Just as you track the calories and nutrients for a well-balanced diet, you need a balanced portfolio that has multiple assets to balance the risks and returns.
The challenge of investing wisely in today’s complex financial environment could be compared to maintaining a balanced diet. Much like a good diet, which involves consuming various food groups to ensure that one derives all the needed nutritional elements, a balanced investment strategy diversifies across different asset classes to achieve financial well-being.
To explain further, the consumption of food is aimed at deriving the following main nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and minerals. This variety makes sure that the body draws all of the essential elements it needs for proper functioning from its foods. Multi-asset investing is likewise concerned with the spread of investments across asset classes, such as equities, fixed income, and commodities like gold or silver. It reduces risk due to the fact that poor performance in one asset class can be offset by better performance in another, promoting portfolio stability.
In nutrition, one would need to keep track of one’s daily intake of calories and balance macronutrients—proteins, fats, and carbohydrates—crucially in order to maintain a healthy body weight and avert life diseases. On the investing front, this equally applies to the balance between risk and return. It holds various asset classes, which are combined to have different levels of risk and potential return. Equities might grant high returns with higher volatility, and bonds may offer steady income with lower risk.
Multi-asset investing emphasises diversification and risk management, helping investors refocus on their long-term goals rather than chasing short-term market trends.
A balanced diet usually requires adjustments due to age, exercise routine, etc. Similarly, a multi-asset portfolio needs rebalancing from time to time to maintain the right asset allocation due to market conditions. With a multi-asset fund this happens automatically.
A good diet doesn’t give you a quick fix; it’s part of making long-term lifestyle choices that ultimately result in health. In investing too, a long-term perspective is called for. Multi-asset investing encourages focus on long-term growth and stability rather than on short-term gains. With a diversified portfolio, investors can ride out market volatility and benefit from the compounding returns of various asset classes over time.
Just like the intake of nutrient-rich food gives strength to a person and protects from many health-related problems, so too, within a multi-asset portfolio, some asset classes hedge against inflation like gold. Just as a healthy diet with good nutrition supports long-term health, equities as an asset class in the portfolio will help protect against the eroding effects of inflation and ensure that over time, the wealth generated by the investor holds its value.
The bottom line for any healthy diet is that there must be discipline to keep the intake of junk food at bay and include nutritional intake only in moderation. Likewise, successful investing also requires emotional discipline to help avoid impulsive decisions based on market hype or fear. Multi-asset investing has an emphasis on diversification and risk management, hence helping investors refocus their attention on their long-term goals, restraining them from chasing short-term trends in the market.
Like a balanced diet, multi-asset investing functions on the principle of balance and harmony. From building resilience against market fluctuation to supporting financial health, a well-rounded portfolio can be implemented through investing in multi-asset funds. Much as a balanced diet underlines a healthy life, so Multi-Asset investing ushers sustained financial well-being.
Disclaimer: The Views are Personal and not a part of the Outlook Money Editorial Feature