Can Bobby Beat the Index? I Tested It with $10,000 in Simulated Funds
Alice
June 3, 2025 · 4 min read
🧭 The Challenge: AI vs. Index
Passive investing has long reigned supreme. “Just buy the index,” they say. And statistically? They’re not wrong.
But what happens when you give an intelligent, adaptive AI tool $10,000 and let it run wild?
That’s exactly what I set out to test — with Bobby, RockFlow’s AI investing app, and its AI Portfolio simulation feature.
My question was simple:
Can Bobby beat the S&P 500 using its real-time data and quant trading logic?
📌 Setup: How I Designed the Test
✅ Initial Rules
- Capital: $10,000 (virtual funds)
- Time Frame: 90-day simulation
- Benchmark: SPY (S&P 500 ETF)
- Strategy Type: AI Portfolio selected and generated by Bobby
- Adjustments: None. Set it and watch.
🎯 Bobby’s Strategy Profile
After asking Bobby to “Build a moderately aggressive portfolio that can outperform the market short-term,” it generated:
- Portfolio Title: “Momentum Pulse: Mid-Cap Tech & Global Growth”
- Allocation:
- 45% U.S. mid-cap growth ETFs
- 25% international innovation stocks
- 20% bond ladder for stability
- 10% cash buffer
📈 1. Week 1–3: Rough Start, Steady Logic
In the first few weeks, Bobby’s portfolio underperformed the S&P by 1.6%. Mid-cap tech was soft, and international equities faced currency headwinds.
But Bobby’s portfolio was designed with volatility buffers, which meant:
- Lower drawdowns than SPY during two red days
- More consistent daily returns due to the bond sleeve
- Cash reserves left untouched for tactical buys
This is where Bobby’s AI for invest approach really stood out:
It didn’t just chase returns. It structured resilience.
🔄 2. Week 4–6: Strategy Strength Kicks In
Momentum rotated.
Bobby’s international exposure started outperforming as AI sectors rallied globally. Meanwhile, SPY stalled due to mixed earnings and interest rate noise.
At this point:
- Bobby’s simulated return: +4.3%
- SPY return: +2.7%
The difference came from smart sector rotation — not blind bets. Bobby had weighted positions according to short-term momentum scores generated via its quant trading engine.
🧠 Why Bobby’s Outperformance Was Earned
Here’s what Bobby got right:
- Dynamic Allocation: It avoided sector overexposure and used mixed-asset layering.
- Quant Signals: Holdings were based on real-time earnings momentum, not last year’s winners.
- Risk Management: The bond layer absorbed shocks, which helped preserve capital during turbulence.
This wasn’t luck. It was structured thinking — the kind of thinking that most retail investors don’t have time (or tools) to do.
🏁 Final Result After 90 Days
| Metric | Bobby AI Portfolio | SPY (S&P 500) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Return | [object Object] | +5.4% |
| Max Drawdown | -2.6% | -4.2% |
| Volatility (std dev) | 10.4% | 13.9% |
| Sharpe Ratio | [object Object] | 0.91 |
🧩 What I Learned from the Experiment
Bobby isn’t about predicting the future — it’s about positioning with logic. It used:
- AI trading models tuned to recent signals
- Real-time data from over 100 streams
- A diversified, dynamically built portfolio based on risk profile and style
But more than anything, it taught me that AI investing apps can be more than reactive tools. They can be proactive partners — and beat the market with discipline.
📢 Bonus: Publish Your Results in Strategy Square
After the simulation ended, Bobby let me turn this AI Portfolio into a public Star Strategy, complete with tracking and sharing features.
Now other RockFlow users can follow my strategy — and I can earn rewards if they do.
Final Thoughts
Can Bobby beat the index?
In this test — yes. But even more impressive than the result was the process:
It was structured, logical, personalized, and emotionally detached.
That’s what AI for invest is really about: giving people the tools to build better strategies without being swayed by hype or fear.
So if you're sitting on cash or wondering what your index alternative could look like, try asking Bobby. Then simulate it, study it, and maybe — just maybe — publish your own.
