Safe Real Yield
US core
Holds SHORT-TERM inflation-protected US Treasuries (VTIP) — the 'real risk-free rate' (~2.3% real, plus CPI) at low duration, so it defends purchasing power while staying much calmer than broad TIPS. Still not perfectly flat — even short TIPS dipped when real rates jumped in 2022. FX for non-USD holders; the PLN equivalent is inflation-linked COI/EDO bonds.
This strategy's universe (1) →
Worst stretch in the backtest: -5.5% — a simulated $1,000 would have dipped to ~$945 before recovering.
Backtest window: 2020-06-30 → 2026-06-30 · as of 2026-06-30 (updated quarterly)
This window does not include the COVID crash (Feb–Mar 2020) and the 2008 financial crisis.
Full methodology & limitations
Track records are simulated backtests, not live results. Methodology and current limitations: (1) Universe membership is real point-in-time index constituents - Nasdaq-100 (US) and WIG20 (PL), with dated add/drop history - so backtests see each index as it actually was, with no survivorship from later additions. Prices are adjusted close (total-return). When the backtest runs on the licensed, delisted-capable feed (EODHD), index members that later delisted or renamed are still priced and INCLUDED, closing the survivorship gap on the price side; when it runs on the keyless fallback feed, some delisted names are unpriced and dropped, which can flatter drawdowns. Two smaller residuals remain: the EU sleeve plus WIG20's most recent quarters are not yet point-in-time membership, and a few long-delisted tickers may still be unresolved. (2) Costs are charged per market on each rebalance's turnover - 5 bps for US names, 10 bps for EU, 20 bps for Warsaw (GPW) - the conservative end of typical half-spread-plus-fees for liquid names; market impact and FX conversion are not modelled (negligible at retail size, understated for large money). (3) Prices are total-return (dividends reinvested) where the data feed supports it. (4) Sharpe and Sortino use a flat 3%/yr cash (risk-free) rate, approximately the average US T-bill yield over the backtest window; actual cash rates varied 0-5% within it and Polish rates were mostly higher, so ratios are approximate. (5) Cross-market calendar gaps are bridged by carrying the last known price forward, which can modestly understate day-to-day volatility. (6) Rebalances are simulated at the same closing price the signal is computed from (close-to-close execution); a live follower trades at the next session's prices, so simulated results may differ from what next-bar execution would have produced. Past simulated performance does not predict future results.
Hover any metric above — I'll explain what it means.
How you'd carry it out in your broker
Every model portfolio update publishes as a plain list of tickers and weights — the exact same file for every subscriber. Here's the general shape of loading that into four popular brokers; the actual tickers and weights only appear once you unlock this strategy.
This strategy has averaged 0.0 changes in the model portfolio per month, over its last publications.
XTB, Trading 212, IBKR, Revolut
XTB
- Each published ticker is searchable in the XTB app/web platform.
- XTB has no basket/pie import — each ticker's published weight is its share of the model portfolio; whether and how much to trade is your own decision.
Trading 212
- Portfolio → Pies → Create Pie.
- Each published ticker goes in with its published weight % — the Pie then tracks that allocation for you.
Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
- Once unlocked, the model portfolio downloads as a CSV.
- Classic TWS: File → Import Watchlist reads that file — each ticker's published weight is its share of the model portfolio.
Revolut
- Each published ticker is searchable in the Invest tab.
- Revolut has no basket import — each ticker's published weight is its share of the model portfolio; whether and how much to trade is your own decision.
General information about loading a published, identical-for-everyone list into a broker — not a personal recommendation. Whether and how much to trade is your own decision, in your own account; we never trade on your behalf.
Track record
Chart data (year by year)
| Year | Simulated return |
|---|---|
| 2020 (from Jun) | +2.9% |
| 2021 | +5.5% |
| 2022 | -2.8% |
| 2023 | +4.9% |
| 2024 | +4.7% |
| 2025 | +6.2% |
| 2026 | +1.7% (to 2026-06-30) |
Dashed line = Safe Yield (the risk-free rate) — the cash reference point.
Simulated backtest — methodology & limitations above, next to the stats.
This month's model portfolio
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How it works — in plain words
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How to buy this — in your currency
Public information on how anyone buys these instruments — estimates you review, not advice. You buy in your own account; rates are mid-2026 and move.
🇵🇱 PLN — COI (4y) / EDO (10y) inflation-linked retail bonds
- Register at obligacjeskarbowe.pl (or activate it inside iPKO / Pekao online) — free.
- The two candidates are COI 4-year (~4.75% year 1, then CPI + 1.5%) and EDO 10-year (~5.35%, then CPI + 2.0%), 100 zł each.
- The rate re-indexes to Polish CPI every year — your real value is protected, in złoty.
Cost: Zero fees; 19% Belka auto-withheld (EDO defers it to redemption). Minimum 1 bond = 100 zł.
The złoty inflation hedge — no FX risk, and the closest Polish equivalent of US TIPS.
🇪🇺 EUR — iShares € Inflation Linked Govt Bond UCITS (IBCI)
- In your broker, search the iShares € Inflation Linked Govt Bond UCITS ETF (IBCI, ISIN IE00B0M62V02) on Xetra.
- It holds euro-area inflation-linked government bonds (France, Germany, Italy).
Cost: ~0.09%/yr TER; broker commission (often €0 at XTB). Distributions taxed 19% Belka for a PL holder.
Euro inflation protection — it carries duration like every linker, so it is not flat.
🇺🇸 USD — VTIP / SCHP / TIP (short → broad TIPS ETFs) or TreasuryDirect
- In a US broker, search VTIP (short — what this strategy holds), SCHP, or TIP (broader, bigger price swings).
- Or buy individual TIPS straight from TreasuryDirect.gov ($0 fee; 5/10/30-year auctions).
Cost: TER ~0.03-0.20%; $0 commission at major US brokers / TreasuryDirect. Real yield ~2.3% + CPI.
This strategy holds VTIP (short) — it swings far less than broad TIP; a non-USD holder still takes FX risk.
Full landscape (bonds by country, broker cash rates, exotics) — docs/research/SAFE_YIELD.md.
Live since 2026-07-13 through 2026-08-31: 0.1% (1 mo) — the result of the published portfolios, entering at the next session's close. This is not a backtest.
Update history
| As of | What changed |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-03 | Model update: no material change this month |
| 2026-08-03 | Model update: no material change this month |
| 2026-07-21 | Initial model portfolio published (1 position(s)) |
Grounded in published research
The peer-reviewed findings this strategy is built on:
- Campbell, J. & Shiller, R. (1996). A Scorecard for Indexed Government Debt. NBER Macroeconomics Annual, 11. (the case for inflation-indexed bonds as the real risk-free asset)
- Roll, R. (2004). Empirical TIPS. Financial Analysts Journal, 60(1). (TIPS behaviour: real-rate duration alongside inflation protection)
- Fleckenstein, M., Longstaff, F. & Lustig, H. (2014). The TIPS-Treasury Bond Puzzle. Journal of Finance, 69(5). (the caveat: TIPS can be mispriced versus nominal Treasuries in stress)
A documented, peer-reviewed effect — cited so you can read the source yourself, not take our word for it. Implementation and results are ours (see methodology); the underlying finding is the literature's.
Understand this strategy
Plain-language explainers behind the mechanics above.
This strategy's rules and every model-portfolio update are written and run by Antoni Zieliński, HedgeYourOwn's founder — not a committee, not a black box. He is not an investment adviser.