Kiplinger 25 Model Portfolios

Reach your investment goals with these plans using our favorite no-load mutual funds.

people on roller-coaster rides
(Image credit: Illustration by Giulia Neri)

We've constructed three portfolios using only funds from the Kiplinger 25, a list of our favorite no-load mutual funds, designed for investors with different goals, time horizons and levels of risk tolerance.

Use the models below as a starting point for your own portfolio. Tweak where necessary. Beef up your stocks if you want to be more aggressive, or increase the bond portion of your portfolio if you're risk-averse.

Aggressive Portfolio

Time horizon: 11 years or more

Subscribe to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance

Be a smarter, better informed investor.

Save up to 74%
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/xrd7fjmf8g1657008683.png

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.

Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.

Sign up

Strategy: Invest 85% of assets in stocks and add a stable, core bond fund for the remaining 15%.

Dodge & Cox Stock (DODGX (opens in new tab)): 25%

Primecap Odyssey Growth (POGRX (opens in new tab)): 20%

TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond (TSBRX (opens in new tab)): 15%

Parnassus Mid Cap (PARMX (opens in new tab)): 15%

Janus Henderson Global Equity Income (HFQTX (opens in new tab)): 10%

T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Value (PRSVX (opens in new tab)): 10%

T. Rowe Price QM U.S. Small-Cap Growth (PRDSX (opens in new tab)): 5%

Moderate Portfolio

Time horizon: Six to 10 years

Strategy: Hold 70% in stocks and 30% in bonds for a more temperate mix.

T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth (PRDGX (opens in new tab)): 20%

Metropolitan West Total Return (MWTRX (opens in new tab)): 15%

TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond (TSBRX (opens in new tab)): 15%

Fidelity International Growth (FIGFX (opens in new tab)): 15%

Dodge & Cox Stock (DODGX (opens in new tab)): 15%

T. Rowe Price Small-Cap Value (PRSVX (opens in new tab)): 10%

Janus Henderson Global Equity Income (HFQTX (opens in new tab)): 10%

Conservative Portfolio

Time horizon: Five years or less

Strategy: A steadier blend of 70% bonds and 30% stocks geared primarily for income.

TIAA-CREF Core Impact Bond (TSBRX (opens in new tab)): 25%

Fidelity Strategic Income (FADMX (opens in new tab)): 25%

T. Rowe Price Dividend Growth (PRDGX (opens in new tab)): 15%

Vanguard Equity-Income (VEIPX (opens in new tab)): 15%

T. Rowe Price Floating Rate (PRFRX (opens in new tab)): 5%

Vanguard Emerging Markets Bond (VEMBX (opens in new tab)): 5%

Vanguard High-Yield Corporate (VWEHX (opens in new tab)): 5%

TCW Enhanced Commodity Strategy (TGABX (opens in new tab)): 5%

Nellie S. Huang
Senior Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Nellie joined Kiplinger in August 2011 after a seven-year stint in Hong Kong. There, she worked for the Wall Street Journal Asia, where as lifestyle editor, she launched and edited Scene Asia, an online guide to food, wine, entertainment and the arts in Asia. Prior to that, she was an editor at Weekend Journal, the Friday lifestyle section of the Wall Street Journal Asia. Kiplinger isn't Nellie's first foray into personal finance: She has also worked at SmartMoney (rising from fact-checker to senior writer), and she was a senior editor at Money.