U.S. stocks and bonds are the most familiar asset classes to most investors, but there are many other types of investments worthy of your consideration. All our Adaptive Portfolios choose from a broad basket of 9 different Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), representing all major asset classes such as U.S., European and Emerging Markets stocks, medium and long term bonds, domestic and international real estate, commodities, and precious metals (gold):

Asset Class Ticker ETF Description
U.S. Stocks SPY SPDR S&P 500 Index Fund
Medium-Term U.S. Bonds IEF iShares Barclays 7-10 Year Treasury Bond
Long-Term U.S. Bonds TLT iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond
European Stocks IEV iShares S&P Europe 350 Index
Emerging Markets Stocks EEM iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Index
U.S. Real Estate (REITs) ICF iShares Cohen & Steers Realty Majors
International Real Estate RWX SPDR Dow Jones International Real Estate
Commodities DBC PowerShares DB Commodity Index Tracking Fund
Gold GLD SPDR Gold Shares

Every asset class performs well during some times, and not so well (or downright terribly) during others. If you "cast a wide net" (include as many asset classes as possible), and use an effective tactical asset allocation strategy (to adjust the portfolio composition regularly), you improve your odds of being invested in the right asset classes at the right time.