What indices does Income Lab use to model asset class returns?
This article will explain the indices used in Income Lab to model asset class returns.
Last published on: October 31, 2025
Asset Class Indices
Income Lab includes the ability to specify allocations to 24 asset classes for any investment account or model portfolio. These asset classes are shown in the table below along with the index we use for current asset class return modeling.
Index returns are used in several places in the Income Lab app, including to produce default capital market assumptions.
| Asset Class | Index |
| US All Cap Stock | Wilshire 5000 Total Return |
| US All Cap Growth Stock | Russell 3000 Growth Total Return |
| US All Cap Value Stock | Russell 3000 Value Total Return |
| US Large Cap Stock | S&P 500 Total Return |
| US Large Cap Growth Stock | Russell 1000 Growth Total Return |
| US Large Cap Value Stock | Russell 1000 Value Total Return |
| US Mid Cap Stock | Russell Mid Cap Total Return |
| US Mid Cap Growth Stock | Russell Mid Cap Growth Total Return |
| US Mid Cap Value Stock | Russell Mid Cap Value Total Return |
| US Small Cap Stock | Russell 2000 Total Return |
| US Small Cap Growth Stock | Russell 2000 Growth Total Return |
| US Small Cap Value Stock | Russell 2000 Value Total Return |
| International Developed Stock | MSCI EAFE Total Return |
| Emerging Markets Stock | MSCI Emerging Markets Total Return |
| US Aggregate Bonds | Bloomberg Aggregate Bonds Total Return |
| US Corporate Bonds | iBoxx US Corporate Total Return |
| US High Yield Bonds | Bloomberg US Corporate HY Total Return |
| Long-term US Gov't Bonds | Bloomberg US Gov't Long Total Return |
| Intermediate-term US Gov't Bonds | Bloomberg US Gov't Int Total Return |
| Short-Term US Gov't Bonds | Bloomberg US Gov't Short Total Return |
| Municipal Bonds | Bloomberg Muni Bond Total Return |
| Cash Equivalents | Haver 1-Month T-Bill Total Return |
| REITs | NAREIT Composite Total Return |
| Commodities | S&P GSCI Commodities Total Return |