standard deviation of daily returns. These are past results, not forecasts.
What 10,000 would have become over the last 5 years
Return by calendar year
| Year | Return |
|---|---|
| 2026 (to date) | +3.2% |
| 2025 | +11.7% |
| 2024 | +6.2% |
| 2023 | +10.3% |
| 2022 | -14.0% |
| 2021 | +5.9% |
| 2020 | +12.4% |
| 2019 | +14.3% |
Lower volatility does not mean no losses: the largest-drop figure shows that a bond-heavy mix also fell in 2022. A low stock share also means less exposure to long-term growth, which matters over a long retirement.
Method and data
Period: January 28, 2011 to November 2, 2026 (the longest period in which every ETF in the mix has a price). Returns are total returns in US dollars: daily closing prices stored by ATLAS plus fund distributions reinvested on the ex-dividend date. The mix is rebalanced every day to the weights shown. Fund expense ratios are already included in prices; taxes, trading costs, advisory fees and currency effects for non-US-dollar investors are not. Distributions come from the data provider and were last refreshed November 3, 2026.
Other example portfolios
- 60/40 portfolio60% stocks, 40% bonds · 5 years, per year: +6.6%
- 3-fund portfolio40% US stocks, 20% international stocks, 40% bonds · 5 years, per year: +6.1%
- All-weather-style portfolio30% stocks, 55% Treasuries, 7.5% gold, 7.5% commodities · 5 years, per year: +2.4%
- Dividend income ETF portfolio60% dividend stock ETFs, 10% real estate, 30% bonds · 5 years, per year: +6.8%
- 50/50 portfolio50% stocks, 35% bonds, 15% inflation-protected bonds · 5 years, per year: +5.1%
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Frequently asked questions
What is a 30/70 portfolio?
About 30% in stocks and 70% in bonds. It is a conservative asset allocation.
Is a bond-heavy portfolio low risk?
It is usually less volatile than a stock-heavy one, but bonds can lose value when interest rates rise, as the largest-drop figure shows.
What is inflation risk for a bond-heavy portfolio?
If prices rise faster than the income and returns of the bonds, purchasing power falls. Inflation-protected bonds are one way investors address this.
What yield does this mix have?
The weighted 12-month distribution yield is in the allocation table. It is a trailing figure, not a forecast.
Educational example only. ATLAS does not give personal investment advice. Disclaimer