Rules-Based Investment Research

Since 2007, our worst backtested drawdown is 13.2%.

Drawbridge Strategies publishes rules-based investment models with a documented public record. Every subscriber receives the same signals, the same monthly updates, the same process. No predictions. No emotion. No excuses.

Get This Month's Report See the Published Record
2004
Models published since
13.2%
Max backtested drawdown, All-Weather Balanced
Monthly
Signal updates, every subscriber, same day
The Challenge

The market rewards discipline.
Most investors struggle to deliver it.

Consistent results are not about being smarter. They come from having a process that holds even when instinct says otherwise.

Markets Are Unpredictable

Volatility, macro shocks, and regime changes make it nearly impossible to rely on intuition or static allocation models. Most portfolios are always a step behind the last shock.

Emotion Destroys Returns

Even experienced investors fall prey to recency bias, loss aversion, and narrative-driven thinking. One emotional decision at the wrong moment can undo years of compounding.

Inconsistent Results Erode Trust

Without a repeatable, transparent process, performance attribution becomes guesswork. That makes it harder to retain clients, attract allocators, or defend a strategy over time.

You do not need someone to manage your money. You need a documented process you can follow. That is what we publish.

Your Guide

We've built the framework so you don't have to guess.

At Drawbridge Strategies, we understand the pressure of delivering results in volatile markets. We've developed rigorous, rules-based systems designed specifically to eliminate discretionary bias and bring systematic discipline to both tactical ETF allocation and quantitative equity selection.

Our approach isn't opinion-driven. Every decision follows a defined ruleset, stress-tested across market regimes, built with rigorous discipline, and published with full transparency. No black boxes. No style drift. No surprises.

Tactical ETF strategies with dynamic allocation rules
Quantitative equity selection driven by factor models
Full attribution reporting at every period
No discretionary overrides, the process holds
"In markets driven by uncertainty, a disciplined, rules-based process is not a constraint. It's a competitive edge."
Drawbridge Strategies, Investment Philosophy
Tactical ETF
Core Strategy Discipline
Quant Equity
Core Strategy Discipline
100% Rules
Systematic Process
Transparent
Full Attribution
Tim Fortier
Tim Fortier
Founder & Chief Strategist
Rules-Based Models Risk Management Direct Indexing ETF Strategies SMAs Structured Products
Our Story

Built on 30+ years of systematic research, and one market crash that proved the thesis.

Early in his career, Tim Fortier noticed something that most practitioners ignored: risk management was the most important variable in long-term investment outcomes, and almost nobody was talking about it. While the industry chased returns, Tim began developing a systematic approach to managing downside risk, one grounded in rules, not discretion.

That work was tested in real time. When the dot-com bubble collapsed in 2001, the framework held. It was an early confirmation that a rules-based, risk-first approach wasn't just theoretically sound, it worked when it mattered most.

2004

Began publishing simple, transparent rules-based investment models, building a public track record grounded in systematic process long before "quant" became mainstream.

2001 – 2007

Served as Chief Investment Officer for a private investment firm while simultaneously building structured investment products with some of the world's largest financial institutions.

2007 – 2012

Transitioned to independent consulting, working with public and private companies on investment strategy, while simultaneously developing the comprehensive suite of rules-based models that would become the foundation of Drawbridge Strategies.

2017

The original firm was split into two focused entities: Drawbridge Strategies, which owns the research and intellectual property, and Drawbridge Alliances, a separate practice under separate ownership.

Today

Drawbridge Strategies conducts ongoing research and publishes rules-based models for direct indexing, separately managed account structures, and ETFs, read by a growing subscriber base of financial advisors and self-directed investors worldwide.

The through-line across 30+ years is unchanged: systematic discipline, transparent rules, and rigorous risk management. Not because it's fashionable. Because it works.

Research Focus
Direct Indexing, SMAs, ETF Strategies
Model History
Published rules-based models since 2004
Subscriber Base
Advisors & Self-Directed Investors Worldwide
Professional Background
Former CIO & Global Bank Partnerships
Mission

We document a rules-based process so investors can replace guesswork with a process of their own.

What We Publish

A monthly research publication documenting rules-based models for direct indexing, separately managed account structures, and ETF strategies. Every subscriber at a given tier receives the same signals and the same attribution reporting. Nothing is customized to an individual account.

Where We're Headed

We publish so readers can build their own discipline instead of relying on prediction. The rules are documented and dated, month by month. Advisors apply the research across their own practice. Self-directed investors apply it in their own accounts. What happens next is up to the subscriber, not us.

Track Record

We publish our models every month.

Drawbridge Strategies has published rules-based investment commentary and model signals on a monthly schedule since 2004. The performance figures below are hypothetical backtested results, not a record of live trades. They show how the published rules would have performed had they been applied historically. No portion of the performance shown reflects real-time, subscriber-executed signals.

Max Backtested Drawdown
Hypothetical
Worst Drawdown
All-Weather Balanced−13.22%
Tactical Income Model−6.13%
All-Weather Balanced
Hypothetical · As of 4/30/2026

Tactical ETF allocation model. Backtested to hold through regime changes without discretionary overrides.

ModelBenchmark
Since inception (12/29/06)+792.9%+230.6%
YTD+13.4%+3.4%
Max drawdown−13.2%N/A
Tactical Income Model
Hypothetical · As of 4/30/2026

Rules-based income model. Backtested for consistent, defensible attribution reporting.

ModelBenchmark (AGG)
Since inception (12/29/06)+316.1%+75.6%
YTD+8.4%+0.2%
Max drawdown−6.1%N/A

Returns shown gross of fees, since inception 12/29/2006, as of 4/30/2026. All-Weather Balanced benchmark: 60/40 Blended Index. Tactical Income Model benchmark: Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index (AGG). Benchmark drawdown figures are not shown because no verified source exists for them as of this publication; they will be added once confirmed.

This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results, whether hypothetical or actual. The model returns shown are hypothetical backtested results and do not represent actual trading results. Hypothetical performance results have many inherent limitations, including the benefit of hindsight in rule design. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profits or losses similar to those shown. Drawbridge Strategies is a publisher of impersonal investment research, is not a registered investment adviser, and does not provide individualized investment advice. This material is not a solicitation of any offer to buy or sell any security or other financial instrument.

How It Works

A clear path to systematic investing.

The process is the same for every subscriber, every month.

01
Subscribe to the Research

Choose the publication that fits

Choose the model publication that fits your situation. Every subscriber at a given tier receives identical research. Nothing is customized, which is exactly the point: the process is the product.

02
Receive the Signals

Documented, dated, archived

Each month you get the current model allocations, what changed, why the rules triggered the change, and the updated performance record.

03
Implement in Your Own Accounts

You stay in control

You place the trades in your own brokerage or client accounts. You stay in full control. We publish the map; you drive.

Who This Is For

Two kinds of readers subscribe.

Self-Directed Investors

Self-directed investors with $300K to $2M who survived the last drawdown and refuse to repeat it. You do not need another prediction. You need a rules-based process with a public record.

Independent Advisors

Independent advisors who run their own models and are stretched thin. Our research gives you an institutional-grade process without hiring a research department. Subscribe once, apply it across your practice.

Ready for This Month's Signals?

Rules published.
Signals dated. Record documented.

Subscribe to receive this month's model report and the same monthly research every other subscriber gets.

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The Stakes

What changes when discipline
replaces guesswork.

Without a Systematic Process

  • Emotional decisions override sound analysis at critical moments
  • Performance attribution is murky and difficult to defend
  • Style drift undermines long-term strategy integrity
  • Volatile results make client and allocator retention harder
  • Reactive portfolio changes quietly cost compounding over time

With a Documented Process

  • Every investment decision follows a clearly defined ruleset
  • Full attribution transparency at every reporting period
  • Consistent process that holds across market regimes
  • Repeatable results that build long-term allocator confidence
  • Discipline-driven compounding without the emotional drag
Get in Touch

Let's Start a Conversation

Have a question about the research or your subscription? Send us a message and we'll follow up. Every subscriber receives the same monthly report, whether you self-direct your own accounts or run your own practice.

info@drawbridgestrategies.com
Self-directed investors and independent advisors, worldwide

By submitting this form, you agree to be contacted by Drawbridge Strategies. Your information will not be shared with third parties. This is not an offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.