The Money Advantage Podcast
The Truth About Investing Diversification: Why It’s More Than Just Spreading Risk
https://www.youtube.com/live/y2p0-o_n0qw
Have you ever been told not to put all your eggs in one basket? If you’ve been in the financial world for any amount of time, whether through your 401(k) or investing in the stock market, you’ve likely heard this advice. Investing diversification has long been hailed as a tried-and-true strategy for mitigating risk, ensuring that even if one “basket” fails, others will protect you. But what if we told you that this conventional wisdom might not be the full picture? What if true diversification isn't just about spreading risk across a single asset class, but thinking beyond the traditional scope of stocks and bonds?
We will break down the myths of investing diversification and help you understand how to take control of your financial future. Buckle up because this information can change how you think about your financial strategy.
A Fresh Take on Investing DiversificationInvesting Diversification Isn't What You Think: Beyond the Stock MarketTax Diversification: An Overlooked StrategyIncome Streams: The Importance of Cash Flow DiversificationWarren Buffett’s Approach: Focus on What You Know and ControlTake Control of Your Financial FutureTake the Next Step
A Fresh Take on Investing Diversification
Investing diversification has been the cornerstone of financial advice for decades. The idea seems simple: by spreading your investments across different stocks, bonds, or funds, you're reducing your exposure to risk. However, while many people believe they’re diversified, they might actually be far more concentrated in the same types of assets than they think. Worse yet, many investors rely on diversification within the stock market only, and when the market takes a hit, their entire portfolio could be at risk.
In this blog, we explore a new way to think about investing diversification—one that goes beyond just paper investments and looks at tax positioning, cash flow, and even alternative asset classes. We’ll show you how to take control of your financial future by expanding your perspective and preparing for long-term success. By the end, you’ll not only understand the real meaning of investing diversification but also how to apply it to your financial life for greater stability and growth.
Investing Diversification Isn't What You Think: Beyond the Stock Market
Most people assume that investing diversification means spreading your money across various mutual funds, stocks, or ETFs. But what if we told you that you might still be investing in the same stocks even with several different funds?
We’ve seen this happen over and over again—investors think they’re diversified because they own different funds from different companies, but when you look closer, many of these funds hold the same underlying assets. For example, you could have mutual funds from multiple companies, yet 85–90% of the stocks within those funds overlap. That’s not diversification—it’s redundancy. And worse, when the market crashes, as it did in 2008, everything goes down at once.
Real investing diversification is about more than just spreading your investments within the stock market. It’s about diversifying across multiple asset classes. Think real estate, commodities, business ownership, and even private lending—these are asset classes that often don’t correlate with the stock market. By broadening your approach, you reduce your exposure to the volatility of any one sector.
Tax Diversification: An Overlooked Strategy
When people talk about investing diversification, they rarely mention taxes. Yet, tax diversification is one of the most important strategies for protecting one’s wealth over the long term.
Consider the fact that the U.S. federal debt has ballooned to $35.7 trillion, and the interest payments on that debt now exceed $950 billion a year—larger than even the Pentagon’s budget. As tax burdens rise to cover this debt, future taxes will likely increase.