JQUA

NewChampion8234

this is actually a pretty thoughtful setup — way more intentional than most “rate my portfolio” posts,but it also feels like you might be a bit *too deep in the strategy layer* for what you said you want (low volatility + emergency flexibility). You’re not just buying ETFs…You’re trying to *engineer behavior* (momentum + quality + protection). Nothing wrong with that — but it changes the game. A couple things that stand out right away **1. this is more aggressive than it looks** on paper it sounds like: “momentum + quality + gold for protection”, but in reality: * VFMO + IDMO = still pretty equity heavy, and momentum can swing * JQUA helps, but it’s still stocks * GLDM at 10% helps, but won’t fully stabilize things so even though the *intent* is “lower volatility”… the structure is still **equity-driven with a slight cushion** **2. you’re stacking factors, not diversifying behavior** you’ve basically got: * momentum (VFMO, IDMO) * quality (JQUA) these are different *styles* of equities — but they still move together in big drawdowns. so it’s not: “different types of protection” but more like: “different ways of picking stocks” **3. the backtest is doing a lot of heavy lifting mentally** this part is subtle but important. when you say: “here’s the backtest” - that usually means: “I’m trying to validate this works”. But the hidden tradeoff is: * backtests make things *feel controlled* * real behavior (panic, withdrawals, timing) is where this breaks if you zoom out, your portfolio already has 3 layers: * a **core idea** (factor-based equities) * a **stability attempt** (JQUA + GLDM) * a **tuning instinct** (SPMO / QMON experimentation) that’s actually a solid foundation — it’s just a question of alignment **so the real decision isn’t “is this good?”** it’s: > because those pull in different directions what people usually end up doing from here: * either **lean fully into factor strategy** (accept volatility, commit long-term) * or **simplify the base and keep factors as a smaller tilt** * or **separate “money I might need” from “strategy money” entirely** if it were me thinking through your exact situation: the biggest tension is this: > those two don’t naturally fit together not saying change anything — just pointing out the pressure point because once that’s clear, the rest of the decisions get a lot easier curious — is this account meant to be: * something you might actually tap into * or more of a long-term “let it run” experiment that answer kind of determines whether this setup feels right or overbuilt

teckel

I really like JQUA for this reason. It's maximum holding is about 2.5%, instead of 8%.

MrMoogie

I think Value stocks, international stocks and a diversified basket of bonds like BND or BINC will work as well as anything. You could also hold quality/dividend appreciating names like QUAL, VIG and JQUA. I’m moving towards this allocation. If we dip much further I’ll start buying more of all these things. Gold, tech, BTC, S&P500 all feel like they are all in a bubble.

MysteriousCoat1692

There are fairly valued etfs right now. For example, I am balanced across a handful of funds... some at a higher pe and some very fair. SPGP (fair value), IVV (largest position from 2022 and of questionable value), SCHD (fair value), XMHQ (undervalued), VO (slightly overvalued now imo), JQUA (Despite higher value, I like quality). I hope that helps. You might consider holding a larger, long treasury position like EDV if you are concerned about recession. And entering back in on more fairly valued etfs. Mid caps look good if economy stays doing well. I have a large position in mid caps, and 20% long-dated treasuries (EDV, VGLT, LTPZ). You're not wrong in feeling caution, which is why you need a plan you can stick to and to focus on the long-term.

MysteriousCoat1692

It very much depends on what they are. If they are quality companies temporarily having a downturn, it could be more of a loss to sell than having waited until they are less down or break even to move to an index fund. I'd consult in a value sub or look at them individually online. They could recover or stay depressed for a long time. You could sell them, place them in an index fund, and then that could go down in a correction. It's all about hedging risks and knowing what the possibilities are. If the stocks are indeed just poor choices, I wouldn't wait for them to recover, and I would just take the loss and reinvest in an index fund for the long. I like AVUS, VTV, JQUA right now if wanting to mitigate risks in the S&P 500 surrounding AI speculation. JQUA would be higher risk/high reward long term theoretically. Nobody knows what will happen this year with a soft landing or not, but if we come out of the high interest rates with minimal pain, relatively, any quality companies should see recovery.

JLARGE53

Just doesn’t meet your low P/E standard but it’s good - it’s just based on the quality factor which basically measures for strong financials but doesn’t take into account their valuations. The value factor is based solely on valuations or price compared to some valuation metric like P/E so doesn’t necessarily take into financial health on its own. QUAL is good but JQUA has slightly lower expenses and has had a better risk/return trade off

royalshah10

JQUA is also another one