Invest in Trefis Strategies · Income
9 of 91
S&P 500 selloffs of 8% or more since 2018 where the Trefis Income Solution lost less than the S&P 500. In 2022 it made 2.9% while the S&P 500 fell 18.2%.1
The Trefis Income Solution
50 dividend stocks with at least 10 straight years of dividends, weighted by company size with no stock above 5%. For every dollar the S&P 500 lost in its down months, the Income Solution lost about 65 cents, and its dividend yield is 3x the S&P 500’s. More below: 5 reasons why, or jump to the team.
Trefis Income Solution
3x1
the S&P 500’s dividend yield
Three times the S&P 500’s dividend, with smaller drops
Its 50 holdings yield 3.0% today, against about 1.0% for the S&P 500. On $1 million, that is about $30,000 a year in dividends instead of $10,000. Every holding has paid a dividend every year for at least 10 years. And the Income Solution has held up: it lost less than the S&P 500 in all 9 large selloffs of the last decade. More below: 5 reasons why, or jump to the team.
What you getA free 15-minute discussion with our local Boston-based partner investment firmA free discussion with our partner advisory firm, Aksala Wealth Advisors3, about the Income Solution and how much of your portfolio should be in income.Join >$500 million in assets2There is no obligation to invest. Nothing changes in your portfolio unless you decide.
Glenn Caldicott, CIO, Empirical Asset ManagementOur Boston-based partner firm, which oversees more than $500 million in assets.
Evan Guido, CEO, Aksala Wealth AdvisorsOur partner advisory firm, which oversees more than $500 million in assets.
Trefis featured in
5 reasons why1
1. You make money by not losing money
For every dollar the S&P 500 lost in its down months, the Income Solution lost about 65 cents. For every dollar the S&P 500 made in its up months, the Income Solution made about 76 cents. Anyone who has been in the market a while knows which half matters more: lose 20% and you need 25% just to get back to even. Lose 50% and you need 100%.
2. The ratio that matters
Divide what it makes in up months by what it loses in down months. The S&P 500 is 1.00 by definition. The Income Solution is 1.16: it keeps more of the climb than it takes of the fall.
3. It held up when it counted
In all 9 of the S&P 500’s selloffs of 8% or more since 2018, the Income Solution lost less: on average, about 35% less than the S&P 500. That is money kept. In 2022, when the S&P 500 fell 18.2%, the Income Solution made 2.9%.
4. Income, 3x the S&P 500
Its dividend yield, 3.0% on today’s holdings, is three times the S&P 500’s 1.0%. Every stock has paid a dividend every year for at least 10 years, with no cut in the past year, and its yield is in the top half of its peers. 50 US stocks weighted by company size, no stock above 5%, no REITs or partnerships, with one version for taxable accounts and one for IRAs.
5. Process
The same Trefis research engine behind our High Quality (HQ) portfolio: quality rules first (10 straight years of dividends, no cut in the past year, a top-half yield), then a ranking on cash flow against debt, return on equity, dividend growth and how little each stock fell when the market did, audited and improved over time. Understandable AI. Human and machine.
Resilience and income
Since March 2017, against the S&P 500. It keeps most of the climb, takes much less of the fall, and pays 3x the S&P 500’s dividend.
| Measure | S&P 500 | Income Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Lost per $1 the S&P 500 lost | 100¢ | 65¢ |
| Made per $1 the S&P 500 made | 100¢ | 76¢ |
| Up over down | 1.00 | 1.16 |
| Dividend yield | 1x | 3x |
Income that is taxed more lightly
Dividends from US companies held long enough are usually qualified dividends, taxed at the lower long-term capital gains rates rather than as ordinary income like bond interest. In a taxable account, that makes a yield 3x the S&P 500’s go further. A Trefis expert partner advisor can tell you what it means for your accounts.
Leadership team
- Manish Jhunjhunwala: MIT PhD Chemical Engineering/Physics of fluids, McKinsey
- Cem Ozkaynak: Cornell Electrical Engineering, UBS
Select investors and advisors
- Ankur Moitra: MIT Computer Science and AI Lab & Professor of Mathematics
- Art Samberg: Pequot Capital, Former Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
- Rob Wadsworth: Harbourvest Partners, Board Member, Former CEO
- Sandy Pentland: MIT Media Lab Professor. Stanford HAI Fellow
- Semyon Dukach: OneWay VC, Partner, Former MIT Blackjack team leader
Great – what’s next?
Feel free to complete the form to hear the Income Solution story firsthand, or ask Glenn Caldicott, the CIO of our local Boston area partner firm Empirical, and others on his team.Feel free to complete the form to ask our partner advisory firm, Aksala Wealth Advisors, about the Income Solution. You can also ask about the Trefis High Quality (HQ) portfolio and our other strategies.
Disclaimer
Trefis is a technology and investment research provider only and does not, nor is it licensed to, provide investment advisory services. Trefis is not registered as an investment adviser under federal or state securities laws and provides information for educational and research purposes only. Any implementation of Trefis strategies is conducted solely and independently by unaffiliated third-party investment advisory firms with proper registration and pursuant to a separate agreement.
Trefis has partnered with Empirical Asset Management LLC (“EAM”), an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which implements the High Quality (HQ) portfolio and other Trefis strategies and oversees more than $500 million in assets.
Compensation & Conflicts of Interest
Trefis is not an investment advisory client of EAM. Trefis receives compensation from EAM consisting solely of a fixed annual licensing fee for the use of Trefis models and technology. Trefis does not receive referral fees, commissions, or asset-based compensation in connection with prospective clients introduced to EAM. However, this commercial licensing relationship creates an inherent conflict of interest, as Trefis has an incentive to feature partner advisers who license its models. Implementation of Trefis strategies by third-party advisers may vary based on market conditions, account customization, and platform execution. Model and backtested returns do not represent actual trading and are not a guarantee of future performance. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
Trefis Wealth LLC (“Trefis”), is a research provider only and does not, nor is it licensed to, provide investment advisory services. Trefis is not registered as an investment adviser under federal or state securities laws and provides information for educational purposes only. Any implementation of Trefis strategies will be done by unaffiliated third party investment advisory firms with proper registration and pursuant to a separate agreement. Trefis has partnered with Aksala Wealth Advisors LLC (“Aksala”), an investment adviser registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Aksala implements HQ and other Trefis strategies, and oversees more than $500 million in assets.
Compensation & Conflicts of Interest
Trefis is not an investment advisory client of Aksala Wealth Advisors LLC. Trefis receives compensation, including licensing fees and a percentage of advisory fees collected by Aksala attributable to clients referred by Trefis. This economic arrangement creates a material conflict of interest, as Trefis has a financial incentive to refer prospective clients to its partner advisers. Implementation of Trefis strategies by third-party advisers may vary based on market conditions, account customization, and platform execution. Model and backtested returns do not represent actual trading and are not a guarantee of future performance. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.
1 About the figures
Income Solution figures are hypothetical, backtested model results for the taxable version, monthly, from March 31, 2017 to October 31, 2026, before fees. Up and down capture compare its monthly returns with the S&P 500 (SPY) in the months the S&P 500 rose or fell; Large selloffs are the S&P 500’s falls of 8% or more from a high to a low since 2018, on daily closes, with the portfolio held as built at each rebuild. Its dividend yield averaged 3.5% across its rebuilds, against about 1% for the S&P 500 today. Dividend yields are trailing 12 months at October 31, 2026, for today’s 50 holdings and for the S&P 500 (SPY); the dollar example applies those yields to $1 million. Backtested results do not represent actual trading, and past results are no guarantee of future returns.
2 Empirical Asset ManagementAksala Wealth Advisors, our partner investment firm, oversees more than $500 million in assets (see the partner disclosure above).
3 Trefis refers interested investors to Aksala Wealth Advisors to discuss investing in Trefis strategies.