# Brinson Attribution Calculator

Free Brinson attribution calculator: allocation, selection, and interaction effects, portfolio vs benchmark returns, waterfall, heatmap, and residual check.

Canonical URL: https://exclam.ai/cfa/brinson-attribution-calculator/

CFA portfolio management tool

Break active return into allocation, selection, and interaction effects, then reconcile portfolio return back to benchmark return with segment-level diagnostics.

Examples

## Load an attribution case

Baseline

Clean active return reconciliation

Load

Weights sum to 100%, effects reconcile cleanly, and all three Brinson components are visible.

Best first case for checking the math bridge.

Allocation

Overweight lagging segment

Load

Portfolio overweights a benchmark laggard, creating a negative allocation effect even with some security selection.

Shows how weight decisions can dominate active return.

Selection

Security selection alpha

Load

Weights are close to benchmark, so most active return comes from better portfolio returns inside segments.

Selection bars should drive the active return.

Audit

Weights do not sum to 100%

Load

Deliberately unbalanced weights demonstrate the warning and residual trust checks.

The calculator does not silently normalize inputs.

## Segments

Add row

| Segment | Portfolio weight | Benchmark weight | Portfolio return | Benchmark return |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  | % | % | % | % |  |
|  | % | % | % | % |  |
|  | % | % | % | % |  |
|  | % | % | % | % |  |

Portfolio return

6.30%

Benchmark return

5.01%

Active return

1.29%

Residual

-0.0000%

Active return minus attribution effects

Live interpretation

- Active return is 1.29%; total attribution explains 1.29%.
- The largest current driver is selection, with allocation 0.230%, selection 0.740%, and interaction 0.320%.
- Portfolio weights sum to 100.00% and benchmark weights sum to 100.00%.
- Residual is effectively zero, so the attribution bridge reconciles.

## Portfolio vs benchmark weights

Figure: Portfolio and benchmark weights by segment

Hover or focus a bar to inspect the value.

## Stacked effect bars

Allocation, selection, and interaction are stacked per segment so positive and negative drivers are easy to isolate.

Figure: Stacked Brinson effects by segment

AllocationSelectionInteractionNegative effect

Hover or focus a segment to inspect the stacked effect.

## Attribution waterfall

Figure: Benchmark return to portfolio return waterfall

Hover or focus a bar to inspect the attribution bridge.

## Contribution heatmap

Brinson effects

Allocation

Selection

Interaction

Total

Equity

0.099%1.000%0.200%1.299%

Fixed Income

0.101%-0.400%0.100%-0.199%

Alternatives

-0.000%0.140%0.020%0.160%

Cash

0.030%0.000%0.000%0.030%

Hover or focus a cell to inspect the diagnostic value.

## Reconciliation

Allocation effect

0.230%

Selection effect

0.740%

Interaction effect

0.320%

Total attribution

1.290%

## Attribution table

| Segment | Allocation | Selection | Interaction | Total effect |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Equity | 0.099% | 1.000% | 0.200% | 1.299% |
| Fixed Income | 0.101% | -0.400% | 0.100% | -0.199% |
| Alternatives | -0.000% | 0.140% | 0.020% | 0.160% |
| Cash | 0.030% | 0.000% | 0.000% | 0.030% |

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## FAQ

Which Brinson model does this calculator use?

It uses Brinson-Hood-Beebower attribution with allocation, selection, and interaction effects.

Does the calculator normalize weights?

No. It warns when portfolio or benchmark weights do not sum to 100%, but it keeps the entered weights so the reconciliation remains transparent.

What does the residual mean?

The residual is active return minus the total attribution effect. With complete segment data and weights that sum to 100%, it should be approximately zero.