An investment portfolio consisting of twenty different construction industry stocks is not diversified. Diversification means dividing your funds among different classes of assets, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, savings accounts and tangible assets. For instance, suppose your portfolio consisted entirely of bonds. Your money would be at significant risk if interest rates rose since bond prices generally fall when rates go up.
A prudent investor managing his own portfolio might diversify his holdings by selecting some stocks for their rising earnings or accelerating "growth" potential while buying other stocks because they offer "value" by temporarily being out of favor. In addition, an investor may buy individual securities for other reasons, such as income or tax advantages.
An alternative to selecting and managing individual stocks and bonds is to invest in mutual funds. Some mutual funds offer diversification by holding many securities within the portfolio. However, some other funds may not be diversified across industries or asset classes and may focus on a single sector. Mutual funds offer several other features, including:
Funds have clearly defined objectives and strategies, which are detailed in the fund's prospectus. A prospectus contains more complete information on the style of investment objectives you should expect in addition to the charges, expenses and risks the fund may incur. Read the prospectus carefully before investing. The investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate with changes in market conditions so that an investor's shares when redeemed may be worth more or less than the original amount invested.
Shareholders receive periodic reports reviewing the fund's results and performance.
Funds are managed by full-time professionals.
Fund families allow investors to allocate investment dollars among a combination of funds with varying objectives.
Diversification also means not tying up all your funds in long-term investments. You'll need to keep a certain amount easily accessible -- that is, in money-market accounts, savings accounts or short-term certificates of deposit (CDs) -- for on-going expenses, emergency needs, and short-term goals such as saving to buy a car or pay taxes. And through dollar-cost averaging, a process of buying stocks and bonds from time to time instead of all at once, you can spread the risk over both good and bad markets. Using this investment method involves continuous investment in securities regardless of fluctuating price levels of securities. Therefore, investors should consider their financial ability to continue purchasing through periods of fluctuating price levels. Dollar cost averaging does not ensure a profit and does not protect against a loss in declining markets. Diversification is also important because CDs are FDIC-insured and typically offer a fixed rate of return while investments such as stocks and bonds are not FDIC-insured and their value will fluctuate with current market conditions.