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Flagship

Core 20

Our flagship 20-stock portfolio. Strong returns, smoother ride. The one we'd pick if we could only pick one.

Today's Portfolio Return
14.7%
CAGR
+2.2%
Alpha
0.78
Sharpe
1.17
Sortino
-34.2%
Max Drawdown
0.94
Beta

Growth of $10,000

Data through April 23, 2026•Log scale

Core 20
S&P 500
Final Value
$210,731.4
Core 20
S&P 500 Value
$88,285.96
Benchmark
Outperformance
+138.7%
vs Benchmark
$10k$20k$50k$100k$200k2001200520092013201820222026
Year

Year-by-Year Returns

Data through April 23, 2026

Annual returns vs S&P 500 TR. Green beats the benchmark, red trails it.

Core 20
S&P 500 TR
15
Years Beat Benchmark
10
Years Trailed
60%
Win Rate
About these numbers: Advising Alpha is a publisher, not a Registered Investment Adviser. We can't publish audited live returns the way mutual funds and hedge funds do, but we can share rigorous backtests of our methodology. Backtested performance is hypothetical, doesn't include trading costs, and past patterns don't guarantee future results. Read the full methodology disclosure →
Portfolio Normality Indicator

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Returns by Rebalance Period

Each row is a distinct holdings window. The current window is live and updates daily; historical windows are finalized once the next rebalance takes effect.

PeriodDatesDaysPortfolioS&P 500 TRAlpha
Current (from Q1 2026)Live
Feb 18, 2026 → May 6, 202677+5.6%+5.8%-0.1%

Key Characteristics

  • •20 well-researched stocks across key sectors
  • •Built by studying what the best stock pickers actually buy
  • •Quarterly rebalancing to keep the portfolio fresh
  • •Designed for strong returns with a smoother ride
  • •Our flagship. The one we'd pick if we could only pick one

Rebalance Schedule

Coming Soon
Last: Feb 18, 2026(79d ago)
Next: May 20–25, 2026(12d)

Core 20 rebalances four times a year, on the 20th to 25th of February, May, August, and November — anchored to the SEC 13F filing cycle so we can act on the latest institutional disclosures. Pro members get the trade list by email the moment we publish.

Sector Posture

Core 20vs S&P 500

Core 20
Offense 60%
Def 20%
Ind 20%
100%
S&P 500
Offense 63%
Def 21%
Ind 16%
100%
Offense -3.0pp
Defense -1.0pp
Independents +4.0pp
independent-sector tilt — overweight Energy, Materials, Communication.

Sector weights as of 2026-05-04. Posture is one of several lenses we use to read a portfolio — never used in isolation.

Current Holdings

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Full sector breakdown

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Why we own these

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The trophy room. Yes, this is cherry-picked. That is the point. The full record, including the picks that did not work, is on the Track Record page.

The Wins

Core 20 Hall of Fame

The 10 biggest closed-position wins from this portfolio. Total returns include dividends, verified against YCharts.

1
HDHome Depot, Inc.
+949%
Feb 2012 → Aug 2024Held 12 yr 6 moLong-term compounder
2
OXYOccidental Petroleum Corp
+622%
May 2001 → Feb 2013Held 11 yr 9 moConviction before consensus
3
COPConoco Phillips
+364%
Nov 2002 → May 2013Held 10 yr 6 moEnergy patience
4
JNJJohnson & Johnson
+301%
Aug 2006 → May 2023Held 16 yr 9 moMulti-decade compounder
5
AMGNAmgen, Inc
+242%
Feb 2013 → Aug 2021Held 8 yr 6 moPharma compounder
6
MRKMerck & Co Inc
+236%
May 2009 → May 2017Held 8 yrDefensive compounder
7
JPMJPMorgan Chase & Co.
+222%
Feb 2013 → May 2022Held 9 yr 3 moBank compounder
8
PMPhilip Morris International Inc
+171%
Aug 2009 → Aug 2018Held 9 yrDividend compounder
9
USBU.S. Bancorp.
+170%
Aug 2011 → Nov 2022Held 11 yr 3 moRegional bank patience
10
VZVerizon Communications Inc
+151%
Nov 2007 → Nov 2018Held 11 yrTelecom income

These are closed positions ranked by total return percentage (price + dividends). Past performance does not guarantee future results.