Personal Finance

How to Build a Strong Investment Portfolio

It remains a healthy finance practice to review investment portfolio periodically to ensure maximum returns in the long run.

An investment portfolio, which is a collection of assets, represents all the investments that an investor holds. Take, for instance, stocks and bonds, mutual funds (MFs), exchange-traded funds (ETFs), real estate investment trusts (REITs), and even cryptocurrency, which essentially form part of assets.

As an investor, start by looking at the investment horizon. The longer the investment horizon, the more time to grow investments through compounding.

Besides, staying invested for longer durations allows time to ride out short-term volatility that the market is likely to experience.

In addition, take note of the risk appetite or tolerance and style of investing. For instance, consider the short-term and long-term needs of a family. In case there are immediate needs, an investor should be taking on less risky investments.

Consider the quality of the portfolio and not just the historical returns or performance alone. Also, in case analysing past returns, then try to focus on 10 years or more of returns. However, investing purely based on historical returns makes investing success more of a subject of chance. 

Similarly, take into account the quality of the portfolio, which relates to high profitability, whether that profitability is measured as return on equity (RoE), return on assets (RoA), return on invested capital (RoIC), or whatever profitability an investor may want to consider.

Also, take into consideration the margin of safety, which is the difference between the expected return on an investment or asset and its cost. This should be assessed so that the portfolio is adequately valued. 

In addition, also assess the risk associated with the portfolio and the resilience of the portfolio. Resilient portfolios are known to take measured risk accounting for uncertainty, tend to hold diverse exposures and adapt to changing market conditions in the long run. This includes both known and unknown risks.

Most importantly, make investment decisions based on alignment with personal objectives and goals, which is always to build and manage an investment portfolio in a way to grow the wealth over time.

Share

Recent Posts

Mutual Funds: SIP Inflows Breach Rs 19,000-Crore Mark for the First Time in February ’24

The systematic investment plan (SIP) contribution in February 2024 has crossed a new milestone. The monthly contribution tipped at Rs…

2 months ago

Income-Tax Return: A Brief Note on Annual Information Statement (AIS)

The Income-Tax (I-T) Department has directed taxpayers to access the Annual Information Statement (AIS) via the e-filing official portal and…

2 months ago

Mutual Funds: All About SIP and Market Fluctuations

Considering the vagaries of the stock market, investors often ponder over reevaluating their strategies. Whether to continue to remain invested…

2 months ago

Income-Tax Saving Through Strategic Life Insurance Planning

Financial planning is beyond just investing wisely to save on taxes; it's also related to protecting oneself and one's loved…

2 months ago

Income-Tax Return: Here’s a Note on Tax-Saving Avenues

A salaried individual earning up to Rs 5-15 lakh as net salary on an annual basis must first take stock…

2 months ago

A Quick Take on Equity-Linked Savings Scheme

Equity-linked savings schemes (ELSS), also referred to as tax-saving schemes, are equity funds that invest a significant portion of their…

2 months ago