Vanguard LifeStrategy Income Fund Portfolio vs DFA Dimensional Retirement Income Fund Portfolio Portfolio Comparison

Simulation Settings
Period: January 1985 - April 2025 (~40 years)
Consolidated Returns as of 30 April 2025
Rebalancing: at every Jan 1st
Currency: USD
Inflation: US
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Results
30 Years
All (since January 1985)
Inflation Adjusted:
Vanguard LifeStrategy Income Fund Portfolio
1.00$
Initial Capital
May 1995
5.04$
Final Capital
April 2025
5.54%
Yearly Return
4.83%
Std Deviation
-16.61%
Max Drawdown
37months
Recovery Period
1.00$
Initial Capital
May 1995
2.40$
Final Capital
April 2025
2.95%
Yearly Return
4.83%
Std Deviation
-24.95%
Max Drawdown
52months*
Recovery Period
* in progress
1.00$
Initial Capital
January 1985
15.37$
Final Capital
April 2025
7.01%
Yearly Return
5.14%
Std Deviation
-16.61%
Max Drawdown
37months
Recovery Period
1.00$
Initial Capital
January 1985
5.07$
Final Capital
April 2025
4.11%
Yearly Return
5.14%
Std Deviation
-24.95%
Max Drawdown
52months*
Recovery Period
* in progress
DFA Dimensional Retirement Income Fund Portfolio
1.00$
Initial Capital
May 1995
5.07$
Final Capital
April 2025
5.56%
Yearly Return
4.72%
Std Deviation
-12.91%
Max Drawdown
16months
Recovery Period
1.00$
Initial Capital
May 1995
2.41$
Final Capital
April 2025
2.97%
Yearly Return
4.72%
Std Deviation
-18.19%
Max Drawdown
44months*
Recovery Period
* in progress
1.00$
Initial Capital
January 1985
15.11$
Final Capital
April 2025
6.96%
Yearly Return
5.11%
Std Deviation
-12.91%
Max Drawdown
16months
Recovery Period
1.00$
Initial Capital
January 1985
4.99$
Final Capital
April 2025
4.06%
Yearly Return
5.11%
Std Deviation
-18.19%
Max Drawdown
44months*
Recovery Period
* in progress

As of April 2025, in the previous 30 Years, the Vanguard LifeStrategy Income Fund Portfolio obtained a 5.54% compound annual return, with a 4.83% standard deviation. It suffered a maximum drawdown of -16.61% that required 37 months to be recovered.

As of April 2025, in the previous 30 Years, the DFA Dimensional Retirement Income Fund Portfolio obtained a 5.56% compound annual return, with a 4.72% standard deviation. It suffered a maximum drawdown of -12.91% that required 16 months to be recovered.

Disclaimer: The simulations on this website are provided in good faith but should NOT be taken as investment advice. We are not liable for any errors or actions based on this information. The authors of the website are not affiliated with the portfolio creators, who are the sole owners of their intellectual property. The translation of asset allocations into ETFs is based on the interpretation of LazyPortfolioETF.com and may not exactly reflect the original intent of the portfolio creators. Content is for informational, educational, illustrative, and entertainment purposes only.
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Asset Allocations and ETFs

The compared portfolios have the following asset allocations.

Vanguard LifeStrategy Income Fund Portfolio
Weight
(%)		 ETF
Ticker		 Name
12.00
VTI
Vanguard Total Stock Market
8.00
VEU
Vanguard FTSE All-World ex-US
56.00
BND
Vanguard Total Bond Market
24.00
BNDX
Vanguard Total International Bond
DFA Dimensional Retirement Income Fund Portfolio
Weight
(%)		 ETF
Ticker		 Name
6.40
DFEOX
DFA US Core Equity 1
6.40
DFUSX
DFA US Large Company I
3.80
DFALX
DFA Large Cap International I
1.90
DFCEX
DFA Emerging Markets Core Equity I
1.90
DFIEX
DFA International Core Equity I
47.60
DIPSX
DFA Inflation-Protected Securities I
32.00
DFIHX
DFA One-Year Fixed-Income I
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Portfolio Returns as of Apr 30, 2025

Returns are calculated in USD, assuming:
  • no fees or capital gain taxes.
  • rebalancing: at every Jan 1st.
  • dividend reinvestment, when applicable.
RETURN COMPARISON
Period: 1 January 1985 - 30 April 2025 (~40 years)
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Return (%) as of Apr 30, 2025
YTD
(4M) 		1M 6M 1Y 5Y 10Y 30Y MAX
(~40Y)
//www.lazyportfolioetf.com/wp-content/themes/dynamico-child/img/author/avatar_vanguard.webp LifeStrategy Income Fund
Vanguard 		2.23 0.78 2.32 8.65 2.27 3.23 5.54 7.01
//www.lazyportfolioetf.com/wp-content/themes/dynamico-child/img/author/avatar_dfa.webp Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
DFA 		2.52 0.17 2.42 7.85 4.52 3.78 5.56 6.96
Return over 1 year are annualized.
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Capital Growth as of Apr 30, 2025

Vanguard LifeStrategy Income Fund Portfolio: an investment of 1$, since May 1995, now would be worth 5.04$, with a total return of 404.46% (5.54% annualized).

DFA Dimensional Retirement Income Fund Portfolio: an investment of 1$, since May 1995, now would be worth 5.07$, with a total return of 406.84% (5.56% annualized).


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Vanguard LifeStrategy Income Fund Portfolio: an investment of 1$, since January 1985, now would be worth 15.37$, with a total return of 1436.79% (7.01% annualized).

DFA Dimensional Retirement Income Fund Portfolio: an investment of 1$, since January 1985, now would be worth 15.11$, with a total return of 1411.35% (6.96% annualized).


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Portfolio Metrics as of Apr 30, 2025

The following metrics, updated as of 30 April 2025, provide an overview of performance and risk, with the best value in each row highlighted within the table.

METRIC COMPARISON
Period: 1 May 2024 - 30 April 2025 (1 year)
Period: 1 May 2020 - 30 April 2025 (5 years)
Period: 1 May 2015 - 30 April 2025 (10 years)
Period: 1 May 1995 - 30 April 2025 (30 years)
Period: 1 January 1985 - 30 April 2025 (~40 years)
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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Author Vanguard DFA
ASSET ALLOCATION
Stocks 20% 20.4%
Fixed Income 80% 79.6%
Commodities 0% 0%
PERFORMANCES
Annualized Return (%) 8.65 7.85
Infl. Adjusted Return (%) 6.44 5.66
DRAWDOWN
Deepest Drawdown Depth (%) -2.00 -1.43
Start to Recovery (months) 5 5
Longest Drawdown Depth (%) -2.00 -1.43
Start to Recovery (months) 5 5
Longest Negative Period (months) 6 4
RISK INDICATORS
Standard Deviation (%) 4.79 3.59
Sharpe Ratio 0.80 0.85
Sortino Ratio 0.96 1.04
Ulcer Index 0.85 0.54
Ratio: Return / Standard Deviation 1.81 2.19
Ratio: Return / Deepest Drawdown 4.32 5.49
Metrics calculated over the period 1 May 2024 - 30 April 2025
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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Author Vanguard DFA
ASSET ALLOCATION
Stocks 20% 20.4%
Fixed Income 80% 79.6%
Commodities 0% 0%
PERFORMANCES
Annualized Return (%) 2.27 4.52
Infl. Adjusted Return (%) -2.17 -0.02
DRAWDOWN
Deepest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.16
Start to Recovery (months) 37 29
Longest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.16
Start to Recovery (months) 37 29
Longest Negative Period (months) 45 34
RISK INDICATORS
Standard Deviation (%) 7.14 5.81
Sharpe Ratio -0.04 0.34
Sortino Ratio -0.05 0.45
Ulcer Index 7.28 4.23
Ratio: Return / Standard Deviation 0.32 0.78
Ratio: Return / Deepest Drawdown 0.14 0.37
Metrics calculated over the period 1 May 2020 - 30 April 2025
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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Author Vanguard DFA
ASSET ALLOCATION
Stocks 20% 20.4%
Fixed Income 80% 79.6%
Commodities 0% 0%
PERFORMANCES
Annualized Return (%) 3.23 3.78
Infl. Adjusted Return (%) 0.15 0.68
DRAWDOWN
Deepest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.16
Start to Recovery (months) 37 29
Longest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.16
Start to Recovery (months) 37 29
Longest Negative Period (months) 52 34
RISK INDICATORS
Standard Deviation (%) 5.81 4.90
Sharpe Ratio 0.25 0.41
Sortino Ratio 0.34 0.55
Ulcer Index 5.23 3.16
Ratio: Return / Standard Deviation 0.56 0.77
Ratio: Return / Deepest Drawdown 0.19 0.31
Metrics calculated over the period 1 May 2015 - 30 April 2025
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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Author Vanguard DFA
ASSET ALLOCATION
Stocks 20% 20.4%
Fixed Income 80% 79.6%
Commodities 0% 0%
PERFORMANCES
Annualized Return (%) 5.54 5.56
Infl. Adjusted Return (%) 2.95 2.97
DRAWDOWN
Deepest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.91
Start to Recovery (months) 37 16
Longest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.16
Start to Recovery (months) 37 29
Longest Negative Period (months) 52 34
RISK INDICATORS
Standard Deviation (%) 4.83 4.72
Sharpe Ratio 0.68 0.69
Sortino Ratio 0.90 0.91
Ulcer Index 3.31 2.48
Ratio: Return / Standard Deviation 1.15 1.18
Ratio: Return / Deepest Drawdown 0.33 0.43
Metrics calculated over the period 1 May 1995 - 30 April 2025
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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Author Vanguard DFA
ASSET ALLOCATION
Stocks 20% 20.4%
Fixed Income 80% 79.6%
Commodities 0% 0%
PERFORMANCES
Annualized Return (%) 7.01 6.96
Infl. Adjusted Return (%) 4.11 4.06
DRAWDOWN
Deepest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.91
Start to Recovery (months) 37 16
Longest Drawdown Depth (%) -16.61 -12.16
Start to Recovery (months) 37 29
Longest Negative Period (months) 52 34
RISK INDICATORS
Standard Deviation (%) 5.14 5.11
Sharpe Ratio 0.75 0.74
Sortino Ratio 1.03 1.02
Ulcer Index 2.99 2.33
Ratio: Return / Standard Deviation 1.36 1.36
Ratio: Return / Deepest Drawdown 0.42 0.54
Metrics calculated over the period 1 January 1985 - 30 April 2025
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Drawdowns

A drawdown refers to the decline in value from a relative peak value to a relative trough. A maximum drawdown is the maximum observed loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio before a new peak is attained.

DRAWDOWN COMPARISON
Period: 1 May 1995 - 30 April 2025 (30 years)
Period: 1 January 1985 - 30 April 2025 (~40 years)

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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Drawdown
(%) 		Recovery
(#Months)		 From
To		 Drawdown
(%) 		Recovery
(#Months)		 From
To
-16.61 37 Sep 2021
Sep 2024
-12.91 16 Jun 2008
Sep 2009
-12.16 29 Jan 2022
May 2024
-10.54 15 May 2008
Jul 2009
-4.64 5 Feb 2020
Jun 2020
-4.47 4 Feb 2020
May 2020
-4.34 10 May 2013
Feb 2014
-3.41 14 May 2015
Jun 2016
-3.36 6 May 2013
Oct 2013
-3.15 7 Sep 2018
Mar 2019
-3.06 6 Apr 2004
Sep 2004
-2.88 4 Aug 2011
Nov 2011
-2.63 6 Dec 1996
May 1997
-2.58 7 Oct 2016
Apr 2017
-2.43 11 May 2015
Mar 2016

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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Drawdown
(%) 		Recovery
(#Months)		 From
To		 Drawdown
(%) 		Recovery
(#Months)		 From
To
-16.61 37 Sep 2021
Sep 2024
-12.91 16 Jun 2008
Sep 2009
-12.16 29 Jan 2022
May 2024
-10.54 15 May 2008
Jul 2009
-6.09 15 Feb 1994
Apr 1995
-5.45 15 Feb 1994
Apr 1995
-4.85 5 Sep 1987
Jan 1988
-4.64 5 Feb 2020
Jun 2020
-4.47 5 Sep 1987
Jan 1988
-4.47 4 Feb 2020
May 2020
-4.35 6 Jan 1990
Jun 1990
-4.34 10 May 2013
Feb 2014
-4.18 5 Aug 1990
Dec 1990
-3.95 4 Aug 1990
Nov 1990
-3.41 14 May 2015
Jun 2016

Rolling Returns

By selecting the 'Rolling Period', the chart and data will update. To study a different date range, change the Simulation Settings.

You can explore the Rolling Returns for a single portfolio, or check the return differential, by switching on "Head To Head" toggle.

Rolling Returns Comparison
Annualized Rolling Returns Chart
Rolling Returns Chart - Inflation Adjusted
Time Period: 1 January 1985 - 30 April 2025 (~40 years)


Head To Head (Ptf 1 vs Ptf 2):
US Inflation Adjusted:

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Yearly Returns

For each year, the following table provides the return and intra-year drawdown. The highlighted returns represent the highest values for that specific year.

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LifeStrategy Income Fund Dimensional Retirement Income Fund
Year Return
(%)		 Drawdown
(%)		 Return
(%)		 Drawdown
(%)
2025
 2.23 -0.93 2.52 -0.15
2024
 4.93 -2.43 6.04 -1.43
2023
 9.53 -5.05 7.92 -3.32
2022
 -14.00 -16.30 -9.39 -12.16
2021
 2.15 -1.71 7.04 -1.33
2020
 8.85 -4.47 8.69 -4.64
2019
 12.26 -0.05 10.30 -0.66
2018
 -1.15 -2.37 -1.96 -3.15
2017
 7.31 0.00 6.78 -0.31
2016
 4.45 -2.58 4.66 -1.35
2015
 0.26 -2.43 -0.87 -3.41
2014
 6.50 -0.99 2.89 -1.95
2013
 3.78 -3.36 1.29 -4.34
2012
 7.54 -1.14 7.36 -1.03
2011
 5.49 -1.55 6.06 -2.88
2010
 8.55 -1.00 6.92 -1.91
2009
 12.18 -5.19 12.97 -4.37
2008
 -4.64 -10.54 -7.45 -12.44
2007
 6.96 -0.49 9.18 -0.27
2006
 7.11 -0.79 5.72 -0.65
2005
 4.54 -1.40 4.07 -1.13
2004
 7.04 -2.22 7.31 -3.06
2003
 10.09 -1.74 11.38 -1.65
2002
 3.19 -1.88 5.44 -0.88
2001
 4.39 -1.61 2.76 -1.59
2000
 6.07 -1.88 7.94 -1.66
1999
 4.89 -1.98 4.99 -1.82
1998
 12.95 -1.57 10.20 -2.01
1997
 7.78 -1.74 11.97 -2.13
1996
 6.01 -0.91 5.90 -1.57
1995
 19.89 0.00 18.82 0.00
1994
 -2.48 -5.45 -2.17 -6.09
1993
 13.03 -1.55 13.67 -1.44
1992
 6.76 -2.36 5.89 -2.39
1991
 18.32 -1.28 18.32 -1.25
1990
 3.86 -4.35 4.76 -3.95
1989
 14.71 -1.34 16.98 -0.62
1988
 10.36 -1.32 9.77 -1.84
1987
 4.45 -4.47 3.26 -4.85
1986
 19.21 -2.56 17.53 -2.86
1985
 26.25 -1.52 23.48 -1.24
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