Skip to main content

Asset allocation - Basics

Invest Mutual Funds Online

Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India) 

You need to ensure your asset allocation ratio is always in line with your risk appetite. This is even more so when the markets are volatile. A sharp market movement can change the values of specific asset classes in a portfolio.


   As an investor, have you ever stuck to one product for your portfolio? Chances are no. You would have shifted from one investment option to another depending on the preference of your peer group. It could well have been debt in the 90s, equity in mid-2000, and gold in the last couple of years.


   Has the strategy been very effective? Yes and no could be the answer. It would have proved very effective if the timing was perfect and you would have got it all wrong if you had chased an investment product at the wrong time or at its peak. Adopting the second strategy is a lot easier than the first one. So, in effect, timing the market for any product is a challenging task. The best way to make use of different products is by following the asset allocation pattern.


   If the decision to allocate money across different products is a tough challenge, managing and maintaining it is even tougher a challenge. Due to variance in performances of different products, maintaining the percentage of allocation is even tougher. Hence, the asset allocation strategy requires greater discipline, better time management with respect to fund needs and long-term planning. While many know this, the challenge has been more with respect to implementation. Here are some tips to help you maintain asset allocation according to your needs:

Plan needs    

Plan your financial needs according to the short, medium and long terms. The classification will make the choice of product a lot easier. For instance, short-term needs can do away with products like property or equity, and focus on a narrow range of options.


   On the other hand, for long-term needs you need not worry about fluctuations in the performances of products in the short term.

Sustained monitoring    

Any wealth creation requires continuous focus and regular review. This could be in the form of sustained contribution at regular intervals or enhancing the contributions to the investment process. For instance, no investor can invest a sum of Rs 5 lakhs at one go for his long-term needs for the next 20-25 years in the current scenario. A 25-year-old professional may hate the prospect of investing on a monthly or annual basis for his retirement though he has the alternate option of investing Rs 20-25 lakhs at one go. At the age of 25, not many (you could even say nobody) will have access to such funds and hence, accumulation is the only option.


   It is in this context, that a regular review is a necessity, not because of the long-term nature of the investment process but also due to the change in investment capabilities of an investor. In 1995, there would have been only a handful of investors who had the ability to invest Rs 1 lakh on a monthly basis. Today, many middle income families have been managing to do that without a fret. Hence, it is important to scale up the investment amount at regular intervals to counter the inflation rate and take care of the long-term needs in life. The change is not restricted to the supply side (investment capabilities) as even the demand (fund needs) undergoes change at a rapid pace.

New options    

While asset allocation is a necessity, the basket of products needs to be reviewed, and additions and deletions may become a necessity at regular intervals. Since every decade has witnessed the emergence of new options, commitment to a single product over a very long period of time may not be feasible. Instead, move your money across products based on their risk profile.

Happy Investing!!

We can help. Call 0 94 8300 8300 (India)

Leave your comment with mail ID and we will answer them

OR

You can write back to us at PrajnaCapital [at] Gmail [dot] Com

 

---------------------------------------------

Invest Mutual Funds Online

Transact Mutual Fund Online

Download Mutual Fund Application Forms from all AMCs

Download Mutual Fund Application Forms

Best Performing Mutual Funds

    1. Largecap Funds Invest Online
      1. DSP BlackRock Top 100 Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Focused Blue Chip Fund
      3. Birla Sun Life Front Line Equity Fund
    2. Large and Midcap Funds Invest Online

      1. ICICI Prudential Dynamic Plan
      2. HDFC Top 200 Fund
      3. UTI Dividend Yield Fund
    1. Mid and SmallCap Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Equity Opportunities Fund
      2. DSP BlackRock Small & Midcap Fund
      3. Sundaram Select Midcap
      4. IDFC Premier Equity Fund
    1. Small and MicroCap Funds Invest Online

      1. DSP BlackRock MicroCap Fund
    1. Sector Funds Invest Online

      1. Reliance Banking Fund
      2. Reliance Banking Fund
    1. Tax Saver Mutual  Funds  Invest Online
      1. ICICI Prudential Tax Plan
      2. HDFC Taxsaver
      3. DSP BlackRock Tax Saver Fund
      4. Reliance Tax Saver (ELSS) Fund
    2. Gold Mutual Funds Invest Online

      1. Relaince Gold Savings Fund
      2. ICICI Prudential Regular Gold Savings Fund
      3. HDFC Gold Fund

 

 

Popular posts from this blog

What are the factors affect the changes in Interest Rate of Fixed Deposits?

  What are the factors affect the changes in rate of Fixed Deposits? Fixed Deposits are now considered to be a very old fashioned method of saving, but still attract many investors since they have guaranteed returns at the end of the tenure of the investment at a decent interest rate. There are various factors that affect the rates of interest for a Fixed Deposit. Policies of the Reserve Bank of India   - The several norms and restrictions posed by the Reserve Bank of India , in order to gain optimum control over credit and inflow and outflow of fund throughout the country. The repo rate changes, cash reserve ration tends to change and these changes affect the banking products like Fixed Deposits, loans etc. Recession   - When unemployment in a country crosses the benchmark set Recession hits, and slowly the country faces an economic slow movement, affecting the purchasing power of the people in the country, forcing the Reserve Bank of India to release more funds in the financial marke...
Read more

Understanding Your Cibil Credit Information Report

   WE ARE all familiar with the anxiety and uncertainty that we feel when applying for a loan. After all, it's the lender who decides whether we can own our dream home, our first car, or whether our children can pursue higher education. In a nutshell, a better life depends on the lender's decisions.    While other factors do play a part in the lender's decision, the Cibil Credit Information Report ( CIR ) plays a crucial role in a lender's decision to approve a loan application.    Previously, lenders would treat all loan seekers equally. Each applicant, if approved by the lender's internal credit policy, would be charged at the same interest rate for a particular loan size and purpose. The lenders would charge a higher interest rate to all the borrowers, in order to compensate for the possible default of a small portion of the loan disbursed. In other words, it's like a professor (the lender) punishing an entire class (borrowers) for the mischief played b...
Read more

Capital Protection Oriented Funds

Download Tax Saving Mutual Fund Application Forms Invest In Tax Saving Mutual Funds Online Buy Gold Mutual Funds Leave a missed Call on 94 8300 8300   Capital Protection Oriented Funds   Erosion of capital is one of the key concerns for investors wanting to invest in equity mutual funds. To address this concern, asset management companies have launched Capital Protection Oriented Funds (CPOFs). What are CPOFs? CPOFs are generally three to five-year, closed-ended funds where 70-80% of the portfolio is invested in fixed income securities, which mature on or before the scheme's tenure. The investment in fixed income securities grows to 100% at the end of the tenure, providing the investor with capital protection. The remaining portion (20-30%) is used to take exposure to equity, which provides the upside. Exposure to equities is either by directly buying equity stocks (plain vanilla CPOFs) or by b...
Read more

Mutual Fund Review: ING Dividend Yield

  ING Dividend Yield's small assets enable the fund manager to churn in impressive returns… Strategy The aim of the fund is to invest in stocks which offer a high dividend yield. This fund deploys a value based strategy which aims to gain from investing in fundamentally strong and free cash flow generating businesses. The scheme focuses not only on growth but also on the cash generated by the business, which mostly leads to stable returns even in volatile markets. This fund has a low volatility because of its investment in high yielding stocks. The scheme tries to include stocks that yield dividend above the dividend yield of the Nifty and stocks with liquidity, which throws up a universe of 150 stocks.   Our View Launched in October 2005, this fund invests at least 65 per cent of its assets in high dividend yield stocks. The fund has consistently maintained a mix of stocks across varying market capitalisation, with a higher tilt to mid caps compared to small caps. Howev...
Read more

Good Loan

Why Is It A Good Loan?: Loans against gold are cheaper and better than personal loans as the former are available at lower interest rates. In contrast, the interest rates on personal loans are not standardised and can vary from bank to bank. Also, a personal loan depends on a host of factors including, the borrower's salary, profession and the purpose for which the loan is being taken.      For instance, the interest rate on a personal loan of 5 lakh falls in a wide range of 15-30%. But loans against gold are available for as low as 11%. Secured borrowing such as a loan against gold, investments or property is cheaper because it is backed by some assets, which command a good value at any point of time. If the borrower defaults on the loan, the banks can liquidate the assets to settle the loan account.    Being a secured loan, the risk of default and credit losses is significantly lower in this loan compared to other forms of loan for personal use. Given the lower risk, gold loa...
Read more
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Invest in Tax Saving Mutual Funds Download Any Applications
Transact Mutual Funds Online Invest Online
Buy Gold Mutual Funds Invest Now