As an alternative, the investor could still choose the same asset classes, but now can
diversify among those asset classes.
In fact, some estimates say that a diversified mix of assets in a portfolio is responsible for 90 % of its long - term returns.2 Everyone's retirement goals and risk tolerance varies, but
diversifying among asset classes can help create customized strategies to achieve individual needs.
Form a prudent asset allocation based on this philosophy: Asset allocation is how a portfolio is
diversified among asset classes.
Not exact matches
However, within a given portfolio, an investor can maximize return for a given level of risk by
diversifying among several uncorrelated
asset classes.
So
diversifying among the three
asset classes brings balance to your account.
It's also important that you
diversify among different
asset classes.
You can reduce risk associated with individual stocks, but general market risks affect nearly every stock, and so it is also important to
diversify among different
asset classes.
Keep in mind the goals of
diversifying among market segments, which is to reduce the major risks of the major
asset classes (stock market risk for stocks and interest rate risk for bonds).
They will then
diversify among investments within the
assets classes, such as by selecting stocks from various sectors that tend to have low return correlation, or by choosing stocks with different market capitalizations.
If you're not sure whether your portfolio is sufficiently
diversified, you can plug the names or ticker symbols of your funds or ETFs into Morningstar's Instant X-Ray tool, and you'll see how your various holdings break down by,
among other things,
asset class, market sector and investing style.
Allocation of
assets among asset classes may hurt performance, and efforts to
diversify risk through the use of leverage and allocation decisions may not be successful.
One: Academic research has reached an overwhelming consensus that investors have better long - term outcomes when they
diversify widely
among asset classes, industries, company sizes, and orientation between value stocks and growth stocks.
Diversifying among and within
asset classes is one part of the equation.
Because no single
asset class outperforms the others consistently,
diversifying broadly
among several
asset classes can help even out the ups and downs in a retirement savings over time.
They will then
diversify among investments within the
assets classes, such as by selecting stocks from various sectors that tend to have low return correlation, or by choosing stocks with different market capitalizations.
A person's overall portfolio should also
diversify among different
asset classes — meaning allocating a certain percentage to bonds, commodities, real estate, alternative
assets and so on.
But concentrating all your
assets in your home country, even if you're
diversified among sectors and
asset classes, is actually more risky than holding a global portfolio.
Personally, I will continue to avoid potentially «hot» investments and focus on maintaining a broadly
diversified portfolio with low correlations
among asset classes.
Even though all the
assets in a dividend growth portfolio are in the single
asset class stocks, we saw above how you can mitigate risk to your dividend stream by
diversifying among a variety of economic sectors, industries, companies with different dividend characteristics, and the like.
This is why you need to also
diversify your investments
among and within
asset classes.
A better way to protect your
assets is to
diversify among many equity
asset classes.