Generally, you should leave the construction of an investment portfolio to your professional investment advisor, especially if you are investing a significant percentage of your total wealth, or if you’re relying solely on the success of your portfolio to meet your future financial goals. However, whether you or your advisor designs your portfolio, consider a few of these well-recognized guidelines.
The term “time horizon” refers to how long you plan to keep your money invested. Your time horizon affects your portfolio design because the longer you plan to keep your money invested, the easier it may be for you to ride out dips in the market. You may be able to tolerate more volatile investments, with potentially higher returns (though time alone is no guarantee of higher returns).
Your personal risk tolerance also affects your portfolio design. Can you sleep at night knowing that a sudden downward shift in the market could cost you a significant portion of your principal? If not, a portfolio that holds a high percentage of aggressive growth stocks, for example, is not right for you. You should match investments to your personal level of risk tolerance.
Your personal liquidity needs may eliminate some investment choices. If you periodically need access to your investment dollars, it makes no sense to design a portfolio dominated by assets that can’t be readily sold or whose value can fluctuate dramatically. Instead, you’ll need investments that can be converted to cash easily and quickly.
Michael J. Brown, AIF® Senior VP / Branch Manager, Janney Montgomery Scott, 401 New Road, Suite 200, Linwood, NJ 08221, 609-601-2512, michaelbrown@janney.com.
Prepared by Broadridge Investor Communication Solutions, Inc. Copyright 2022 Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Financial Advisors are available to discuss all considerations and risks involved with various products and strategies presented. We will be happy to provide a prospectus, when available, and other information upon request. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, its affiliates, and its employees are not in the business of providing tax, regulatory, accounting, or legal advice. These materials and any tax-related statements are not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. For more information about Janney, please see Janney’s Relationship Summary (Form CRS) on www.janney.com/crs which details all material facts about the scope and terms of our relationship with you and any potential conflicts of interest.
