Considering Your Investment Options?
Good advice can be a great investment when it comes to building a portfolio of assets tailored to your needs.
Personal goals form the framework of a portfolio
With a vast range of investments to choose from it’s essential to select those assets that will help you achieve personal goals. So, a sensible starting point is thinking about your needs and aspirations. Remember to divide your goals across short, medium and long term aspirations – different investments are better suited to particular timeframes.
How do you feel about risk?
High returns go hand in hand with greater risk, and having an understanding of the level of volatility you’re comfortable with should be a key factor in your choice of investments.
Diversification offers the best of both worlds
A quality portfolio will hold a mix of investments spread across cash, shares and property, both here and overseas.. Diversifying this way creates the potential to earn healthy returns without being over-exposed to a downturn in any one type of investment.
Growth versus income
You can further diversify across ‘growth assets’ like shares, which provide long term capital growth, and ‘income assets’ such as term deposits or fixed interest, that deliver regular income. The trick is to find the appropriate balance between the two, depending on your individual needs, and this is where your adviser can help.
Asset allocation matters
The way your portfolio is diversified across growth and income investments is referred to as ‘asset allocation’, and it won’t be the same for any two investors. Your portfolio should be as individual as you are, reflecting your tolerance for risk, the investment timeframe and what you hope to achieve by investing. It is also important to keep in touch with your adviser to ensure your portfolio is reviewed over time as your needs change.
Investment advice eliminates guesswork
Getting the most from your money means investing in such a way that your needs are met without keeping you awake at night worrying about risk. Rather than leaving it all to chance, professional investment advice can help you avoid costly mistakes.