We measured SqSave's five risk-managed reference portfolios against these 31 portfolios over the most recent three years, the horizon our investment approach is built around. We looked at return, and also at the measure professional investors watch most closely: how much return each portfolio earned for the risk it took.
It is important to point out that any portfolio with a higher equity allocation tends to be more volatile (risky). As returns come from risk taking, it follows that with all things considered, portfolios with higher equity allocations are expected to offer higher returns (and for completeness, higher losses).
SqSave Ranks #1 of the 36 portfolios – based on Return per unit of Risk
Over the three years to 30 June 2026, SqSave Balanced earned more return per unit of risk than any of the 36 portfolios with a three-year record: SqSave's five reference portfolios and the 31 US portfolios Condor tracks over that period. It finished narrowly ahead of Fidelity Go, which Condor named Best Overall Robo for its risk-adjusted returns. The margin is small, but SqSave Balanced got there with an annual return more than three percentage points higher: 16.66% a year against Fidelity Go's 13.53%.
Top 6 by three-year return per unit of risk, to 30 June 2026 (all USD terms)
| # | Portfolio | Equity | 3-yr return p.a. | 3-yr volatility | Return per unit of risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SqSave Balanced | 40% | 16.66% | 10.60% | 1.57 |
| 2 | Fidelity Go | 61% | 13.53% | 8.66% | 1.56 |
| 3 | Vanguard Personal Advisor | 63% | 13.42% | 8.97% | 1.50 |
| 4 | SoFi | 67% | 15.21% | 10.57% | 1.44 |
| 5 | Schwab Domestic Focus | 59% | 12.89% | 8.96% | 1.44 |
| 6 | Vanguard Digital Advisor | 52% | 11.94% | 8.41% | 1.42 |
Return per unit of risk = annualised return ÷ annualised volatility. Applying the risk-free rate implied by Condor's own Sharpe ratios gives the same #1 ranking (SqSave Balanced 1.38 vs. Fidelity Go 1.33).
Three of the Top Four Three-year Returns
On return alone, SqSave’s Balanced (16.66% a year), Very Aggressive (16.22%) and Aggressive (16.10%) rank second, third and fourth of 36. The only portfolio ahead of SqSave is T. Rowe Price's ActivePlus IRA, which is invested 100% in equities. The median US robo-advisor returned 13.26% a year.
Top 6 by three-year annualised return, to 30 June 2026 (all USD terms)
| # | Portfolio | Equity | 3-yr return p.a. | 3-yr volatility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T. Rowe Price ActivePlus IRA (100% equity) | 100% | 17.26% | 14.90% |
| 2 | SqSave Balanced | 40% | 16.66% | 10.60% |
| 3 | SqSave Very Aggressive | 90% | 16.22% | 13.66% |
| 4 | SqSave Aggressive | 80% | 16.10% | 12.60% |
| 5 | SoFi | 67% | 15.21% | 10.57% |
| 6 | TD Automated Investing | 70% | 14.21% | 10.47% |
| US robo-advisor median (31) | 13.26% | 9.72% |
Like for Like: Each SqSave Portfolio shines against comparable US Robos
Instead of ranking low-risk and high-risk all-equity portfolios, we take an apple-to-apple approach to rank each SqSave portfolio against US robo-advisors with a comparable equity allocation. No US robo-advisor in Condor's report holds less than 52% in equities, so our SqSave’s Conservative and Balanced portfolios are compared with the lowest-equity US portfolios available.
Each SqSave portfolio's three-year rank within its US peer group, to 30 June 2026 (all USD terms)
| SqSave portfolio | US peers (equity) | 3-yr return | 3-yr return per unit of risk | 3-yr max drawdown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative (20/80) | 52–61% (9) | 13.00% (#3 of 10) | 1.29 (#10 of 10) | -7.9% |
| Balanced (40/60) | 52–61% (9) | 16.66% (#1 of 10) | 1.57 (#1 of 10) | -8.8% |
| Growth (60/40) | 52–67% (27) | 13.53% (#8 of 28) | 1.05 (#28 of 28) | -12.7% |
| Aggressive (80/20) | 70–80% (3) | 16.10% (#1 of 4) | 1.28 (#4 of 4) | -12.7% |
| Very Aggressive (90/10) | 75–100% (3) | 16.22% (#2 of 4) | 1.19 (#3 of 4) | -13.7% |
- SqSave’s Balanced portfolio leads its risk category on both return and return per unit of risk.
- SqSave’s Aggressive portfolio has the highest three-year return of its group.
- SqSave’s Very Aggressive portfolio is second only to the all-equity portfolio.
- SqSave’s Conservative and Growth portfolios rank in the top third of their groups on return.
Max Drawdown: SqSave’s falls were contained, and recoveries quick
The deepest fall in any SqSave portfolio over the three years was 13.7%, during the April 2025 US tariff shock. After the March 2026 sell-off, four of our five portfolios were back at a new high within 37 days. A smaller dip in early June 2026 was still being recovered on 30 June. Condor does not publish drawdowns for US robo-advisors, so we cannot compare these directly.
Why Three Years
SqSave's MD9 algorithm is designed for medium- to long-term investing, not for winning any single quarter. Markets will always have difficult stretches; our SqSave Balanced portfolio's worst quarter of the three years (−2.9% in Q1 2026) was followed immediately by its best (+12.8% in Q2 2026). Judging an investment manager over three years filters out that noise. On that test, SqSave holds three of the top four returns and the #1 risk-adjusted result among 36 portfolios.
What matters more than raw returns?
The answer: How much return each portfolio earned for the risk it took.
Using Condor Capital's latest independent Digital Advice Report (data to 30 June 2026), SqSave’s Balanced portfolio ranked #1 out of the 36 based on a three-year return per unit of risk, narrowly ahead of Fidelity Go.
On return alone, SqSave’s Balanced, Very Aggressive and Aggressive portfolios took three of the top four places.
Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Not investment advice. SqSave reference portfolios, USD, net of fees; US data: Condor Capital 2Q 2026, USD. Pivot Fintech Pte. Ltd., CMS Licence 100806.
Important information
Important information: SqSave figures are for SqSave's reference portfolios, calculated from daily net asset values, net of fees, in USD, with dividends and interest reinvested; the three-year period runs from the NAV dated 30 June 2023 to the NAV dated 30 June 2026. US robo-advisor returns, volatilities and Sharpe ratios are as published by Condor Capital Wealth Management in its Digital Advice Report, 2Q 2026, net of fees, in US dollars; 31 of the 34 US portfolios Condor tracks have three years of data. Return per unit of risk is annualised return divided by annualised volatility (risk-free rate 0%), calculated the same way for every portfolio; on the Sharpe-ratio basis used by Condor the rankings stated here are unchanged. Equity allocations for US portfolios are as reported by Condor and drift over time; SqSave allocations are nominal strategic allocations, and SqSave's realised volatility has been higher than those labels alone would suggest. Individual investors' returns will differ from those of the reference portfolios. This material is for information only and is not investment advice, a recommendation or an offer to buy or sell any product. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. The value of investments and any income from them can go down as well as up. SqSave.com is operated by Pivot Fintech Pte. Ltd., holder of a Capital Markets Services Licence (No. 100806) issued by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
