Why do you need to do Asset Allocation? - Investment Shastra (2024)

Asset allocationPortfolio Management

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May 1, 2018

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Why doyou need to do Asset Allocation? - Investment Shastra (2)

Last Updated on February 28, 2020

Asset Allocationis the single most important skill of a successful investor

Simply put,Asset Allocation means dividing up your Investable Surplus among different types of investments(e.g. stocks, mutual funds, liquid fund, gold, long-term debt etc.)and in specific proportions according to your goals, risk profile, and stage of life. The trick is to allocate your Investable Surplus in a way that gives maximum returns with minimum risks. Asset Allocation also assures that you diversify, protecting your portfolio from sudden changes in the market.

Most of us manage investment in Equities, and the rest of our savings as two different portfolios. Some people put all their money in a Fixed Deposit or some Fixed Income Fund. So, like it or not, we all do Asset Allocation. But, we do it sub-optimally. We either leave too much on the table for others to make money from our saving, or take more risk than we should. When you look at your Investable Surplus as one portfolio, and allocate it to different Asset classes based on your needs and your risk profile, you can take better decisions.

Why do we need to allocate to Equity and Debt Asset classes?

Two reasons,

  1. Long-term goals fall into two buckets, Security and Growth. Many items in the Security Bucket are a must, and one cannot risk them not being met, when required. However, the market can be at any level when you need money. If the market is down then and, if you have to sell equity assets at a lower price, it will seriously impact your returns. Having both Equity and Debt allows you to manage this better, than when you have 100% Equity in your portfolio.
  2. Possibility of higher Draw-downs, even on paper. There is always noise in media that amplifies things, scaring the best of us. With a large portion in Equity, one runs the risk of higher Draw-downs. When that happens many of Retail Investors, can’t take the loss and exit the market. Even people with aggressive risk profile, wouldn’t be able to take this risk, if their total Investable Surplus is in Equity. Therefore, you need a mix of Equity and Debt. E.g. a 50-50% allocation to Equity & Debt, cushions a 20% fall in Equity by half to 10%, which may be easier to handle and stay invested.

You must do a risk profiling, and then do Asset Allocation—smartly! Watchthisvideoon Asset Allocation.

Do Smart Asset Allocation

You decide,‘How much of your Investable Surplus is allocated to different Asset classes: Growth assets (i.e. Equity) and Debt (i.e. Fixed Income Assets) and gold’. This split isdecided based on your Risk Profilei.e. your Ability and Willingness to take risk. This shows whether you have a Conservative, Moderate or Aggressive Risk Profile. And, the split between Equity and Debt for them is 40-60, to 50-50 to 60-40 respectively.

InSmart Asset Allocation, which is done inMoneyWorks4me Omegasolution, we do the same; except this allocation is used when the market is hovering around it Fair value#.When the market moves well above its fair valueand continues to rise, wereduce the allocation to Equity and move to Debt.Similarly,when it moves below its fair value, weincrease allocation to Equity and reduce Debt.

However, we have aminimum allocation to Debtfor all three different Risk Profiles(i.e. Conservative, Moderate or Aggressive),to ensure thatyou don’t have to liquidate Equity, ifyou require money.

(#How do we assess when the market is at its fair value?:We have been valuing stocks, the top 150-200 stocks for the last 10 years to estimate their fair or full value, what we call as MRP. We also have been computing the Nifty 50 and Sensex 30 index levels, if all the index stocks were at MRP, what we call Nifty@MRP and Sensex@MRP. We have been tracking the movement of these indices vis-à-vis the MRP levels, and assess when the market is over-valued or under-valued. Since, the fair values of stocks go up or down based on the long-term performance of the company, we have a moving line for the indices as well. So, it’s not a staticnumber.)

Watchthevideo on Smart Asset Allocation.

Read the next article to know:How do you reshuffle assets within an Asset class?(Basics)

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Why doyou need to do Asset Allocation? - Investment Shastra (7)

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Why do you need to do Asset Allocation? - Investment Shastra (2024)

FAQs

Why do you need to do Asset Allocation? - Investment Shastra? ›

In addition, asset allocation is important because it has major impact on whether you will meet your financial goal. If you don't include enough risk in your portfolio, your investments may not earn a large enough return to meet your goal.

Why is asset allocation important in investment planning? ›

Asset allocation refers to distributing or allocating your money across multiple asset classes, such as equity, fixed income, debt, cash, and others. The primary purpose of asset allocation is to reduce the risk associated with your investment.

Why is it important to adjust the asset allocation of your investment? ›

Why is it important to adjust the asset allocation of your investment portfolio as you get closer to retirement? To protect your investment earnings in case the stock market goes down. Your portfolio should have a higher allocation toward bonds and cash equivalents right before you retire.

Why asset allocation is important in determining overall investment performance? ›

Every investment comes with its own risks and market fluctuations. Asset allocation insulates your entire portfolio from the ups and downs of a single stock or class of securities.

Why is asset allocation key in investment policy? ›

Asset allocation—the way you divide your portfolio among asset classes—is the first thing you should consider when getting ready to purchase investments, because it has the biggest effect on the way your portfolio will act.

What are the 4 types of asset allocation? ›

There are several types of asset allocation strategies based on investment goals, risk tolerance, time frames and diversification. The most common forms of asset allocation are: strategic, dynamic, tactical, and core-satellite.

What are the three important elements of asset allocation? ›

Asset allocation is the concept of dividing investment money among different asset classes such as equity, debt, gold, and real estate. The appropriate allocation for a client is determined by considering three Ts: time, tolerance to declines, and trade-off in long-term returns.

What is the impact of asset allocation? ›

Another benefit of asset allocation is the ability to take advantage of different market conditions. Each asset class performs differently in various economic environments. For example, stocks tend to perform well during periods of economic growth, while bonds may typically be more stable during economic downturns.

Why does asset allocation work? ›

Asset allocation takes advantage of the principle of diversification to reduce risk. For instance, if you have 30 years until retirement, you can afford to take more risk in exchange for the higher potential returns available in the stock market.

What is the best asset allocation strategy? ›

The 60/40 portfolio dictates a simple split of your assets— 60% for stocks and 40% for bonds. This asset allocation is simple to apply and understand, which may appeal to investors who prefer more of a hands-off approach.

What is the most successful asset allocation? ›

If you are a moderate-risk investor, it's best to start with a 60-30-10 or 70-20-10 allocation. Those of you who have a 60-40 allocation can also add a touch of gold to their portfolios for better diversification. If you are conservative, then 50-40-10 or 50-30-20 is a good way to start off on your investment journey.

Is asset allocation an investment advice? ›

Asset allocation is how investors decide to distribute their investments across various asset classes such as stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents. The goal is to find the right mix of risk versus reward for each investor based on their financial objectives, attitude towards risk, and intended investment time period.

Why is asset allocation diversification important? ›

Asset allocation and diversification can help you strike the right balance between risk and return in your portfolio.

Why is it important to adjust the asset allocation of your investments portfolio as you get closer to retirement? ›

It does make sense to change your portfolio allocation by age. That's because the older you get, the less risk you can tolerate. Put simply, you don't have the time to lose and replenish the capital base in your nest egg. Preservation of capital is important for those who are closer to retirement.

Why do you think it's important to adjust your asset allocation as you get closer to retirement? ›

But as you get older, your investment timeline gets shorter, and you have less time to recover from significant losses. This is why professionals typically recommend that you shift the balance of your portfolio over time to move toward a more and more conservative mix as you near retirement.

Why is it important to rebalance your portfolio? ›

Rebalancing returns the portfolio to its target weights, thereby keeping it within the overall risk tolerance, locking in profits, and buying assets with lower relative valuations (i.e., buying low and selling high).

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