How has your variable portfolio performed?

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If you have held your permanent portfolio for a year or more, how has your variable portfolio performed?

Better than the permanent portfolio.
5
42%
Roughly the same as the permanent portfolio (within 1%/year).
0
No votes
Worse than the permanent portfolio.
7
58%
 
Total votes: 12
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6 Iron
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How has your variable portfolio performed?

Post by 6 Iron » Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:30 am

Given the recent market issues, I have become tempted to predict the future with a variable portfolio play, but I am reminded that for the nearly 4 years that I have held a permanent portfolio, I have been happy that my variable portfolio is under 5% of my investments. How are you doing?
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dualstow
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Re: How has your variable portfolio performed?

Post by dualstow » Thu Apr 18, 2013 11:36 am

I'm not sure. I haven't factored in all the buying and selling I've done over all these years to get an accurate picture of my performance. Just going by the research I've done since becoming a boglehead and then a pp'er (a "Browney"?) I don't think my stocks will perform better than the vp over the long term. I trim individual stocks in my vp when stocks go up across the board. Needless to say, I've been busy this month and last.

I do get nearly US$20K in dividends every year from my vp, so I hope the pp continues to do well. I don't think I'm going to regret the strategy change.
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blackomen
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Re: How has your variable portfolio performed?

Post by blackomen » Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:24 pm

Abysmal.

Then again, my entire VP is just 3 shares of Facebook bought on IPO day..
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sophie
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Re: How has your variable portfolio performed?

Post by sophie » Thu Apr 18, 2013 4:18 pm

Doghouse territory.  That's mainly because of the small slice of Apple stock.  The rest of it is handily beating the PP, but it's not fair to separate it like that.
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AdamA
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Re: How has your variable portfolio performed?

Post by AdamA » Thu Apr 18, 2013 6:06 pm

Down 15% YTD (since January).

Consists of Jan 2015 call options (initially at the money) for each

SPY, TLT and IAU.

It's the only VP I allow myself to have b/c it's the only thing I can think of that's mechanical enough to stick to (sell after a year and rebuy the 2016 options). 

It's fun to watch, but I'm not sure how profitable it will turn out to be.

I use a very small amount of money for this.
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