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Set a portfolio mix for the purpose and time horizon of your money, diversify both across and within asset categories, and decide in advance when you will rebalance. Market volatility can change your portfolio’s risk by shifting its weights, but it does not automatically mean your goals or risk tolerance have changed. Diversification can reduce concentration risk; it cannot prevent losses.
This is general educational information, not individualized investment or tax advice.
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Start with the goal and the date you need the money
Before choosing investments, identify what the money is for, when you expect to use it, and whether you will need to withdraw from it along the way. The SEC’s Asset Allocation and Diversification guide says an appropriate mix depends on personal circumstances; investors with shorter time horizons may prefer less risky or volatile investments.
Money needed soon has less time to recover from a market decline than money intended for a distant goal. Include planned withdrawals and near-term cash needs in your decision rather than treating every dollar as long-term investment money.
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Choose a risk level you can live with
Risk tolerance has two parts: your willingness to endure losses and your financial ability to absorb them without derailing the goal. A portfolio can be mathematically diversified and still be wrong for you if a sharp decline would lead you to sell in panic or if you need the money before it has time to recover.
Online questionnaires can help prompt reflection, but do not treat a result as a definitive allocation. The SEC cautions that some questionnaires may be biased toward products sold by their sponsors. Base the decision on your own circumstances, not just a score.
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Set a target across asset categories
Stocks, bonds, and cash are common asset categories. Stocks generally expose an investor to more market fluctuation; bonds and cash have different risks and return characteristics. The appropriate combination depends on your goal, time horizon, and risk tolerance. The SEC’s guidance does not prescribe one allocation for everyone.
Think of your target as a plan, not a forecast. For example, the SEC guide illustrates a portfolio with 60% in stocks that becomes 80% stocks after market gains. That is an example of how weights can shift, not a recommended mix or a prediction about market returns.
Diversify within each category, not just between them
Diversification means spreading investments across asset categories and among investments within those categories. As the joint investor bulletin from the SEC, CFTC, FINRA, NASAA, NFA, and SIPC explains, pooled investments such as mutual funds and ETFs can provide exposure to many securities. But owning several funds does not guarantee diversification if they hold many of the same investments or concentrate in a narrow sector or region.
- Check what each fund owns, not only its name or category label.
- Look for substantial overlap among funds, which can leave you more concentrated than the number of holdings suggests.
- Consider whether your portfolio is spread across the exposures relevant to your goal rather than relying on a single company, sector, or asset class.
Diversification can reduce the impact of a poor result in one holding or category. It does not eliminate the risk of loss, protect principal, or prevent broad market declines. The joint bulletin dated October 5, 2026, also cautions that short-term trading and attempts to time the market can lead investors to buy after prices rise and sell as markets fall; periodic investing is not a guarantee of gains over any particular period.
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Choose a rebalancing rule before markets get noisy
Market moves can push your actual allocation away from your target without any trades. Rebalancing restores the portfolio toward that target and can bring its risk closer to the level you chose. Two common approaches are calendar reviews and drift thresholds; neither has one universally correct schedule or threshold.
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| Approach | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar-based review | Check the allocation on a preset schedule, such as every six or twelve months, intervals mentioned in SEC guidance. | Easy to remember and follow, but the portfolio may drift between reviews. A review does not require a trade if the allocation remains close to target. |
| Threshold-based review | Act when an asset category moves beyond a preselected amount from its target. | Links action to actual drift, but requires monitoring and a clear definition of the threshold. |
Vanguard’s rebalancing guidance gives an illustrative portfolio of 70% stocks and 30% bonds with a five-percentage-point deviation rule. This is an example, not a universal trigger. The SEC says rebalancing tends to work best relatively infrequently; frequent adjustments can add costs and encourage reaction to short-term moves.
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Rebalance with contributions and costs in mind
When one category is underweight, you may be able to direct new contributions toward it rather than sell holdings in overweight categories. Other options include changing contribution allocations or selling some overweight holdings to buy underweights. Selling can have tax consequences, and trades may incur transaction costs or fees. The SEC and FINRA’s Investor Bulletin: Year-End Investment Considerations for Individual Investors discusses these considerations; review the rules and costs that apply to your account before acting.
- Compare your current allocation with your chosen target.
- Apply the review schedule or drift threshold you selected in advance.
- If rebalancing is warranted, see whether contributions can correct the drift before selling.
- Before any sale, consider account-specific taxes, transaction costs, and fees.
Change the plan when your circumstances change—not just when headlines do
A changed goal, shorter time horizon, planned withdrawal, financial situation, or tolerance for loss may justify revisiting your target allocation. A volatile market or a recent run-up in one asset category, on its own, does not establish that your plan should change. Switching to recent winners or selling after declines is an attempt to time short-term moves, not a rebalancing rule.
Vanguard frames a common concern as: “Should I change my asset allocation?” The useful first question is whether your circumstances have changed. If they have not, return to the target and rebalancing process you chose rather than letting market headlines make the decision.
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