Managing an investment portfolio is a lot like managing a business. With a disciplined, patient, and proactive approach, you can preserve and protect your wealth while attaining financial independence. Your investment strategies might differ, but you’ve to begin with some principles that are consistent at its core, which not only match the markets but your individual characteristics as well.
It’s also important to remember that not all investments in a portfolio may generate returns. It’s a lot like a badminton match – you will lose some points, but to win a game you’ll just have to win more points than you lose. Read the following keys to investing and know how you can ace those points!
Invest only in assets you understand
In many cases, retail investors take action in the fear of missing out on a “sure-shot” investment opportunity. The key is to avoid any frantic decision. Don’t worry about what you don’t know, worry about being sure about what you do know. If you don’t know how an investment actually works, you can’t know whether you really need it. There are plenty of alternative investment opportunities like Digital Financing and Debt Investment lending, which are easy to understand and implement. Consider investing in those.
Diversify
It is a prudent approach to create a basket of investments that provide broad exposure within asset classes. It spreads the risk and reward within your investment portfolio. When it comes to investing, the more diversified you are, the better.
We also advise diversification within an asset class or sector. For example, if you invest in SME digital financing and debt investment lending, you can distribute your investments across as many SMEs as possible to prevent loss in case an SME defaults. Even defaults hardly disturb your rate of return.
If you’re investing in stocks, make sure to not put more than 4% of your total portfolio in one individual stock. This will ensure that if a stock or two faces a downslide, your entire portfolio doesn’t suffer.
Invest for the long term
We believe that a long-term horizon is a necessary ingredient for investment portfolio success. Investing is a marathon, not a sprint. Don’t get carried away with the ebb and flow of the market, and stay patiently invested. Also keep in mind that past performances are no guarantee of the future, and individual situations may vary.
Rebalance your portfolio regularly
Over time, your investments may fall out of sync with the original asset allocation. You may also want to restructure investment allocation. Re-assess your portfolio every six months or annually. Try not to tinker with your investment portfolio at short intervals of time – it’s also important to give time to investments.
This article was written by Funding Societies, the first SME Digital Financing and Debt Investment Platform in Malaysia. We provide working capital financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs); we also offer investment opportunities with returns up to 14% per year. To learn more about us, click on our website here.
You can also see our up-to-date progress and statistics in Southeast Asia here.