How Much Bitcoin and Gold Should Be in a Portfolio?

The short answer: There is no single right number, but Carson Group offers one real-money example. Its unconstrained tactical model holds about 1.5% in bitcoin and about 3% in gold, Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick said on The Pomp Podcast. He said those positions take the place of some bonds, not stocks, as a way to "diversify your diversifiers" at a time when he expects yields to stay "stubbornly high."

Drawing on The Pomp Podcast, hosted by Anthony Pompliano (anthonypompliano.com), with Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group (episode released October 27, 2026).

How much bitcoin and gold belongs in a portfolio is one of the most common questions investors ask, and the answers range from zero to everything. On The Pomp Podcast on October 27, Ryan Detrick, Chief Market Strategist at Carson Group, shared how his team actually does it with real money. Pomp asked about bitcoin, gold and land, three assets he sees as beneficiaries if governments keep printing money. "Yeah, we own all three of them," Detrick said. Here's how Carson sizes them, and why. This describes one firm's approach as shared on the show, not a recommendation for anyone's portfolio.

Small slices. Detrick said Carson's unconstrained tactical model, which can invest in anything, holds "about a one and a half percent allocation to Bitcoin, maybe about a 3 percent allocation to, to gold," along with some other hard and real assets. He said the model is about 68% in stocks.

Carson added gold to its tactical models in late March 2023, during the regional bank crisis, according to Detrick.

Bonds, in Carson's approach. "I wouldn't say like in place of stocks, it's more in place of fixed income," Detrick said. In the old days, he explained, the 32% of the model not in stocks would have been all bonds. "Well, no, that's not the way this works anymore," he said.

That doesn't mean dropping bonds entirely. "You manage a lot of money, you have to own bonds," he said. The idea is to "diversify your diversifiers," a theme Carson has talked about for a long time.

Because Detrick expects yields to stay high, which tends to hurt bond prices. He said Carson has argued all year that yields would be "stubbornly high," backed by strong nominal economic growth. If yields stay high, he said, "bonds probably don't do as well," so it helps to own something else that can diversify a portfolio.

Bonds have struggled. Carson's Barry Gilbert wrote on October 21 that the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index fell 3.5% in the third quarter, its worst quarter since the fourth quarter of 2022, and was down 1.7% for the year as of October 20. "If you own those things, I think you should continue to have those in your portfolio," Detrick said of gold, bitcoin and other real assets.

For more on where yields may be heading, see Will the 10-Year Treasury Yield Hit 6%?

Carson hasn't bought them yet. Pomp asked about the perpetual preferred stocks offered by companies like Strategy and Strive, part of the "digital credit" idea. "No, we haven't, we've looked into them, we know about them," Detrick said. He pointed to compliance requirements and said the team probably needs to do more research. He added that the popularity of these products shows how much investors want higher yields. For background, see What Is Bitcoin Digital Credit?

A large wealth manager running real money is treating bitcoin and gold as small diversifiers, funded mostly from the bond side of the portfolio rather than from stocks. Carson's numbers, about 1.5% bitcoin and 3% gold, are one data point, not a rule. The right amount depends on each investor's goals, time horizon and tolerance for volatility. Bitcoin in particular can swing sharply, which is one reason sizing matters. For recent moves in both assets, see Has Bitcoin Bottomed? and Why Is Gold Falling?

There is no single answer. As one example, Carson Group's unconstrained tactical model holds about 1.5% in bitcoin, according to Chief Market Strategist Ryan Detrick. The right amount depends on your goals and tolerance for volatility.

Carson Group's tactical model holds about 3% in gold, which it added in late March 2023 during the regional bank crisis.

Ryan Detrick says Carson's allocations are "more in place of fixed income," not stocks, though Carson still owns bonds.

It means not relying on bonds alone to offset stock risk, and adding other assets such as gold, bitcoin and real assets alongside them.

Not yet. Ryan Detrick said Carson has looked into products from companies like Strategy and Strive but needs more research and must work within compliance rules.

The Pomp Podcast is hosted by Anthony Pompliano and covers the future of business, finance and technology. The show features Pomp's conversations with founders, investors and economists about bitcoin, markets, AI and the economy. Follow The Pomp Podcast on X.

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This article reflects the opinions of the guests and host as shared on The Pomp Podcast. It is guest opinion, not investment advice. Do your own research before making any investment decision.