The "Pop 10" Stocks Model Portfolio: Own The Biggest Names, With a ROAR Score Hedge
One of my public model portfolios, now at ROAR.PiTrade.com
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
I buy the biggest US stocks, they go up, and I call it a year. That’s been the case for a while. And since I do not predict the future, I can’t tell you when that gravy train will stop. But I can manage the risk of protecting my capital when it does happen. Because when it does, it could be fierce. That’s the stock market cycle for you.
My solution? Pop 10 Stocks. It is part of the new model portfolio series that started with my risk-managed portfolio management approach, and was born through the dynamic work of my friends at PiTrade.com. You can find Pop 10 stocks as part of a collection of simple, “done-for-you” model portfolios at ROAR.PITrade.com, our collaborative effort that aims to provide easy to use, professional-grade tools for the self-directed investors.
What is Pop 10 Stocks model portfolio?
A portfolio of the 10 mega-cap US stocks, dynamically weighted using the ROAR Score. The portfolio is formally reviewed and traded each Wednesday. While some of our model portfolios are structured to own all of the watchlist stocks all the time, Pop 10 Stocks is a bit different. It owns a stock as long as the ROAR Score is at least “neutral.” In other words, if it judged to have anything other than high risk at the current time, it is part of the portfolio. '
In addition, those stocks judged to have the lowest risk compared to their own trading history will be awarded higher position weightings. This essentially makes Pop 10 Stocks a tactical way to own up to 10 popular stocks, while aiming to sidestep their worst return periods. A T-bill ETF (BIL) is used for any uninvested capital.
How has Pop 10 Stocks model portfolio done in the past?
Above you see the back-tested performance of the model going back to late 2021. That was right before the stock/bond downturn during the first nine months of 2022. The ability to use cash as a defensive weapon when few or none of the 10 stocks were in high risk conditions can be seen, as the blue line (Pop 10 Stocks model) did not dive down with the green line (SPY). Similarly, in 2025’s “Tariff Tantrum,” the model also held its ground.
Over the full period since 11/18/2021, Pop 10 Stocks produced a return in line with SPY. However, it did so with a fraction of the volatility. Its standard deviation is just over half that of SPY, and its maximum drawdown was about 11% versus 25% for SPY.
What stocks does Pop 10 Stocks portfolio hold?
Here are the 10, along with their weightings as of Thursday’s close. The model rebalances each Wednesday, but the “live” version of the model, with ROAR Scores updated intraday each trading day, is available on the site.
As of Thursday’s close, 6 of the 10 stocks qualified to be in the portfolio, while the other 4 (MSFT, TSLA, LLY, GOOG) were judged to be higher-risk situations. As a result, cash (BIL) was 70% of the portfolio.
This is a good reminder that while our model portfolio series is available to be copy traded, and the ROAR Scores and positions are updated daily on the research site, there’s another way investors can use these models: for their own single-stock research efforts.
How successful investing happens
ROAR Scores are not “buy/sell/hold” ratings. There are plenty of those types of systems out there. Our view: the world doesn’t need another one!
By contrast, ROAR Scores are designed to remind investors how much risk they may be taking when they own a stock or ETF at a particular point in time. As I’ve written often, WHAT you own is only one aspect of investing. That exercise alone will not always produce good long-term returns.
To give yourself the best chance as an investor, you also need to consider HOW MUCH of each security to own at any point in time. THAT is what ETFYourself.com is all about. Sure, we provide plenty of ongoing insight and data. But Pop 10 Stocks and our other models remind us that the best way for investors to increase their odds of success is to think like a PORTFOLIO MANAGER, not just pick stocks and funds.
That’s what we do here. I’ll have more on our other models, including some not yet shown on the ROAR.PiTrade.com site, in the coming days. As always, we welcome your questions, comments and feedback, and invite you to tell others about what we are building here.
Important Note: I am a research provider, not a financial advisor. Pop 10 Stocks is a model portfolio based on systematic signals. For those interested in having these signals executed automatically in their own accounts, copy-trading is available through a separate company, PiTrade.com, which is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA).