HOLDINGS

QQQ (Invesco QQQ Trust)

Including QQQ in a balanced ETF model portfolio provides targeted growth exposure, sector diversification within equities, liquidity, and a historically strong performance profile.

• Technology and Growth Focus: QQQ tracks the Nasdaq-100, which is heavily weighted toward technology and growth-oriented companies.
• High Growth Potential: Includes many innovative, high-growth firms that can deliver outsized returns but with higher volatility.
• Aggressive Growth Tilt: Adds a growth-oriented, sector-concentrated element to the portfolio, boosting upside potential.

FACTSHEET

PROSPECTUS

TIP (iShares TIPS Bond ETF)

Including TIP in a balanced ETF model portfolio enhances inflation protection, diversifies fixed income exposure, reduces interest rate and inflation risk, and helps preserve real purchasing power. This makes TIP an effective tool to improve the portfolio’s risk-adjusted returns and maintain stability in varying economic environments.

• • • Inflation Protection: TIP invests in Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), which adjust principal based on inflation, helping preserve purchasing power.
    • Capital Preservation: Provides a relatively safe fixed income component backed by the U.S. government.
    • Diversification within Fixed Income: Adds a unique inflation-hedged segment to the bond allocation, reducing inflation risk.
    • Moderate Volatility: TIPS generally have lower volatility than equities, fitting a balanced portfolio.

PROSPECTUS

 VEA (iShares MSCI EAFE ETF)

Including VEA in a balanced ETF model portfolio provides broad, cost-effective exposure to developed international equity markets, enhancing geographic diversification, reducing home-country bias, and complementing domestic equities.

• Diversification Beyond U.S. Markets: Even in a conservative portfolio, some international exposure can reduce concentration risk tied to the U.S. economy and currency. VEA provides access to developed international markets, helping diversify geopolitical and economic risk.
• Moderate Growth Potential: While conservative portfolios prioritize stability, a small allocation to VEA can provide incremental growth opportunities from established foreign markets without excessive volatility.
• Currency Exposure: VEA introduces currency diversification, which may help hedge against U.S. dollar depreciation, supporting portfolio resilience.

FACTSHEET

VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF)

Including VOO in a balanced ETF model portfolio offers broad, diversified, low-cost exposure to the U.S. large-cap equity market. It serves as a foundational growth component, helping to drive long-term returns while maintaining liquidity and cost efficiency, making it a core holding for balanced investment strategies.

• Core Equity Exposure: VOO offers broad exposure to large-cap U.S. companies, which tend to be more stable and financially strong compared to smaller stocks. This makes it a relatively lower-risk equity option within the stock portion of a conservative portfolio.
• Inflation Hedge and Growth: Even conservative portfolios need some growth to outpace inflation over time. VOO’s exposure to the largest U.S. companies provides potential for steady capital appreciation and dividend income.
• Liquidity and Cost Efficiency: VOO’s liquidity and low expense ratio make it a practical choice for the equity sleeve of a conservative portfolio, minimizing costs and allowing easy rebalancing.

FACTSHEET

IGIB (iShares Intermediate-Term Corporate Bond ETF)

• Investment Grade Corporate Bonds: IGIB focuses on intermediate-term, investment-grade corporate bonds, offering higher yields than government bonds with moderate credit risk.
• Income Generation: Provides steady income with moderate credit risk and duration risk.
• Balance of Risk and Return: Intermediate duration balances interest rate sensitivity and yield, suitable for a balanced risk profile.
• Credit Quality Diversification: Complements government bond exposure with corporate credit exposure.

FACTSHEET

PROSPECTUS

IAU (iShares Gold Trust)

Including IAU in a balanced ETF model portfolio enhances diversification, provides inflation protection, offers a safe-haven asset during market stress, and adds a low-cost, liquid way to gain exposure to gold.

• Inflation Hedge: Gold is traditionally seen as a store of value and a hedge against inflation and currency devaluation.
• Diversification: Gold has low correlation with stocks and bonds, providing portfolio diversification and reducing overall risk.
• Safe Haven Asset: In times of market stress or geopolitical uncertainty, gold can help preserve wealth.
• Conservative Risk Role: While gold can be volatile, a small allocation in a conservative portfolio can enhance risk-adjusted returns by mitigating downside risks.

FACTSHEET

PROSPECTUS

BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF)

Including BND in a balanced ETF model portfolio offers broad, diversified, and cost-effective exposure to the U.S. investment-grade bond market. It provides income, reduces portfolio volatility, and enhances capital preservation, making it a foundational fixed income holding that balances the equity portion of the portfolio.

• Portfolio Rebalancing Anchor: BND serves as a stable anchor that facilitates systematic rebalancing. When equities outperform, selling some equity exposure to buy more BND helps maintain the moderate growth allocation and enforces disciplined portfolio management.

• Diversification: BND provides broad exposure to the U.S. investment-grade bond market, including government, corporate, and securitized bonds. This diversification reduces overall portfolio volatility by balancing equity risk with fixed income stability.

• Capital Preservation: While equities focus on growth, bonds emphasize capital preservation. BND helps protect the portfolio’s principal value, aligning with the moderate risk tolerance of investors seeking growth but with some downside protection.
• Risk Mitigation: Bonds generally have lower volatility and tend to perform differently than equities, especially during equity market downturns. Including BND helps cushion portfolio losses during periods of stock market stress, preserving capital.

FACTSHEET

PROSPECTUS

BNDX (Vanguard Total International Bond ETF)

BNDX offers broad exposure to investment-grade bonds outside the U.S., hedged to USD to reduce currency risk. Including BNDX provides geographic diversification and reduces reliance on U.S. interest rate movements, enhancing portfolio stability and income diversification in a conservative allocation.

• International Bond Diversification: BNDX offers exposure to investment-grade bonds outside the U.S., including developed markets.
• Currency Hedged: Reduces currency risk by hedging back to the U.S. dollar, lowering volatility.
• Geographic Risk Diversification: Helps mitigate domestic interest rate and credit risk concentration.
• Income and Stability: Adds a reliable income stream and diversification benefits to the fixed income portion.

FACTSHEET

PROSPECTUS