Portfolio Construction Case Study

Hello fellow monkeys,

I was just introduced to a case study via the finance association at my school and we are to construct a portfolio for a married couple with these objectives and credentials.

-Husband and Wife both age 30 (don't want kids) -Each make 125,000 a year -Want 150,000 annually starting at age 60 (expected to live to 95) -After-tax return is 7% and inflation is 2.5% -They currently have 1,000,000 portfolio (and an adequate cash reserve) -Aggressive Investment philosophy (sounds like up to 10% drop in portfolio before they start feeling uncomfortable)

I am an underclassmen and this is my first time creating a portfolio. Here is what I am thinking so far:

60-65% Equities - mix between domestic-international, large-small cap diversified through each sector

15-20% Alternative - is there enough money here to get into PE, HF, IPO's? -emerging markets (China, Brazil, South Korea) -commodities (mining, energy, agricultural, oil)

10-15% Fixed Income - mix between high-low yield, short-long bonds (mostly short since rates are so low)

5-10% Cash and Cash Equivalents - ETF's (housing)

Please let me know what you think, and/or if you have other suggestions. Appreciate the input

8 Comments
 

Grow up. You haven't put any work in, so there's nothing to comment on. The judges will care about the PROCESS you went through, not the OUTCOME. The final allocation is meaningless.

If you want advice, the Level II CFA books have a step by step breakdown of everything you need to do to construct a portfolio. I would suggest you take a look there and get to work.

 

A decently sized investment advisory firm presented it to our finance association this week. And honestly not many, they don't plan on having kids so they will both be working till 60. Peace of mind regarding their investments is stressed, as well as the fact that the couple is unwilling to wait several years to recover from losses suffered during a recession.

They also hinted at taxes being a big part of this case. With the interest rates as low as they are, the key is investing in vehicles that pre-tax, as opposed to paying when they take it out 30 years from now right?

 

If they are only in the 28% tax bracket, I don't think that taxes are the primary concern. Like anybody else, they should keep any taxable bonds/bond funds in the deferred accounts and keep the tax-exempt bonds and equity ETFs outside, then split the remainder of the accounts among individual stocks and active equity funds based on their allocation.

Anyway, if they were asking me for advice, I would just tell them to call up Vanguard until they start making some serious coin as a FA will most likely subtract value.

 

At sed dolorem cumque nostrum magni doloremque. Recusandae qui sapiente dolor aliquid autem ut expedita. Et voluptas dolore inventore maxime asperiores qui est. Aliquam beatae nostrum provident enim inventore.

Autem nostrum rerum nisi mollitia quod. Recusandae sit beatae porro explicabo rerum dolorem tempora. Doloribus sint natus earum temporibus asperiores distinctio. Corporis rerum adipisci voluptates iusto. Illo possimus molestiae natus et. Excepturi minima est qui enim est.

Qui qui impedit dolorum incidunt. Mollitia voluptas nemo sint alias nemo corporis quia. Rem asperiores esse earum culpa ad.

Minima facere explicabo vel qui possimus. Aliquam necessitatibus et at quia atque eveniet doloremque vel. Voluptate excepturi et voluptatum voluptatem. Et laboriosam et nihil fuga autem doloribus. Placeat a nihil aperiam praesentium. Ipsa enim quia ducimus porro amet.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”