Tracking your investments is important to avoid over-diversification (2024)

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Tracking your investments is important to avoid over-diversification

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Tracking your investments is important to avoid over-diversification (1)
Capitalstars Investment Advisor

No additional diversification is provided by investing in more funds beyond a point. Tracking is important.

Flying blind is a commonly used phrase for doing something without having any idea of where one is going. Of course, in case of actual flying, it’s okay because aircraft have instruments that enable pilots to fly when nothing is visible outside. Investors don’t have access to such instruments. Or perhaps they do, but more on that later. I find that because my general interaction is mostly with people who have at least some awareness of savings and investing, interactions with others sometimes come as a shock.

Recently, an acquaintance who is in his early 50s years came to meet me. Like many people, his career, which is in the hospitality industry, has taken a negative turn and he is earning a lot less than he used to. He wants to retire at some point not too far into the future. Most years in the past, he has saved money by making at least the tax-saving investments. Generally, this has been in PPF. He has also made some mutual fund investments, always driven by some agent or the other whom he came across in his profession. In recent years, he had also made a beginning with the National Pension System (NPS).

Overall, apart from his PPF deposits and NPS, he has investments in about 70 funds. This is a shocking number of funds to have invested in. Unfortunately, it’s not all that uncommon. People whose fund investments have been driven by salespeople for many years commonly have investments in a lot of funds. In the years past, salespeople got a high commission when the saver put his money into a fund, but much lower later. The incentive was to keep talking the saver into investing in newer and newer funds under the garb of diversification.

Investors think that the way to achieve diversification is to invest in lots of funds. However, the truth is that no additional diversification is provided by investing in more funds beyond a point. Mutual funds are not an investment by themselves. They are a way of holding the underlying investments which, for equity funds, stock. The reason why too much diversification is pointless is that the stocks held by similar funds tend to be a similar set. Beyond a small number like five or six, when you add more funds, you are generally adding more stocks that are similar or identical to what you already have.

You are also flying blind. My friend had no sane way of monitoring 70 funds or even having a clear idea of their returns and weights in his investment portfolios. Upon my exhortations, he entered all his investments into the ‘My Investments’ tracking system. The mutual funds, he was just able to import at one shot from the combined account statement that can be obtained from the CAMS website. Entering NPS and PPF was also simple. Now, he was no longer flying blind. On a consolidated basis, he had about Rs 75 lakh in all, out of which about half was in PPF, about Rs 3 lakh in NPS and the rest in that huge pile of 70 funds. However, the toolset on Value Research Online also helped him make sense of all these things. Not only did he get a clear idea of which of these to sell off, but also the tax liability he would face on selling.

Now, Rs 75 lakh is not much of a retirement kitty for a middle-class family nowadays. My friend will make do because he is lucky to have some inherited property. However, the fact is that if he had stopped flying a decade ago, he would have been in a much, much better position today. With the tools and information available today (mostly for free), ignorance of one’s own finances has no excuse.

We will be happy to help you to select your mutual fund plan. Get more details here: Mcx Tips, Derivative-Free Trial, Stock tips Call on:9977499927

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Investment trading in securities market is always subjected to market risks, past performance is not a guarantee of future performance. CapitalStars Investment Adviser: SEBI Registration Number: INA000001647

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Tracking your investments is important to avoid over-diversification (2024)

FAQs

Why is it important to keep track of your investments? ›

It's important to review your investments regularly to make sure they're performing as expected. And check whether you're on track to reach your financial goals.

What are the dangers of over diversification in investments? ›

The biggest risk of over-diversification is that it reduces a portfolio's returns without meaningfully reducing its risk. Each new investment added to a portfolio lowers its overall risk profile. Simultaneously, these incremental additions also reduce the portfolio's expected return.

Why is diversification important to have in investments? ›

Diversification can help investors mitigate losses during periods of stock market and economic uncertainty. Different asset classes and types of investments perform differently at different times and are based on different impacts of certain market conditions. This can help minimize overall portfolio losses.

What is diversification and what does it help you avoid? ›

Diversification involves spreading your investment dollars among different types of assets to help temper market volatility.

What is the importance of monitoring your investment? ›

Monitoring your investment helps you know the future growth of the invested value and its future returns. It helps in estimating the interest in the investment and helps in knowing about the security on the investment plan.

How can I keep track of my investments? ›

Investment trackers: 5 ways to monitor your stock portfolio
  1. Use online tracking services: robo-advisors and brokerages. ...
  2. Investment tracking with personal finance apps. ...
  3. Create a DIY portfolio tracker with spreadsheets. ...
  4. Use desktop apps for investment tracking. ...
  5. Start using a trading journal to track your stock portfolio.

What are 3 disadvantages of diversification? ›

Diversification is not without challenges and drawbacks, however. It can also expose you to several risks, such as losing focus, diluting your brand identity, increasing your costs and complexity, facing more competition, and failing to meet customer expectations.

What are the effects of investment diversification? ›

Portfolio diversification is a crucial investment strategy that helps mitigate risks and optimise returns in financial markets. By spreading investments across various asset classes, sectors, and geographical regions, investors can create a balanced portfolio that minimises exposure to individual market fluctuations.

What are the negative side of diversification? ›

However, too much diversification can be considered a bad thing and lead to diworsification. Just like a lumbering corporate conglomerate, owning too many investments can be confusing, increase investment costs, add layers of required due diligence, and lead to below-average risk-adjusted returns.

Why is it important to have diversity with your investments? ›

Diversifying can put you in better position to withstand dips in performance and therefore stay the course as you work towards reaching your financial goals. That way if your portfolio is skewed heavily to one asset and they happen to perform poorly, you're not forced to sell low and accept major losses.

What is the simplest form of investment? ›

Cash. A cash bank deposit is the simplest, most easily understandable investment asset—and the safest. It not only gives investors precise knowledge of the interest that they'll earn but also guarantees that they'll get their capital back.

What is the largest benefit of diversification in your investments? ›

When you diversify your investments, you reduce the amount of risk you're exposed to in order to maximize your returns. Although there are certain risks you can't avoid, such as systematic risks, you can hedge against unsystematic risks like business or financial risks.

Which risk can be avoided through diversification? ›

Unsystematic risk can be mitigated through diversification, and so is also known as diversifiable risk. Once diversified, investors are still subject to market-wide systematic risk. Total risk is unsystematic risk plus systematic risk.

What are the three importance of diversification? ›

Diversified portfolio

Combining all three asset classes in your portfolio can help you benefit from the growth potential of equities and while you enjoy the increased stability and lower risk provided by cash and fixed income investments.

What is diversification and how it can reduce investment risk? ›

Diversification lowers your portfolio's risk because different asset classes do well at different times. If one business or sector fails or performs badly, you won't lose all your money. Having a variety of investments with different risks will balance out the overall risk of a portfolio.

Why is it important to research your investments? ›

Market Insight: Comprehensive market analysis helps in identifying trends, potential opportunities, and threats within the broader economic environment. Informed Decision Making: Detailed research equips investors with the knowledge to make decisions that align with their financial goals and risk tolerance.

Why is it important to keep investors informed? ›

Informed investors are better equipped to develop and refine their investment strategies. By staying abreast of market news and expert analysis, investors can make well-informed decisions aligned with their investment objectives, whether pursuing growth opportunities, preserving capital, or generating income.

Why is it important to study investments? ›

Investing can help individuals become financially literate, understand the relationship between income, expenses, assets, and liabilities, and make informed financial decisions. Soft skills such as emotional control, self-discipline, and time management can be honed through investing.

Why is it important to manage investment portfolio? ›

Portfolio management will allow you to consider your past investments while developing your new investment strategy. You can make an informed decision after considering the age factor, risk propensity, income, and budget. This comprehensive decision-making process will eliminate the risk of huge losses.

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