Investor Diversification - An Individual Decision For The Small Investor
Probably everyone can identify with the old proverb "don't put all your eggs in one basket". We all know is makes sense not to encourage such risk. The same thoughts can be applied to our investment portfolios - no one likes to think they will lose money. We are told to diversify our risk, but is investor diversification the best plan for everyone?
Depending where you are in your investment life your acceptance of risk, known as your risk profile, will change. As a young parent your risk level may be low - it is hard enough to save the money, you can't afford to lose it. As your move into your main earnings years you are a little more risk attuned. You have the ability to weather any particular losses and time to make up those losses. When you have reached retirement and are living off those investments your risk profile may be low again. In all those stages the level of portfolio diversification is likely to be different.
Diversification has an inherent flaw. If you are minimizing your risk, you may at the same time be minimizing your gains also. If we only invest in one stock we miss out on the opportunity to invest in three other stock picks which are having stellar returns.
For the small investor size also matters. He will not have the bottomless investment pool to be able to buy significant quantities of the prescribed, balances share portfolio, plus the property investments plus the fixed income options. Or if he tries he will end up with uneconomically sized parcels.
There definitely examples out there of people who have specialized and reaped the benefits of that specialization; Henry ford and Bill Gates are two examples. But such successes there are numerous others who have been burned by one big bad investment wiping their portfolio.
Investor diversification is different for every investor - just make sure you know what your options are. - 23310
Depending where you are in your investment life your acceptance of risk, known as your risk profile, will change. As a young parent your risk level may be low - it is hard enough to save the money, you can't afford to lose it. As your move into your main earnings years you are a little more risk attuned. You have the ability to weather any particular losses and time to make up those losses. When you have reached retirement and are living off those investments your risk profile may be low again. In all those stages the level of portfolio diversification is likely to be different.
Diversification has an inherent flaw. If you are minimizing your risk, you may at the same time be minimizing your gains also. If we only invest in one stock we miss out on the opportunity to invest in three other stock picks which are having stellar returns.
For the small investor size also matters. He will not have the bottomless investment pool to be able to buy significant quantities of the prescribed, balances share portfolio, plus the property investments plus the fixed income options. Or if he tries he will end up with uneconomically sized parcels.
There definitely examples out there of people who have specialized and reaped the benefits of that specialization; Henry ford and Bill Gates are two examples. But such successes there are numerous others who have been burned by one big bad investment wiping their portfolio.
Investor diversification is different for every investor - just make sure you know what your options are. - 23310
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posted by Mr. Forex at
3:21 PM
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