Is there an app that invests defensively for me? The Portfolios built for downturns

I'm Chris, one of the co-founders of Autopilot. Defensive means very different things depending on who built the Portfolio.

One holds boring companies. One bets the market falls. One uses an AI model to pick what might hold up in a recession. They're not interchangeable, so here's what each one is actually built around.

One thing first, because we're an SEC-registered investment adviser and I have to say it. Autopilot is the app. The actual investment advice comes from Autopilot Advisers, LLC. If you want the full legal version of anything in here, it's on our disclaimer page.

1) First, what defensive can't mean

No Portfolio shields you from losses. A defensive Portfolio is built around a view of what should hold up better in a bad market, or what might rise when others fall. That's a design goal, not a promise.

And every defensive design has a cost. In a strong market, defensive Portfolios usually lag. That's what you pay for the design.

2) The steady-companies approach

The Squeeze, from EliteTrade.Club, an independent Pilot, holds consumer staples: food, household goods, beverages, and discount retail. The description's logic is that people keep buying groceries and toothpaste in a recession. It's covered in EliteTrade.Club's Portfolios on Autopilot.

Actively Defensive, from InTheMoney, an independent Pilot, positions defensively using geopolitical, economic, and market analysis, with stagflation and recession named as the risks it accounts for.

3) The bet-it-falls approach

The Panic Button, also from InTheMoney, holds inverse ETFs that rise when the broad market falls, and its Pilot adjusts leverage to the downside. Its own description warns against holding it on its own.

For those unaware, inverse and leveraged ETFs generally reset daily and can lose value over time even when the market falls. This is the most aggressive tool on this page. InTheMoney's full lineup is in InTheMoney's Portfolios on Autopilot.

4) The scenario approach

IT'S A BUBBLE is an Autopilot Portfolio, created and managed by Autopilot Advisers. It holds 15 equal-weight assets built around a sharp decline after a period of euphoria, modeled on 2007 to 2008. Its own page is IT'S A BUBBLE.

The AI Recession Portfolio, from Dr. Lira's AI Finance Labs, an independent Pilot, uses a GPT model and macro data as part of the lab's process to pick assets it considers more resilient in downturns. Its page is The AI Recession Portfolio.

5) How to choose

I want to be honest with you. Nobody times downturns reliably. So the question isn't which one will save you. It's which one you'd hold through a strong market without getting frustrated and selling.

A staples Portfolio lags quietly. An inverse Portfolio can bleed. A scenario Portfolio waits for a scenario. Pick the kind of waiting you can live with, and keep it to a slice of your money.

6) How following works

Pick a Portfolio, connect the brokerage you already use, and allocate money. You give Autopilot Advisers limited authority to send orders to the account you already have. When the Portfolio changes, we send them and your broker fills them. The money stays put.

A flat cash subscription, not a percentage of your balance. Per our Form CRS dated February 2026, Basic Tier has no Base Advisory and Licensing Fee, and Premium Tier is $29.99 to $199.99 a quarter or $99.99 to $699.99 a year. Pilot subscriptions are separate and add on for each Pilot you subscribe to. Because it's a flat dollar amount, it's a bigger share of a small account than a big one, so do the math at your balance.

TLDR: Defensive Portfolios on Autopilot come in three kinds: steady companies like consumer staples, inverse funds that bet the market falls, and scenario Portfolios built for recessions or crashes. None shields you from loss, and all of them usually lag in strong markets.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an app that invests defensively for me?

Autopilot has several Portfolios built around downturns: consumer staples and defensively positioned Portfolios, an inverse-fund Portfolio, and scenario Portfolios built for recessions or crashes. None can shield you from losses, and they usually lag in strong markets.

bear market portfolio app

The Portfolios differ a lot. Some hold steadier companies, one uses inverse and leveraged funds that bet the market falls, and some are built around a specific downturn scenario. Read each description before choosing.

Can I follow a defensive portfolio in my own brokerage account?

Yes. Pick one in the app, connect the brokerage you already use, and allocate money. When the Portfolio changes, Autopilot Advisers sends the orders and your broker fills them.

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Since Autopilot Advisers is an SEC-registered investment adviser, we have to put disclaimers on stuff like this. They're below, and the full version is on our disclaimer page.

Disclosures

© Autopilot Holdings Corporation 2026 — All rights reserved. “Autopilot” refers to Autopilot Holdings Corporation and its wholly-owned, and separately managed subsidiaries, including Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. All investing is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal invested, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at joinautopilot.com/disclaimer.

This information is provided by Autopilot for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation, an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy any security. Autopilot relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including information from Clients, Pilots and other third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information. Autopilot does not provide tax or legal advice and you are encouraged to consult with professionals before making investment decisions.

Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the companies listed, described, or featured on its site. Company logos or trademarks used do not imply endorsement and are the property of their respective owners.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon before investing through Autopilot.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Autopilot is available in our Form ADV Part 2A, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov or joinautopilot.com/adv.

Autopilot provides limited investment advisory services focused on Portfolio selection and suitability assessment. Our services are not intended to replace comprehensive financial planning. We recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor regarding your complete financial situation.

This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. You should consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult with qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not hold client assets. All investments are held at the brokerage firm you select and connect to Autopilot. Your brokerage firm is responsible for trade execution, custody, and reporting. Autopilot is not responsible for your broker-dealer’s services, fees, or execution quality.

Autopilot’s services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity. System outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing.

Client account holdings are designed to track the Portfolio you’ve selected, but your actual holdings and performance may differ from the Portfolio due to execution timing, market conditions, brokerage capacity constraints, fractional share availability, and other factors outside Autopilot’s control.

For Portfolios inspired by publicly disclosed trading activity, there may be a delay between when a Pilot executes a trade and when that trade becomes publicly available and is incorporated into the Portfolio. This timing delay may affect the suitability or performance of trades when executed in client accounts.

Third-Party Pilot Portfolios are created and managed by independent third parties who are not affiliated with Autopilot, are not acting as your investment adviser, and owe you no fiduciary duty. Third-Party Pilots receive a share of the fees attributable to their Portfolios, which creates conflicts of interest for them and for Autopilot, and they may trade the same securities their Portfolios hold. Autopilot may convert a Third-Party Pilot Portfolio to an Autopilot Portfolio at any time.

IT'S A BUBBLE is created and managed by Autopilot Advisers, LLC; it is general and impersonal in nature, and Autopilot may change or close it at any time. Inverse and leveraged exchange-traded funds are complex products that generally reset daily and can lose value over time; they may not be suitable for most investors. Autopilot does not use AI to construct Portfolios, advise clients, or select investments; model outputs are inputs to the Pilot's own process and are not predictions of future results. Defensive strategies may underperform in rising markets and do not prevent losses. Listing is not an endorsement of a Pilot or strategy. Fee amounts are quoted from Form CRS dated February 2026 and may change.