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Investing with Pure Portfolios

What is evidence-based investing?

The relentless pursuit of what works.

Investing doesn’t have to be obscure and complex. There is beauty in simplicity and common sense. For example, low-cost investing is preferable to high-cost investing, tax efficiencies can boost overall returns and, adopting a rules-based investment approach could reduce emotional decisions.

We call it evidence-based investing.

How does evidence-based
investing benefit you?

Gain peace of mind by eliminating emotion from your investment decisions.

  • Good investing is based on building a portfolio that reflects how you feel about risk. You are more likely to stick to a long-term investment plan if you understand the potential range of outcomes.
  • Humans are emotional, but your investment decisions shouldn’t be. We all have personal experiences that shape the way we see the world. By adopting a rules-based approach, we can better manage risk, mitigate human bias, and make smarter investment decisions.
  • We focus on the things within our control. We believe low fees are better than high fees, tax efficiency beats writing a check to Uncle Sam and, having an established portfolio management framework is superior to reacting to short-term market noise.

Let’s build a portfolio

This isn't a hobby. It is what we do, all day, every day.

  • Pure Portfolios manages our client’s assets in-house. We do not use third-party managers to gain market exposure, allowing us to lower investing costs, increase tax efficiency, and understand risk.
  • We utilize an asset allocation framework using exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to build core positions. We can add individual equity and bond strategies to target themes or personal values, such as environmental concerns, corporate governance, diversity, etc.
  • We rebalance monthly using trend, momentum, and other proprietary rules to reduce or add risk. To better understand how our holdings move in relation to each other, we run cross-asset correlation reports to track standard deviation (risk) and drawdowns across client accounts.
  • You’ll enjoy 24/7 access through our client portal to view your holdings, net-of-fee performance, trading activity, and much more.

Impact investing

Make a difference in the world through your investments.

Impact investing allows you to tailor your portfolio towards companies that align with your values to address issues that are most important to you.

We can create a custom "you" index for any values or initiatives you want to see included in your portfolio.

Investors with social missions or passions, who would like their working capital to reflect their values, should consider impact investing.

Find out why clients like you
switch to Pure Portfolios

People want advice but don't want to pay a premium.

Many of our clients come from other advisors for a reason.
Whether you have concerns about your current advisor or need a second opinion, let's chat and see if Pure Portfolios is a good fit.

Let’s Talk

Sunday coffee reads

Unfiltered commentary. Simple language.
Actionable steps.

From the latest market trends to planning tips, our weekly newsletter includes podcasts, writings, and educational videos that provide a clear-cut, unbiased outlook to help you make better money decisions.

Featured news

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May 2023 Market Commentary

“Timing crashes is impossible. If you require a forecast for your investment thesis to do well, then you’re doing it wrong.” – Mark Spitznagel, hedge...
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How Much Cash is Too Much?

“You make most of your money in a bear market, you just don’t realize it at the time.” – Shelby Cullom Davis, famous investor Generating...
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Falling Inflation and Stock Returns

“The complaints about how sticky inflation has been nearly matches the claims that it was transitory back in 2021.” – Bespoke Investment Group On November...
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The U.S. Debt Ceiling

“I think it’s ridiculous – it’s always resolved, not that it’s a 100% chance, but I think it gets resolved.” – Bill Gross, Pimco co-founder...
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Market Expectations are Everything

“The past wasn’t as good as you remember. The present isn’t as bad as you think. The future will be better than you anticipate.” Morgan...
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April 2023 Market Commentary

“If you want to call it a bear market, it looks as savage as a koala. If you want to call it a bull market,...
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The Demise of King Dollar

“People talk about this concept like foreign countries can just choose not to do business with the U.S. Dollar. Sure, they can. In doing so,...
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Back to Back Calendar Year Losses for Stocks

“In my experience, most people who are lucky enough to sell something before it goes down get so busy patting themselves on the back, they...
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The Market is Quietly Stacking Up Wins

“It’s just that most people see what they want to see. We pride ourselves on living in reality.” – J.C. Parets, All-Star Charts, on the...
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March 2023 Market Commentary

“History provides crucial insight regarding market crisis; they are inevitable, painful, and ultimately surmountable.” – Shelby M.C. Davis, philanthropist and investor   Pure Portfolios’ Chief...
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Bond Returns Following Difficult Years

“It’s not that I’m so smart; it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein Bonds could use a public relations makeover. The...
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Not a Typical Bank Failure

“This isn’t just one stupid bank making bad decisions. This is a real economic problem where the clients at Silicon Valley Bank were burning money...
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The Biggest Heist No One is Talking About

“Banks do not create money for the public good. They are businesses owned by shareholders. Their purpose is to make a profit.” – John Rogers,...
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February 2023 Market Commentary

“The main purpose of the stock market is to make fools of as many people as possible.” – Bernard Baruch, American financier Pure Portfolios’ Chief...
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Retirees: More is the Enemy of Enough

“Don’t risk what you have and need for what you don’t have and don’t need.” – Warren Buffett There’s a group of Twitter overachievers that...
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Assets Blog

Assets That Could Hold Up During a Recession

“Fear, greed and hope have destroyed more portfolio value than any recession or depression we have ever been through.” – James O’Shaughnessy, Founder of O’Shaughnessy...
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Six Investing Lessons from 2022

“I have civilized my own subjects; I have conquered other nations; yet I have not been able to civilize or conquer myself.” – Peter the...
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January Feedback

January 2023 Market Commentary

“In investing, what is comfortable is rarely profitable.” – Robert Arnott, Research Affiliates Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer, Nik Schuurmans, unpacks the first month of...
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1e9876 476a2a5c3532473b8d46c34051c3ee7a Mv2

U.S. Debt Ceiling Fiasco: Big Risk or Big Nothing?

“Playing political football with a vote to raise the nation’s debt ceiling has become as predictable as a Twitter rant from Charlie Sheen.” – Peter...
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The Perception of Risk

Quick question, which below stock market graph would you deem more risky? Graph A or B? Graph A Source: Koyfin, Pure Portfolios The above graph...
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Investment Themes by Decade

“Owning US tech was the trade of the last decade. Look forwards not backwards. That trade is over. What will be the one to take...
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December 2022 Market Commentary

“With every investment we become richer or wiser, never both.” – Bill Duhamel, investor   Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer, Nik Schuurmans, unpacks the rollercoaster...
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Santa Claus Rally, Fact or Fiction?

“The real rally could come not from Santa Claus, but from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, who will decide how much longer to hike interest...
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Tis the Season for Wall Street Forecasting Pt. VI

“There are two kinds of forecasters: those who don’t know, and those who don’t know they don’t know.” – John Kenneth Balbraith, economist Hot chocolate....
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November 2022 Market Commentary

“As crisis is comprised of danger and opportunity, those who sense change in the early stages will tend to have the most bountiful harvest.” –...
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Top 5 Pure Portfolios’ Blogs: Turkey Edition

“Thanksgiving is a joyous invitation to shower the world with love and gratitude.” – Amy Leigh Mercree We take a break from our regular blog...
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Avoiding the Extremes

“You should obsess over risks that do permanent damage & care little about risks that do temporary harm, but the opposite is more common.” –...
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Mid-Terms and Markets

“Historically, investors overestimate the impact of political parties, Presidents, and legislation. Even if one was to correctly forecast a political outcome, markets seldom react in...
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When the Fed Pivots

“History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” – Mark Twain There have been 85 cycles where the Fed has increased interest rates since...
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October 2022 Market Commentary

“If everyone is thinking alike, somebody isn’t thinking.” – General Patton   Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer, Nik Schuurmans, talks sticky inflation, the U.S. consumer,...
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Silver Linings in a Dismal Year

“It’s not just good news that causes bear markets to end, but better-than-expected news that is simply less bad.” – Ben Carlson, Wealth of Common...
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Surprised by Surprises

“The correct lesson to learn from surprises is that the world is surprising.” – Morgan Housel, The Collaborative Fund Unprecedented. Extraordinary. Unexpected. Once in a...
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Year of the 180

“Most investors tend to project near-term trends – both favorable and adverse indefinitely into the future.” – Seth Klarman, famous investor Let’s go back to...
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September 2022 Market Commentary

“My first boss told us, what’s obvious is obviously wrong. It’s already reflected in security prices. The world changes. And you’re only going to pick...
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The Market Could Be Wrong About Inflation

“I don’t mind going back to daylight savings time. With inflation, the hour will be the only thing I’ve saved all year.” – Victor Borge,...
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Fighting the Urge to Throw in the Towel

“If a topic makes someone feel emotional, they will rarely be interested in the data. This is why emotions can be such a threat to...
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Where to Find Investment Income (it’s not your mega bank)

“Big banks, highly leveraged casinos, do whatever they can to keep the cost of their gambling as cheap as possible.” – Max Keiser, American Journalist...
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August 2022 Video Commentary

Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer, Nik Schuurmans, talks the Fed’s Jackson Hole meeting, yield curve, strength of the U.S. dollar, and more. Let us know...
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Read The Full Article
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Intra-Year Market Declines

“The last leg of a bull market always ends in hysteria; the last leg of a bear market always ends in a panic.” – Jim...
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Calling Market Inflection Points

“You make most of your money in a bear market, you just don’t realize it at the time.” – Shelby Cullom Davis, investor, businessman, former...
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The Biggest Risk to Retirees Revisited

“The most important part of a plan is planning on your plan not going according to plan.” – Morgan Housel, author & investor The last...
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July 2022 Market Commentary

“It would be silly to expect every bear market to turn into the Great Depression. It would be equally wrong to expect that a fall...
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Signs of a Market Bottom

“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” – Mark Twain I post my blog every week on LinkedIn. Last week, I wrote about what...
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Which Asset Class Has it Right?

“Majority opinion can give any market movement considerable momentum that keeps it going in the same direction. Majority opinion is inevitably and consistently wrong at...
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Recession Obsession

“When y’all think they going to announce that we going into a recession?” – Cardi B, famous hip hop artist Forecasting the next recession has...
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June 2022 Market Commentary

Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer, Nik Schuurmans, talks bear markets, bond yields, prospects of a recession, and much more.   The video is heavy on...
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Bear Market Blues, How Much Worse Can it Get?

“The last leg of a bull market always ends in hysteria; the last leg of a bear market always ends in panic.” – Jim Rogers,...
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Just How Bad is Inflation?

The inflation report on 6/10/22 caused shockwaves across financial markets. The Consumer Price Index (CPI) print surprised on the upside, which wasn’t a good thing....
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Sniffing Around for Investment Opportunities

“Cash shouldn’t be looked at as a burden or drag on your portfolio. It should be viewed as a weapon waiting for an opportunity to...
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May 2022 Market Commentary

Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer, Nik Schuurmans, talks factor performance, global markets, the Fed’s balancing act, and cracks in U.S. housing. The video is heavy...
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Investment Royalty to Punching Bag

“Cathie Wood’s stubborn reluctance to accept reality is starting to look less and less like an investment advisor and more like me betting the midnight...
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Fighting the Market-Timing Urge

“If a topic makes someone feel emotional, they will rarely be interested in the data. This is why emotions can be such a threat to...
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Market Sell-Off: The Good & Bad

“Everything feels unprecedented when you haven’t engaged with history.” – Kelly Hayes, author The daily flow of negative headlines, market losses, and dire predictions can...
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Read The Full Article
Capture

Sell in May and Enjoy the Day?

“In real-time, every crisis feels like the worst thing ever. In hindsight, every crisis is an obvious buying opportunity.” – Morgan Housel, author This isn’t...
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April 2022 Market Commentary

Trying to make sense of the economy and markets?   We’ve got your back. Pure Portfolios’ Chief Investment Officer talks market action, the Fed’s current...
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News Stock Market Inflation Sweet Spot

What Does Peak Inflation Look Like?

“Every administration thought they had power to end inflation but they really didn’t. I think now you can see that same sense of overconfidence in...
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Does it Still Make Sense to Own Bonds?

White-hot inflation. Rising interest rates. Tanking bond prices. The popular consensus is that investors should abandon their bond allocation. It’s a tidy narrative but deserves...
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Read The Full Article
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March 2022 Market Commentary

“The main purpose of the stock market is to make fools of as many people as possible.” – Bernard Baruch, famous investor   In the...
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Read The Full Article
Stock Exchange G9e5b15126 1280

What’s the Bullish Case for Stocks?

“Tell someone that everything will be ok and they’ll shrug you off. Tell someone they’re in danger and they’ll hang on your every word.” Morgan...
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Mitigating Damage without Playing the Market Oracle

“Imagine thinking you could predict when you would sprain your ankle or get in a car crash. Instead, develop the ability to absorb damage. Train...
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What Are the Odds of a U.S. Recession?

“Being scared of everything is a symptom of being addicted to comfort.” – Orange Book, @orangebook on Twitter Post World War II, the U.S. has...
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Blur G271e8167c 1280

February 2022 Market Commentary

What the heck is going on in financial markets? In the below month-end video recap, Pure Portfolios President & CIO Nik Schuurmans, CFA offers his...
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Checking Up on Pandemic Darlings

“What a year this week has been.” – unknown A handful of stocks couldn’t miss. The pandemic changed the way we did everything overnight. Obscure...
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How to Solve the Inflation Problem

“Anyway you calculate it, inflation is WAY above the Fed’s target because of high demand.” Cullen Roche, Discipline Funds The Fed will attempt to kill...
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Waiting for the “All-Clear” Investment Signal

Waiting for the “All-Clear” Investment Signal “If you want to make the wrong decision, ask everyone.” – Naval Ravikant, author and investor I want to...
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How High Can Bond Yields Go?

“It’s not a normal condition to have interest rates at zero.” – Lloyd Blankfein, former Goldman Sachs CEO The Fed has charted the path forward...
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What Goes Up, Must Come Down

“All past market declines look like opportunities, all future market declines look like risks.” – Morgan Housel, author and investor Watching the stock market tank...
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Throw Away the Old Playbook

“Much of the confusion about the current state of the economy has its origin in people trying to apply classic business-cycle analysis to COVID-19 macro...
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Managing Market Volatility

“Volatility gets you in the gut. There’s no question that when prices are jumping around, you feel different from when they’re stable.” – Peter Bernstein,...
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Pure Portfolios’ 2022 Client Letter

2022 was the year of the opposite. Every market trend and economic reality we’ve known to be true the last ~12 years swung the other...
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How Does this Bull Market Stack Up?

“Everyone is a genius in a bull market.” Mark Cuban, entrepreneur and owner of the Dallas Mavericks. There’s no shortage of investors & pundits telling...
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Pure Portfolios’ 2022 Reading List

“Reading a book isn’t a race – the better the book, the slower it should be absorbed.” – Naval Ravikant, author & investor I’ve asked...
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The Best Predictor of Stock Returns is Amazingly Simple

“The price of equity is determined in the same way that the price of everything is determined – via forces of supply and demand.” Jesse...
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Screenshot 2023 05 21 172956

Monte Carlo Analysis: Worthless or Worthwhile?

“Oh, Monte Carlo, I’ve done that. It’s worthless!” “This simulation is the greatest thing ever!” “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I’m waiting...
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Road G6cb421c49 1280

Is Your Portfolio Drunk or Sober?

“Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash.” – George S. Patton Let’s say I’m invited over to your house for dinner. We...
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Getting a Fat Pitch and Not Swinging

“Amateurs think the world should work the way they want it to. Professionals realize that they have to work with the world as they find...
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A75114 82a938136b6e48eba380f4c51313a003 Mv2

What is Your “Enough?”

“Mo money, mo problems.” – Notorious B.I.G Unless your name is Jeff Bezos, most of us will never be the richest person on the planet....
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Stability Breeds Instability

“Trump will fire off a tweet and tank the economy.” “The yield curve inversion all but guarantees a recession is right around the corner.” “Tariffs...
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Naked Performance

“I’ve been crushing it in the stock market this year. I’m up 45%.”– Random Dude How many times have you heard a family member, colleague,...
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