Portfolio backtesting and research
See how a portfolio would really have done
How it grew, how far it fell in each crash, and how long it took to recover, on real prices for US, Canadian and UK stocks and ETFs. No money or account needed to start.
Free: 10 runs / 30 days, no account No brokerage login Educational, not advice
60/40 ClassicS&P 500
Real historical results from the backtest engine (annual rebalancing, dividends reinvested), precomputed 2026-10-31. Shaded bands = 2008 · 2020 · 2022 crashes. Hypothetical, educational, not a recommendation.
What do you want to find out?
Pick a question. Each one opens the tool or page that answers it, with no account needed.
- How would my portfolio have done?Growth, worst drop and recovery on real prices.
- Would it survive a crash?Replay 2008, 2020 and 2022 on your mix.
- Is it really diversified?See which holdings rise and fall together.
- What are my fees costing me?Your funds' fees in money a year, and over 20 years.
- Will my money last in retirement?Test a withdrawal rate against bad markets.
- Am I saving enough?Check a monthly amount against a target.
- Which of two funds held up better?Side by side: returns, worst drops, recovery.
- I advise clientsBranded reports and client workspaces.
Or start from a model portfolio
Load a ready-made portfolio into the backtester in one click, then change anything and re-run.
Classic Balanced
BalancedThe textbook 60% stocks / 40% bonds split. Stocks drive long-term growth while bonds cushion the downturns and reduce swings. A sensible all-purpose middle ground: less growth than all-stock, but noticeably smoother.
Global Three-Fund
GrowthTotal US stocks + total international stocks + total bonds. Like Classic Balanced, but it diversifies the stock sleeve worldwide so you're not betting on a single country, at the cost of tracking the US market less closely.
All-Season Diversified
Moderately ConservativeSpreads risk across stocks, long- and intermediate-term bonds, gold, and commodities so something tends to hold up in any environment. Designed for low drawdowns and a steady ride; usually trails an all-stock portfolio over long bull markets.
Built to be understood, and to be checked
Every assumption visible
Rebalancing, dividends, fees, date windows: echoed on every result and changeable in one click.
Methods you can check
Formulas, data conventions, and known limitations are documented per tool, not hidden in a black box.
Honest by design
Findings are descriptive, never “buy this.” No return promises; costs and biases are flagged where they matter.
Educational only, not financial advice. Backtests are hypothetical. Disclaimer · Privacy · Terms
New to investing? Start with these
- How to Start InvestingA step-by-step order of operations for a first-time investor: what to do before investing, choosing an account, picking a simple index mix, automating it, and testing it against real history before you commit.
- Index Funds vs ETFsIndex funds and ETFs can track the same index; the difference is how they trade, automate, and get taxed. A plain-English comparison, plus how to backtest the actual fund free.
- How Much Cash Should You Hold in a Portfolio?Cash calms a portfolio and covers emergencies, and quietly costs growth every year it sits there. How to size an emergency fund, what cash drag really costs over decades, and how to backtest your own cash allocation. Free.
- Bear MarketsWhat history says about bear markets: typical depth and length, how long recoveries took, why diversified portfolios recover differently than single stocks, and how to rehearse the next one on your own mix.
17 of 19 tools are free to run. A free account saves your work and adds a monthly check-in; paid plans add drift alerts, clean reports and client tools.
See pricingFrequently asked questions
What is portfolio backtesting?
Backtesting applies a portfolio's allocation to historical market data to estimate how it would have performed: its returns, volatility, drawdowns, and risk-adjusted metrics. Results are hypothetical and not a prediction of future performance.
Is Informed Portfolio free?
Mostly. 17 of the 19 analysis tools (from backtesting, Monte Carlo, and the efficient frontier to factor analysis, stress testing, retirement planning, and stock fundamentals) are free to run with no account, plus CSV export. Parameter Sensitivity and Contribution Coach are paid research tools. AI Insights are free with a free account (5/month), which also saves 1 portfolio and 3 analyses (30-day history); paid plans raise those limits and add clean PDF reports, clean share links, portfolio monitoring, and higher AI Insights limits.
Where does the market data come from?
Stock and ETF prices and dividends come from Twelve Data; Treasury yields and inflation (CPI) come from FRED, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Returns use split-adjusted prices, and total-return calculations reinvest dividends on their ex-dates.
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to run the 17 free analysis tools or export their CSVs. Try any tool free: no account needed, 10 runs every 30 days. Unlimited runs with a free account. A free account adds AI Insights (5/month) and saves 1 portfolio and 3 analyses (30-day history). Parameter Sensitivity and Contribution Coach, higher limits, clean PDF exports, portfolio monitoring with alerts, and clean share links come with paid plans.
Is this financial advice?
No. Informed Portfolio is for educational and research purposes only. It does not provide financial, investment, tax, or legal advice, and past performance does not guarantee future results.