Spreading Risk and Maximizing Returns in Investments

Spreading Risk and Maximizing Returns in Investments

Everyone in the world is so keen on earning money that sometimes people forget how to effectively invest it. While investing one’s hard earned savings, they must remember to be as efficient as they can. To do this, people use a technique called “asset diversification” that can provide significant growth while ensuring stability in their portfolio. 

What is asset diversification?:

The term “asset diversification” is not just some secret code word on Wall Street, it is the mindset that the top 1% has. Instead of putting all of their money into one stock, the world’s richest spread their money over different stocks, sectors, and other assets. For example, instead of buying $10,000 worth of one blue-chip stock such as Apple or Netflix, smart investors would distribute that $10,000 over various stocks. Why do they do this? Well the answer is simple. Let’s suppose the one stock that someone invested everything in has a bad year— this could cause the person to lose a consequential amount of money due to a foolish mistake. However, if the investor’s portfolio is diverse and spread out throughout different sectors, a bad year for one company will not crash the entire portfolio. Moreover, some investors even like to invest into other assets such as real estate and bonds so that a stock market or housing crash does not cause them to lose their entire savings.

Strategies for effective asset diversification:

While deciding how to arrange the puzzle pieces of diversifying your assets, investors should follow three simple steps. Firstly, find out how much they are willing to invest. It may not always be a good idea to invest everything that someone has saved, so it is wise to start out slow. Secondly, investors should find assets that they know about and are comfortable with. The most common assets are stocks, real estate, and bonds. Lastly, it is important for an investor to identify what they are looking for from their investments. If the investor is looking to invest long-term for college or retirement, then they should invest in the stock market. Although the stock market may be unpredictable in the short-term, it provides great growth for long-term goals. On the other hand, bonds are a great option for a short-term investment because they keep the value of the money stable and do not depreciate as much as stocks may. 

Completing the puzzle of asset diversification is a symbol of intellect and wisdom. Like all puzzles, adjustments are going to have to be made. Even the most experienced investors have realized that they cannot perfect everything at once. Mistakes are important for learning, but it is imperative that investors follow the three simple steps of asset diversification: determine the money they will invest, determine the assets they will invest in, and determine the terms of their desired investments. By diversifying their portfolios, investors can ensure financial success without having to stress about the poor performance of merely one investment.

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Rishikesh Ravi
Editor
Natalie Chen
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