When you created your investment strategy, your asset allocation reflected your goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk.

Over time, however, any of these three factors may have changed, and your portfolio may need adjustments to reflect your new investing priorities.

Diversification

The saying “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” has some application to investing. Over time, certain asset classes may perform better than others. If your assets are mostly held in one kind of investment, you could find yourself under a bit of pressure if that asset class experiences volatility.

Keep in mind, however, that diversification is an approach to help manage investment risk. It does not eliminate the risk of loss if an investment sees a decline in price.

Asset allocation strategies are also used in portfolio management. When financial professionals ask you questions about your goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk, they are getting a better idea of what asset classes may be appropriate for your situation. However, like diversification, asset allocation is an approach to help manage investment risk. It does not eliminate the risk of loss if an investment sees a decline in price.

Asset class and investment type are not the only way to apply diversification to your portfolio. Building a diversified wealth structure can also add value and reduce risk to one's wealth portfolio. This is when offshore banking and investing are used to build a portfolio that reflects the global markets rather than being held and exposed to one economy and a single currency.

Determining an Appropriate Mix

Appropriate asset allocation is determined by each individual's situation. Here are three broad factors to consider(some we have already discussed in our blog posts):

Time

Investors with longer timeframes may be comfortable with investments that offer higher potential returns but also carry a higher risk. A longer timeframe may allow individuals to ride out the market’s ups and downs. However, a strategy of long-term capital preservation is a strategy that looks to preserve the value of the wealth over a long period of time by growing it with less risk. This strategy does not ensure losses will not happen but it seeks to steadily grow the wealth with lower levels of risk so that the wealth holds its value. An investor with a shorter timeframe may need to consider market volatility when evaluating various investment choices. To understand better what strategy might fit your personal situation, it is important to make sure you have a plan in place, and that requires thinking ahead.

Goals

They come in all shapes and sizes, and some are long-term, while others have a shorter time horizon. Knowing your investing goals can help you keep on target. For example, one goal that might be considered is protecting hard-earned wealth from an economy that has high inflation and a currency that is losing value. To do this, one can look to find investments in companies that sell their equity in a different currency or even hold another currency not experiencing such high inflation to help keep the value of the wealth. Another goal may be to not be over-exposed to a country with political issues. An option might be to move assets to another financial jurisdiction that has a more stable political environment.

Risk Tolerance

An investor with higher risk tolerance may be more willing to accept greater market volatility in the pursuit of potential returns. An investor with a lower risk tolerance may be willing to forgo some potential return in favor of investments that attempt to limit price swings.

Have Your Investing Priorities Changed?

If so, this is all the more reason to review and possibly adjust the investment mix in your portfolio. Asset allocation is a critical building block of investment portfolio creation. Having a strong knowledge of the concept may help you when considering which investments are appropriate for your long-term strategy. It is important to reach out to your financial advisor should you have further questions about the use of diversification.

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