ETFs for the Lazy

Here are the holdings and their weights:

• WisdomTree Total Earnings ETF(EXT Quote): 20%
• Rydex S&P Small Cap 600 Pure Value(RZV Quote): 10%
• WisdomTree Pacific Ex-Japan High-Yielding Equity Fund(DNH Quote): 15%
• Claymore BNY BRIC ETF(EEB Quote): 5%
• iShares S&P Global Energy Index Fund(IXC Quote): 5%
• PowerShares Water Portfolio(PHO Quote): 5%
• SPDR DJ Wilshire International Real Estate(RWX Quote): 5%
• PowerShares DB Gold(DGL Quote): 5%
• PowerShares Financial Preferred(PGF Quote): 20%
• Advent Claymore Convertible Bond Fund(AVK Quote): 5%
• Rydex CurrencyShares Australia(FXA Quote): 5%

EXT fills the role of a "total U.S. market" fund in that it is a broad-based domestic fund, so it can be the core U.S.-based fund for a portfolio. The back-test on it covers almost five years, and in that time it beat the Russell 3000 by an average annualized 1.93%. The reason for that outperformance is that EXT, an earnings-based fund, does not tilt as heavily to value as the dividend funds.

Small-cap value over extremely long periods of time has been the best-performing "style box," which is why I chose a value fund for my lazy portfolio rather than something broader. RZV is very thinly traded, but its results stand up very well and any individual investor wanting a small-cap value product should take a look at this one.

I am not a fan of EAFE-based products; they are heavy in Western Europe and Japan. As I wrote last month, these regions didn't provide much diversification during the last bear market and I don't expect them to do so in the future. Australia, on the other hand, by virtue of its commodity-based economy, does offer the potential for good bear-market diversification from the U.S. DNH is 88% Australia and offers a yield better than 4%.

For emerging-market exposure, the Claymore BRIC ETF is compelling. It has dramatically outperformed the better-known iShares MSCI Emerging Market Fund(EEM Quote) since EEB's listing last fall. The nature of the BRIC -- that's Brazil, Russia, India and China -- economies is such that EEB has less technology exposure and more materials exposure, which I believe will mean EEB continues to outperform.

Click here for larger image.

Source: Yahoo!