You may have noticed over the last week that many of the Portfolio Charts pages have been undergoing a bit of a renovation. I have definitely been busy!
The short story is that portfolio pages got more data, every chart received some helpful updates, and a few advanced features that were previously gated for members are now completely free. And it was all done with the goal of making it easier than ever to casually browse all types of portfolio options from any perspective.
No long article this time. Instead, let’s just talk about the cool new features rolling out at Portfolio Charts.
Portfolio pages got a makeover
The first new feature is that every Portfolios page now has a dropdown for Home Country right at the top of the page. It looks like this.
Instead of having home country controls next to each section, this one dropdown now controls all content on the page. This way it’s easy to set the context of a Portfolio page — including ETF links, summary data, and chart context — all from one simple selection.
Speaking of summary data, there are now two distinct sections for Performance and Charts. Here is an example of the new Performance section for the Golden Butterfly Portfolio.
Performance
Since 1970, an investor in the United States holding the Golden Butterfly earned an average 6.3% real return, with a baseline CAGR of 5.3% over 15 years. It supported a 6.0% safe withdrawal rate for 30 years and 4.9% indefinitely. Its worst peak-to-trough loss was 18%, and the longest a new investment spent below water was under 5 years.
Golden Butterfly Portfolio Performance
| # | Metric | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| 6.3% | Average return | Mean annual return after inflation |
| 5.3% | Baseline real return (15 years) | What 15-year stretches returned in the weaker outcomes |
| 6.0% | Safe withdrawal rate (30 years) | Highest spending rate that lasted 30 years in the worst case |
| 4.9% | Long-term withdrawal rate | The SWR floor over very long retirements |
| 18% | Deepest drawdown | Worst peak-to-trough loss after inflation |
| 5 years | Longest drawdown | Longest a new investment stayed below what you put in |
| 8.3% | Volatility (standard deviation) | Year-to-year variation in returns |
The performance data provides a quick summary of many of the top portfolio stats in one place. You can always browse the charts for in-depth data, but this saves you from having to hunt so hard for the top metrics. And as I mentioned, all numbers automatically update with the home country setting.
Once you do get to the charts, they have a fun new feature that replaced the old chart name dropdown list. It’s actually a lot more impactful than just a simple UI change, which brings us to the topic of sliders.
New interactive chart sliders
To help the process of exploring different iterations on the same idea, every chart now has a prominent new interface feature called a slider. What they show depends on the type of chart you’re looking at.
In the Charts section of a Portfolios page, the slider lets you quickly switch to any chart for the same portfolio. So if you want to switch from a Heat Map of the Golden Butterfly to an Annual Returns histogram, the change is just a swipe and click away. The interactive thumbnails should make it much easier to find what you’re looking for. Try changing the chart in this example to see what happens.
Charts
Different ways to visualize the Golden Butterfly Portfolio
Switch over to the Charts pages, and they all have sliders, too. Except instead of switching between charts, they let you quickly look at the same chart for every portfolio including your own. Here’s what that looks like for Withdrawal Rates. Click a few portfolios and watch what changes.
There are two things to pay attention to here. First, selecting a portfolio loads the asset allocation grid with the settings for that portfolio. That’s not only a nice way to see the allocation assumptions for a country, but it’s also instructive to learn how the interface works.
And second, watch how the chart changes when you switch portfolios. With all portfolio options in one place, it’s easy to appreciate how asset allocation differences can affect the numbers. The updated chart pages are thus much improved for exploring how portfolio construction affects different investing topics.
Finally, the Members Toolkit combines both types of sliders into a single powerful interface. By marrying every chart with every portfolio in one place, the Toolkit is the ultimate one-stop-shop for in-depth portfolio exploration.
Beyond just a slick UI design, the slider concept is built around the idea of quick comparisons. Old iterations of the charts once offered a sliding bar to compare two spreadsheets, and I see this a putting that idea on steroids. Maybe you’re browsing charts for the Weird Portfolio or comparing drawdowns for many different portfolios. While that used to take considerable effort and multiple browser tabs open at a time, now you can easily toggle between options with a click of a button.
Data is only as useful as one’s ability to navigate it, and the new slider system feels like a nice upgrade.
Things just work
Tinker with the chart settings in the above Withdrawal Rates example, and you’ll quickly notice one last change in how things work.
Previously, any time you updated a portfolio the system required that you press a calculate button for the chart to update. Now, the portfolio total is more prominent and everything is fully automated.
Once the portfolio total hits the required 100%, the chart automatically updates on its own with no extra action required. It’s a subtle thing, but I like how removing the friction of a submit button just feels easier to use.
High-end portfolio tools… for free
On top of the interface, there’s one more chart update that deserves its own note.
More free stuff!
Two of the most powerful individual charts on the site are the Portfolio Matrix that compares multiple stats for every portfolio and the Optimizer that studies tens of thousands of possible asset combinations at a time. For a while now, the free versions had limited features and I gated the full potential of each tool within the Toolkit.
After spending some time reflecting on why I do all this, I decided that holding back the best data just isn’t my style. So along with all the new updates, both tools now have full functionality with no membership required. That means anyone can add their own portfolio to the Matrix and include up to 10 assets in the Optimizer.
To be clear, the Toolkit remains a premium experience for members. It includes timesaving features like the advanced interface I explained above, and personalization options like the ability to upload custom asset data and save portfolio ideas in one place. But there’s no reason to also gate the best charts.
In a time when many similar investing resources are slowly creeping towards heavily tiered access models with fewer free features and increasing subscription costs, I feel like Portfolio Charts has a rare opportunity to stick to its guns as an educational resource that helps as many people as possible. Removing barriers to good data is just one more expression of that commitment.
Support the things you care about
Along with that change back to fully free charts, I also renamed a top site section back to Patrons because I think it best reflects my goals.
Portfolio Charts has no ads, affiliate links, or elaborate pricing tiers unlike pretty much any other other financial resource you’ll find today. It really is a personal hobby project and creative outlet, and I genuinely enjoy this stuff. That’s how I have happily kept going and sharing my progress for 11 years now and counting.
Of course, the other side of pouring energy into a hobby is that it does require significant time and resources. So if you like what I do and feel similarly compelled to give back, please consider becoming a Patron. There are multiple ways to do that, from signing up for a membership to buying a t-shirt to making a simple one-off donation. No matter what you choose, your support makes a real difference and is hugely appreciated.
And if you just want to hang out and enjoy the free tools, that’s also great! I appreciate you, too. Learn all you can, and feel free to email me if you ever have a question. The only thing I ask in return is that you please spread the word.
Investing knowledge doesn’t have to be just another commodity to be bought and sold. Together we can make it far more universal, and I truly appreciate your support no matter how you choose to express it.
Tools for your own exploration
With all the remodeling going on, there’s a good chance I forgot something. A some point, however, the best way to learn is to stop reading and start tinkering. And the new content updates are all designed to help you explore portfolio theory from any angle you want.
So what are you waiting for?
Really dig into portfolio concepts, and it may open up new opportunities in your own life well beyond simply organizing your retirement account. That vacation with the family, college fund for your children, and happy retirement with your spouse can all be placed on the right track with a few wise decisions today. Picture what you want to accomplish, and with a good plan anything is possible.
From a niche investing website to a personal life journey, many experiences involve a process of continuous improvement. I hope my step forward today helps with yours tomorrow.
Join the conversation
