It’s not uncommon for many people to keep their retirement fund in a single location, such as a savings account.
While this may pose a minimal risk at first glance, it also stops you from creating wealth or hedging against inflation and other threats.
Instead of restricting yourself to one savings account, consider diversifying your retirement fund by investing in different types of accounts and vehicles.
This is important because it allows you to create a safety net in case your other investments run dry.
Let’s look at a couple of the most typical strategies for diversifying your savings.
1. Learn Your Risk Tolerance
The first step in diversifying your retirement fund is to understand your risk tolerance.
There are three main types of risk tolerance: aggressive, moderate, and conservative.
- Aggressive: An aggressive investor is willing to take on more risk in exchange for the potential of higher returns.
- Moderate: A moderate investor is okay with some risk but doesn’t want to put their entire savings at stake.
- Conservative: A conservative investor wants to minimize risk and preserve their capital.
Knowing what type of risk tolerance you have will help you choose the right investments for your retirement fund.
For example, conservative investors are more likely to invest in bonds, while aggressive investors who are driven by the chance of higher returns may prefer trading cryptocurrency on exchanges like Independent Reserve OTC.
However, as a rule of thumb, it’s generally advisable to take on a small to moderate amount of risk. This will give you the potential to earn higher returns without putting your entire nest egg at risk.
2. Identify Growth Stocks
Growth stocks are another way to diversify your retirement savings.
A growth stock is a share in a company that enjoys a higher growth rate than other companies in the same industry. These companies are also often found in rapidly-growing industries, such as technology or healthcare.
One of the main advantages of investing in growth stocks is that they have the potential to generate higher returns when paired against more traditional investments, such as bonds and cash.
However, it’s important to remember that growth stocks are also more volatile, which means they’re subject to larger swings in price. By picking the right growth stocks and holding them for the long term, you can ride out the ups and downs and still come out ahead.
3. Consider Your Time
Contrary to what many people would assume, many investors don’t need to check their portfolios every day. In fact, many long-term investors take a more passive approach and only check their investments every few months or even once a year—and are successful in doing so.
If we frequently choose to look at our investments, we become more susceptible to making impulsive decisions that can hurt our returns.
In addition, passively managed funds like index funds may be a more attractive option for long-term investors. This is because they’re designed to track a benchmark, such as the S&P 500, and generally don’t experience wild swings of unexpected volatility. They also don’t require you to spend time researching individual stocks.
4. Consider Dividend-Paying Stocks
Another good way to diversify your retirement fund is by putting some money in dividend-paying stocks. These stocks are ideal since they provide you with a source of income, even when the stock market is down.
Dividend stocks tend to be large, well-established companies that have a history of paying and increasing their dividends. They’re usually from sectors such as utilities, healthcare, or consumer goods.
One thing to keep in mind is that dividend stocks often have a higher risk than bonds since they’re more volatile. However, over the long run, they have the potential to generate higher returns.
5. Review Your Asset Allocation
Asset allocation is how you spread your money across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and cash.
As you approach your retirement age, it’s important to review your asset allocation and make sure it’s still in line with your investment plan.
Your asset allocation should be based on your time horizon, risk tolerance, and investment goals.
For example, a younger investor who has a longer time horizon may be able to afford more risk and have a higher percentage of their portfolio in stocks.
On the other hand, an older investor who is closer to retirement may want to have a more conservative asset allocation with a greater percentage of their portfolio in bonds.
6. Stay Disciplined
When it comes to investing, discipline is key. If you don’t apply what you’ve learned, your finances will be affected.
It can be tempting to make impulsive decisions when it comes to your investments, especially when the stock market is volatile.
However, it’s important to remember that successful investing is a long-term game. It’s often boring and unglamorous, but it can be very rewarding if you keep your head in the game.
This article is for information and educational purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.