How to diversify your resources among various resources – Part 1

So far we have considered what asset allocation is and why it is important to diversify your assets. In this post I will break down asset allocation into two parts. First, we will address the general principles of asset allocation (just a quick review). Then I will show you how you can apply these principles to your specific situation.

In thinking about asset allocation in general, two questions pop up. First, among what kinds of investments should I be allocating my resources?Well, if you read the ads you would think there were hundreds of kinds of investment vehicles – all of them tailored ‘just for you’.

The fact is, you can easily boil down all investment into only six categories:

• Cash and cash equivalent, such as money-market funds, treasury bills, current and savings account and short term certificates of deposit.
• Fixed-income vehicles, a grouped that includes tax-exempt bonds, corporate bonds, mortgages, and long-term certificates of deposit
  
• Equities, including both domestic and international stocks
  
• Real estate• Natural resources, including oil and gas
• Tangibles, such as gold and silver

Obviously there is a wide variation within these categories. Utility stocks / debentures, for instance, may behave at times like fixed income vehicles, because they yield such a steady rate of return. And some short-term, fixed – income vehicles may behave like cash. You must take these variations into account when you are ready to adopt specific investment strategies.

What to allocate

The second question that pops up: what resources should I be allocating among these six investment categories? There are some assets that you definitely want to exclude from your investment portfolio – your personal assets – and some that you definitely want to include – your investment assets.

The exclusions?

A cash reserve is a sure one. You should set aside some funds for emergencies in a secure, very liquid investment vehicle that does not fluctuate in market value. Examples include saving and current accounts.How much should you set aside? That depends. Many financial advisors suggest two or six months’ living expenses. But that advice does not apply to everyone.

You may, for example, be employed by a small company in a volatile industry. If that’s the case, you are more likely to face an extended period of unemployment than your neighbour who works for an established company in a secure industry. Or access to short –term credit such as credit cards may reduce your need fro cash on hand. However how much you eventually decide belongs in you emergency funds and should be excluded from founds you intend to invest.

What other assets to include?

You may want to consider as investment assets some items that you don’t ordinarily think of in this way. Among them:

• Insurance policy cash values
• IRA OR Keoghs (USA) SSNIT contributions (Ghana)
  
• Company – sponsored 401 K (USA) Provident fund (Ghana) and other savings plans
• Other Company defined – benefit plans

You should include these assets in you diversification plan because they are resource on which you will rely in the future and because they may be affected by market forces between now and the time you are ready to use them.

In my next post I will continue with this article and will show the diversification base case.

Subscribe to Financial Intelligence by Email



Email me with any queries or comments.