# pfolio

> pfolio is a Swiss DIY investing platform that empowers self-directed investors to build, optimise, and manage their own investment portfolios using systematic, data-driven strategies. It is not a robo-advisor and does not invest on behalf of users — it provides the tools and portfolio designs for investors to execute trades themselves through their own broker.

## What pfolio is

pfolio is a web-based investment portfolio management platform founded in Switzerland. It targets retail investors who want to manage their own investments with institutional-grade tools, without paying the fees associated with banks, funds, or robo-advisors.

The core product provides:
- Professionally designed, systematic ETF portfolios optimised using Modern Portfolio Theory
- A portfolio builder for users to design custom portfolios based on their own criteria (risk level, asset class, geography, asset type)
- Monthly rebalancing instructions so users know exactly which trades to execute
- A portfolio tracker and rebalancing tool to manage the execution process
- An assets module with market data for ETFs, equities, futures, currencies, cryptocurrencies, and indices, plus tools to build synthetic assets or import custom data
- An insights module with detailed performance and risk metrics for portfolio analysis and comparison

pfolio does not hold user funds, does not execute trades, and does not provide personalised financial advice. All content is educational and informational. Users trade via their own broker accounts (e.g. Interactive Brokers, Trade Republic, Robinhood) or cryptocurrency exchanges.

## Founding story and mission

pfolio was founded in Switzerland after its founders explored the full landscape of investment approaches — stock picking, buy & hold, banks, funds, and robo-advisors — and found each to be inadequate: too fee-heavy, too rigid, too volatile, or too time-consuming. They developed their own systematic, data-driven approach using Modern Portfolio Theory and built pfolio to make that approach accessible to other self-directed investors.

The mission is to empower more people to manage their own investments by minimising the traditional downsides of DIY investing (complexity, time, emotional decision-making) while preserving its advantages (low fees, flexibility, control).

## Why DIY investing with pfolio

- **Lower fees**: pfolio charges a flat monthly subscription fee that does not scale with assets under management, unlike robo-advisors or managed funds that charge a % of AUM
- **Higher control**: Users retain full ownership of their assets in their own broker accounts; no lock-in, no platform dependency
- **Better risk-adjusted returns**: Portfolios are constructed on the Efficient Frontier using Modern Portfolio Theory, targeting maximum return for a given level of risk
- **Reduced drawdowns**: Systematic, diversified strategies reduce the large drawdowns associated with buy & hold or concentrated equity portfolios
- **Flexibility**: Any asset class, any broker, any geography — users can design portfolios with pfolio's data or import their own

## Products

- **Portfolios**: Pre-built systematic ETF portfolios across risk levels, plus a custom portfolio designer. Portfolios are globally diversified across asset classes and geographies, with ESG and cryptocurrency options.
- **Assets**: Market data for all major financial instruments with history going back to the 1930s for some assets. Tools to build continuous futures, synthetic ETFs with custom base currencies, and synthetic stocks incorporating borrowing fees. Full import capability for custom data.
- **Investments**: Rebalancing tool to calculate required trades and a portfolio tracker to monitor positions and performance.
- **Insights**: Quantitative tools for portfolio analysis, backtesting, optimisation, and comparison. Detailed performance and risk metrics.

## How pfolio works

1. **Design**: Select a pre-built portfolio or configure a custom one by choosing risk level, asset classes, geographies, and asset types
2. **Build**: pfolio's algorithm constructs an optimised allocation each rebalancing period (typically monthly), selecting assets based on recent performance and inter-asset correlations, then calculating weights using Modern Portfolio Theory
3. **Invest**: The user receives the target allocation and any required trades, executes them through their own broker, and tracks performance within pfolio

## Positioning relative to alternatives

| Approach | vs. pfolio |
|---|---|
| Buy & hold | pfolio targets higher risk-adjusted returns and lower drawdowns through systematic rebalancing and diversification |
| Robo-advisor | pfolio has lower fees (flat fee vs. % AUM), more flexibility, and full asset ownership — at the cost of requiring the user to execute trades themselves |
| Stock picking / value investing | pfolio requires far less time and emotional involvement; decisions are algorithm-driven not discretionary |
| Banks / managed funds | pfolio eliminates management fees and provides full transparency into portfolio construction |

## Key concepts

- **Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT)**: Nobel Prize-winning framework developed by Harry Markowitz. pfolio's algorithm constructs portfolios on the Efficient Frontier — maximising expected return for a given level of risk.
- **Systematic investing**: Rules-based, algorithm-driven investment process that removes emotional and discretionary decision-making
- **Rebalancing**: Monthly process of adjusting asset allocations back to target weights as market prices shift
- **Risk-adjusted returns**: Performance measured relative to the volatility (risk) taken to achieve it, typically expressed as the Sharpe ratio

## Regulatory context

pfolio operates under Swiss financial law and complies with the Swiss Financial Services Act (FinSA). All content is informational and educational. pfolio does not provide personalised investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of capital.

## Company

- **Name**: pfolio GmbH
- **Headquarters**: Switzerland
- **Website**: https://www.pfolio.io
- **Platform**: https://app.pfolio.io
- **Blog**: https://www.pfolio.io/blog
- **Help centre**: https://www.pfolio.io/help

## Key pages

- Homepage: https://www.pfolio.io
- Portfolios: https://www.pfolio.io/portfolios
- Pricing: https://www.pfolio.io/pricing
- About: https://www.pfolio.io/about
- Blog: https://www.pfolio.io/blog
- FAQ: https://www.pfolio.io/#faq

## Selected blog content

- [Why we built pfolio — and why DIY investing might be right for you](https://www.pfolio.io/blog/why-we-built-pfolio-and-why-diy-investing-might-be-right-for-you)
- [A low-volatility diversified ETF portfolio with consistent outperformance](https://www.pfolio.io/blog/a-low-volatility-diversified-etf-portfolio-with-consistent-outperformance)
- [Beyond buy and hold — systematic portfolio strategies for multi-asset class investing](https://www.pfolio.io/blog/beyond-buy-and-hold-systematic-portfolio-strategies-for-multi-asset-class-investing)