Target - date funds with
high allocations to equities tend to be more tax - efficient (few capital gains and dividend distributions) making them more suited for taxable accounts.
Participants in plans in which employer contributions are made in company stock appear to decrease
allocations to equity funds and to increase the allocation of company stock in self - directed balances.
As can be expected, the average annual return of a portfolio increases
with allocation to equities, but generally so does the number of down years as well as the maximum annual loss.
Generally speaking, beating your mortgage cost will require a
larger allocation to equities, which can entail substantial amounts of portfolio volatility.
The greater allocation to high - yield bonds is offset somewhat by the
lower allocation to equities, which has fallen from over 55 % to less than 40 %.
Investors who are well - diversified have probably been hurt but not to the extent of those with a
heavy allocation to equities and other areas that have been hit.
When market valuations are low the value investor should take advantage of the improved probability of higher prices by increasing
portfolio allocation to equities.
Similarly, adding a 10 % listed property
allocation to the equity portion of a 60 % S&P / NZX 50 and 40 % S&P / NZX Composite Investment Grade Bond Index portfolio resulted in a further reduction in volatility and higher risk - adjusted return over the trailing five - year period.
At that time, Morningstar found short - dated funds, like 2010 target date funds, had the widest range
of allocations to equity investments that: ``... span a startling range of equity allocations — from 72 percent to 26 percent.
I think that there was an article on here once about using either LS80 / 20 and LS20 / 80 (or 60/40 and 40/60) in tandem to fine -
tune allocations to equities and bonds but I can't find it at the moment.
They first plotted each individual's recommended
allocation to equities on a chart, alongside the equity glide path for a balanced fund.
The use of these metrics assumes that AA is determined after the risks of the individual securities is considered - a higher
allocation to equity if the securities are lower risk, and vice versa.
But within that constraint, equity allocation is raised when the investor is behind the goal (the probability of ruin is higher), and, conversely,
allocation to equities falls when the investor is on target.
Dynamic Fund Allocation balances equity and debt exposure in the portfolio by automatic allocation of fund value as per predetermined percentages — higher
allocation to equities in the initial policy years for generating potentially higher returns, and later, higher allocation to debt as the policy nears maturity to protect the maturity value.
To some extent, the super sector's relatively
large allocation to equities, which are, in principle, easily liquefied, but relatively small allocation to fixed income, which is not easily liquefied, may reflect some of these liquidity considerations.
To demonstrate the framework, Idzorek explains, the team first ran a hypothetical plan of 10 participants of different ages through Morningstar's managed account engine to come up with a
recommended allocation to equities.
«The largest pension plan in the world is Japanese, and they're increasing
their allocations to equities, and that's going to represent quite a large amount of money going into the markets.
Still, you should understand your target - date fund's risk profile, starting with its glide path — the way the fund reduces
its allocation to equities as the year of your retirement approaches.
We believe the Standard and Poor's 500 Index will rise to 2,000 by the end of 2014, which implies a price return of about 11 %... While that gain would be less than in 2013, our view is still higher than the consensus view on Wall Street... Take note that
allocations to equities (53 %) are lower than the benchmark (65 %).
The rule follows the approach used by Benjamin Graham in his book The Intelligent Investor, whereby
the allocation to equities is reduced after the stock market has run up a lot, and increased after the market has gone down a lot.
Specifically, be sure
your allocation to equity funds fits your investment timeframe and risk tolerance.
But the years leading up to retirement tend to be your highest - earning years and
an allocation to equities can boost your retirement portfolio.
Equity volatility is frequently used to hedge equity portfolios, but some bond portfolios may also stand to benefit from
an allocation to equity volatility.