7Twelve

A proven way to put together a portfolio that enhances performance and reduces risk

Professor Craig Israelsen of Brigham Young University is an important voice in the area of asset allocation. The reason? He keeps things simple. Now, in 7Twelve, he shows you how to do the same, and demonstrates how his approach to investing can help you grow your money as well as protect it.

7Twelve outlines a multi-asset balanced portfolio that is a logical starting point when assembling a portfolio-either as the blueprint for the entire portfolio or as a significant building block. Page by page, he will show you how to create a balanced portfolio utilizing multiple asset classes to enhance performance and reduce risk.

• Discusses how the 7Twelve portfolio includes seven core asset classes and utilizes twelve specific mutual funds or exchange traded funds
• Details the tax efficiency of this specific investment approach
• Shows you how to use the 7Twelve portfolio as a pre-retirement accumulation portfolio or a post-retirement distribution portfolio

If you want to build a well-balanced, multi-asset portfolio, 7Twelve is the book for you.

“"Craig Israelsen has an interesting idea: Let's leave 1950 behind. The associate professor at Brigham Young University_Young_University> in Utah> thinks it's time to include the world outside the United States, among other things, in our investments rather than just talk about it . . . . This is accomplished with what Israelsen dubs the '7Twelve Balanced Fund.' Rather than just domestic stocks and bonds, the new benchmark has seven asset classes. Those asset classes, in turn, are subdivided into a dozen subsets, all held in equal amounts. The payoff is huge. Over the last 10 years, his better balanced index provided a return of 7.52 percent annualized. The Vanguard Balanced Index fund did better than nearly 60 percent of its managed competitors but returned only 2.64 percent over the same period. That 7.52 percent return would have ranked Israelsen's passive index in the top 2 percent of all moderate allocation funds. Indeed, it would have ranked in the top 30 percent of all world allocation funds - funds that do invest in a broader menu of assets . . . . This is no guarantee of investment nirvana, but it's a good start for a new millennium."--Scott Burns, Syndicated Columnist, Dallas Morning News (March 27, 2010)”

“Craig Israelsen has an interesting idea: Let's leave 1950 behind. The associate professor at Brigham Young University<_Young_University> in Utah<> thinks it's time to include the world outside the United States, among other things, in our investments rather than just talk about it . . . . This is accomplished with what Israelsen dubs the ‘7Twelve Balanced Fund.’ Rather than just domestic stocks and bonds, the new benchmark has seven asset classes. Those asset classes, in turn, are subdivided into a dozen subsets, all held in equal amounts. The payoff is huge. Over the last 10 years, his better balanced index provided a return of 7.52 percent annualized. The Vanguard Balanced Index fund did better than nearly 60 percent of its managed competitors but returned only 2.64 percent over the same period. That 7.52 percent return would have ranked Israelsen's passive index in the top 2 percent of all moderate allocation funds. Indeed, it would have ranked in the top 30 percent of all world allocation funds - funds that do invest in a broader menu of assets . . . . This is no guarantee of investment nirvana, but it's a good start for a new millennium.”—Scott Burns, Syndicated Columnist, Dallas Morning News (March 27, 2010)

CRAIG L. ISRAELSEN, PhD, is an Associate Professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah, where he teaches personal and family finance to over 1,200 students each year. He holds a PhD in family resource management from BYU and received a BS in agribusiness and an MS in agricultural economics from Utah State University. Prior to teaching at BYU, Israelsen was on the faculty of the University of Missouri–Columbia for fourteen years where he taught personal and family finance in the Department of Personal Financial Planning.

A powerful, easy-to-use new asset allocation strategy 7Twelve provides a time-tested recipe for building a diversified, multi-asset investment portfolio with twelve low-cost mutual funds. Author Craig Israelsen keeps it simple with easy-to-understand explanations and illustrative graphs throughout the text as he shows you how to create a balanced portfolio utilizing multiple asset classes to enhance performance and reduce risk. His approach has generated stellar returns over the last ten years--and you can have similar success using major mutual fund companies and ETFs. In straightforward, clear language, Israelsen tells you how to build your 7Twelve portfolio with 7 core asset classes and twelve specific mutual funds or exchange traded funds. He also shows you how to use the 7Twelve portfolio as either a pre-retirement accumulation portfolio or a post-retirement distribution portfolio. If you want to build a balanced, multi-asset portfolio that can help you grow your money as well as protect it, 7Twelve is the recipe you need. Praise for 7Twelve "People who panic during an economic crisis don't have a sound investment plan. Craig Israelsen provides a sensible plan that really works!" -- Richard Ferri , CFA, founder, Portfolio Solutions, LLC, and author of The ETF Book: All You Need to Know About Exchange-Traded Funds "When Craig Israelsen speaks, I always pay attention. Here, he tackles--and answers--the pre-retiree's and retiree's most important question: How do I make my money last for life?" -- Jane Bryant Quinn , author of Making the Most of Your Money NOW "You can never be sure how the markets will perform. But you can manage risk. Don't know where to start? Let Craig Israelsen be your guide." -- Jonathan Clements , author of The Little Book of Main Street Money

A powerful, easy-to-use new asset allocation strategy 7Twelve provides a time-tested recipe for building a diversified, multi-asset investment portfolio with twelve low-cost mutual funds. Author Craig Israelsen keeps it simple with easy-to-understand explanations and illustrative graphs throughout the text as he shows you how to create a balanced portfolio utilizing multiple asset classes to enhance performance and reduce risk. His approach has generated stellar returns over the last ten years--and you can have similar success using major mutual fund companies and ETFs. In straightforward, clear language, Israelsen tells you how to build your 7Twelve portfolio with 7 core asset classes and twelve specific mutual funds or exchange traded funds. He also shows you how to use the 7Twelve portfolio as either a pre-retirement accumulation portfolio or a post-retirement distribution portfolio. If you want to build a balanced, multi-asset portfolio that can help you grow your money as well as protect it, 7Twelve is the recipe you need. Praise for 7Twelve "People who panic during an economic crisis dont have a sound investment plan. Craig Israelsen provides a sensible plan that really works!" -- Richard Ferri , CFA, founder, Portfolio Solutions, LLC, and author of The ETF Book: All You Need to Know About Exchange-Traded Funds "When Craig Israelsen speaks, I always pay attention. Here, he tackles--and answers--the pre-retirees and retirees most important question: How do I make my money last for life?" -- Jane Bryant Quinn , author of Making the Most of Your Money NOW "You can never be sure how the markets will perform. But you can manage risk. Dont know where to start? Let Craig Israelsen be your guide." -- Jonathan Clements , author of The Little Book of Main Street Money

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