Portfolio Diversification

For long-term investors, $0 commissions for online trades can be a double-edged sword. Cheaper trading can make it easier to diversify, but it can also be an extra reason to be cautious.

Harness the power of a managed portfolio to help pursue your financial goals.

Looking for a few rules to help you plan your long-term investing? Here are five guidelines to help you keep your long-term portfolio aligned with your objectives.

Learn the differences between systematic risk versus idiosyncratic risk, and why you should diversify your portfolio beyond asset classes or sectors.

When companies report quarterly earnings, the stakes can be high. A single earnings miss can dent an investment portfolio that’s concentrated. Here are a few ideas for managing idiosyncratic risk.

Some pros say your early investing years are among the most critical, including whether you set up a 401(k). Learn how to work toward your financial goals.

A good defense is the best offense, right? It’s sometimes true for investing as well. Learn more about defensive stocks and defensive sector investing.

Growth stocks and growth mutual funds can fit into investment portfolios of people planning to retire in the coming few years, retirement experts say.

Looking for a diversified portfolio that’s also tax efficient? Learn how the one-two punch of tax-free debt securities and tax-loss harvesting can help you pursue your goals.

Diversification has been touted by financial pros as a means of spreading out your risk. But can you be overdiversified? Here’s what you should know about overdiversification and rebalancing.

Short selling aims to provide protection or profit during a stock market downturn, but it can be risky. Plus, it requires a margin account. Learn the mechanics of shorting a stock.

Learn how rising interest rates may affect the investments in your portfolio and which investment strategies may lower the risks and increase the potential for growth.

Diversification isn’t just about stocks, bonds, and cash. When hedging risk for an options portfolio, think price, time, and volatility.

A case can be made for both growth stocks and value stocks. But which way should an investor’s portfolio lean as the economy emerges from COVID-19?

Modern portfolio theory (MPT) is built on asset allocation, diversification, and portfolio rebalancing without letting human emotion interfere.

Learn important points on panic buying and panic selling as applied to investing, and steps to avoid or protect against such situations.

Conglomerate stocks were a common staple of investment portfolios in the 60s. Some tech companies are branching out to become modern conglomerates.

Investment pros have long extolled the virtues of portfolio diversification. But investors should also consider diversifying their sources of investment information. Here’s why.

In a post-pandemic economy, small cap stocks may be emerging as an early beneficiary. Should you add them to your portfolio? Here’s what investors should know.

Some financial professionals suggest including alternative investments—those that fall outside the world of stocks, bonds, and cash—as part of a diversified portfolio. Should investors consider cryptocurrencies as part of the alternatives choice set?

The value of an investment is impacted not just by returns in its local market, but also by the value of the currency in which it's denominated. How might dollar fluctuation impact your portfolio and what can you do about it?

2020 was a challenging year for investors. But 2021 might be a challenge as well—for different reasons. Here’s a look at the opportunities and risks.

A leadership change in the White House could mean a shift in policy priorities, but if you’re a long-term investor, other factors such as earnings, taxes, and interest rates may be larger concerns. Perhaps now’s the time for a post-election portfolio review.

Discover what constitutes a mid-cap stock, and learn about investing in mid-cap stocks.

Asset allocation is a basic discipline for diversifying your portfolio, especially if you have a long-term investing strategy. Relative valuations are important.

Don't fight the Fed. It's an old Wall Street adage, but is it prudent to structure a portfolio around macroeconomic policy intentions? And how would you do it, anyway? Here's a rundown.

Beyond the world of stocks and bonds lies another category of assets: alternative investments. Learn about commodities and other alternative types that may be available to retail investors.

When market volatility throws a wrench into diversification strategy, some investors consider alternative investments. Here’s a look at the world beyond stocks and bonds.

Does stock market volatility have you rethinking your investing strategy? In volatile markets, it’s important for investors to stay disciplined and focus on long-term goals.

As the coronavirus pandemic sent markets reeling, many investors wonder if there's such a thing as a safe investment. Technically, no investment is risk-free. But some investment practices can be safer than others.

The escalating coronavirus pandemic that triggered a bear market in U.S. stocks in early 2020 looks to have tipped us into a possible recession. How can you prepare for and invest during a recession and bear market?

How might interest rate increases and cuts impact long-term investing decisions? Learn strategies long-term investors might consider to help weather volatility.

When bonds are wrapped up in an exchange-traded fund (ETF), their values change as yields increase or decrease. Find out what goes on beneath the surface.

When seeking portfolio balance and diversification, many investors choose bonds and other fixed-income securities. But just like all investments, bonds carry risk. Learn about bonds and bond risk, and when you should consider fixed-income investing.

Learn how an investment philosophy that incorporates dynamics, diversification, and discipline can help you manage the complexity and volatility of the markets.

All investments experience market volatility, which is why retirement portfolio strategies should focus on allocating assets across investments of different risk levels.

When volatility rears its occasional head, some investors consider cashing out stocks. But are there better ways to ride out market volatility? Cameron May explains.

What is a smart-beta ETF? Explore what qualifies as a smart-beta fund and what systems define this type of ETF.

If you’re considering fixed-income investments as a way to diversify your portfolio and target a steady stream of income, you might want to give fixed-income mutual funds a look. Here’s what you need to know.

Investing results may depend to some extent on luck, but research and science play a larger role in portfolio strategy.

Investing can involve volatility both in the markets and within your portfolio. In the long term, portfolios with more diversification can potentially overcome these short term losses.

While there are risks involved, investing in emerging and frontier markets can offer stock portfolio and currency diversification and significant growth opportunities.

Investors can use benchmarks to help gauge how their portfolios are performing. Find an appropriate benchmark to compare to your portfolio and keep your investing goals in mind.

Does your company offer a employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)? Learn tips for making the most of this opportunity to invest in your employer and your portfolio.

Ready to invest for retirement? Learn a few simple steps to get a retirement investment portfolio ready for the road.

Unexpected events can get in the way as you prepare for and enter retirement. Here are some tips on how to try and mitigate their potential impact.

There’s more to portfolio diversification than stocks and bonds. Factors like market capitalization, international vs. domestic holdings, and sub-sector exposure all deserve consideration as you build a well-diversified portfolio.

As investors, it’s important to understand the relationship between bonds and interest rates. Find out what happens to bonds when interest rates rise.

This article presents some points to consider about diversifying holdings of company stock acquired from equity compensation.

S&P Dow Jones Indices added real estate to its list of sectors in 2016. Perhaps it’s time to explore real estate investment trusts (REITs).

A well-diversified strategy with wider exposure across the market might seem less thrilling than chasing leaders, but might give investors a better chance to meet goals.

When deciding whether to invest in ETFs or mutual funds, it may help to know whether you're an active or buy-and-hold investor.

The recent wave of volatility might serve as a reminder of the importance of using a diversified investment trading approach. Here are some tips to avoid possible traps in these choppy markets.

Want to find a balance in your portfolio between stocks and funds? Learn why exchange-traded funds could be worth a look.

Having global exposure can sound complicated. But you may already be exposed to global economic trends if you're invested in major U.S. stocks.

The Portfolio X-Ray tool by TD Ameritrade gives traders a picture of the overall health of their current allocations to help them see where they are exposed.

Search for investment ideas by using the TD Ameritrade Sectors & Industries tool to pinpoint a trade idea or a stock for your portfolio.

Diversification is your safe harbor for investments, and exchange-traded funds might be one port to drop anchor.

Learn about the "positions" to fill as you build your investment portfolio.

Fixed income can be a vital part of a young investor’s portfolio, helping provide risk management through diversification.

Our busy lives leave little room to monitor the stock markets regularly. There are times when we can just ignore our retirement portfolios—for a little while.

Some experts say it’s important to allocate a portion of your portfolio to cash. What’s the right amount for you?

Are you a long-term investor hoping to use time to your advantage? Don’t chase trends, and especially don’t try to time the market. There are other ways.

Looking to grow? A growth fund is a basket of stocks designed to deliver capital appreciation as opposed to dividend income.

Learn about the “bucket approach,” a drawdown strategy that involves holding three different buckets of money, or separate asset accounts, for retirement.

Learn how a rising dollar could impact economies, portfolios, and even your finances in 2017 and beyond.

S&P Dow Jones Indices recently added real estate to its list of sectors. Perhaps it’s time to explore real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Is retirement just around the corner? Are you worried about being financially unfit? Here are six tips to help get you retirement ready.

For retirees, the recent dip to record low U.S. bond yields poses a challenge. Will investors be forced into more dangerous investments?

Avoid that dreaded all-your-eggs-in-one-basket cliché and look to a bin of mutual funds for diversification.

Investors should diversify bond portfolios like they do their stock portfolios. However, bonds portfolios have a few layers of diversification to consider.

Are you too obsessed with stock benchmarks? You may be indirectly and directly following results that are far removed from your portfolio’s long-term aim.

Don’t panic and sell your long-term retirement investment. Instead, consider going shopping during a stock market down phase.

Dynamic withdrawal retirement income strategy is quite a mouthful. The math is necessarily complex, too. But the concept is simple and playing an increasing role in baby boomer retirement planning.

Where retirement planning and reality intersect, tough decisions loom. TD Ameritrade retirees share what they know now that they wish they knew then.