Benchmark My Portfolio: Am I Actually Beating the Market?

Beating the market by your own scorecard is easy; doing it against the right benchmark is the test. You give your return over a period, your allocation and the benchmarks you care about; this calculates your out- or under-performance against each, adjusts for the risk you took to get there, and tells you whether the comparison is even fair. For investors who want an honest verdict, not a flattering one.

Compare my portfolio's performance against relevant benchmarks. My portfolio returned {PORTFOLIO_RETURN}% over the last {PERIOD} (e.g. 1 year, 3 years). My asset allocation is approximately {ASSET_ALLOCATION}. The benchmarks I want to compare against are: {BENCHMARK_LIST} (e.g. MSCI World, FTSE All Share, 60/40 blended index). For each benchmark: (1) calculate my outperformance or underperformance; (2) adjust for risk using Sharpe ratio if I provide volatility data ({PORTFOLIO_VOLATILITY}%); (3) explain whether my outperformance is statistically meaningful or likely noise given the time period; (4) tell me whether I should re-examine my fund selection or strategy. Be direct and honest: do not soften bad news.