The Lifestyle Portfolio: Adjusting Investments With Changes In Lifestyle Or Priorities
Investing is often framed as a straightforward journey from point A to point B, where you pick your assets, stay the course, and reap the rewards in the long run. However, life is anything but static. Our priorities, financial goals, and personal circumstances evolve over time, and our investment strategies should reflect these changes. Enter the lifestyle portfolio—a dynamic and flexible approach to investing that empowers you to align with your changing lifestyle and financial priorities, putting you in control of your financial future.
We’ll explore key investment principles and delve into strategically adjusting your portfolio when necessary. While a financial portfolio must evolve with significant life and market changes, it shouldn't be altered for minor fluctuations. By following major investment principles and making adjustments only when significant situations such as a major life event (e.g., marriage, the birth of a child, retirement) or a significant market shift, like a recession or a bull market, call for it, you can ensure your financial strategy remains robust, relevant, and most importantly, resilient, providing you with a sense of security and reassurance.
The Foundation: Key Investment Principles
Before we dive into the specifics of lifestyle-based portfolio adjustments, it’s crucial to understand and appreciate the significance of some foundational investment principles. These core concepts will not only guide your decision-making process but also equip you with the knowledge to maintain a balanced approach, regardless of how your life evolves, making you feel informed and prepared.
Time in the Market
One of the most important tenets of investing is the principle of “time in the market” rather than “timing the market.” This means that the duration you stay invested matters more than trying to predict market fluctuations. Historically, markets tend to go up over the long term, so staying invested allows you to benefit from compound growth, which is the snowball effect of your money-earning money over time.
Long-Term Horizon
Investing should be viewed as a marathon, not a sprint. A long-term perspective is not just a strategy, it's a mindset that helps you withstand short-term market volatility and capitalize on your investments' growth potential. Whether you’re saving for retirement, a child’s education, or a significant purchase, maintaining a long-term horizon allows your investments to mature and yield substantial returns, instilling in you a sense of patience and commitment to your financial goals.
Avoid Emotional Decisions
Markets are inherently volatile, and it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of a bull market or the panic of a downturn. However, making investment decisions based on emotions can lead to buying high and selling low—precisely the opposite of a sound investment strategy. Stick to your plan and resist the urge to react impulsively to market movements.
Align with Risk Tolerance
Your risk tolerance is the level of market fluctuation you’re comfortable with. It’s influenced by factors such as your financial goals, time horizon, and personal comfort with uncertainty. Aligning your investment choices with your risk tolerance ensures that you’re not taking on more risk than you can handle, which can lead to unnecessary stress and poor decision-making.
Portfolio Maintenance: How Often to Review?
Like a well-maintained car runs more smoothly, a regularly reviewed portfolio performs better and aligns with your goals. But how often should you check your investment portfolio?
Quarterly Check-In
Reviewing your portfolio quarterly is a good practice. It lets you stay informed about your investments’ performance without getting caught up in short-term market noise. During these reviews, consider the following:
Assess Asset Allocation: Ensure your investments are balanced according to your risk tolerance and financial goals.
Monitor Performance: Check the performance of individual assets and the portfolio as a whole.
Identify Significant Changes: Look for any substantial changes in your holdings that may need attention.
Reconfirm Financial Goals: Verify that your investments align with your financial objectives.
Annual Review
An in-depth annual review is crucial for a thorough portfolio evaluation. This is the time to scrutinize your investment strategy and make necessary adjustments. During the annual review, we focus on:
Portfolio Rebalance: Adjust your asset allocation to maintain the desired level of risk and return.
Evaluate Individual Investment Performance: Assess each investment's performance and decide whether to hold or replace underperforming assets.
Review Financial Goals and Risk Tolerance: Reevaluate your financial goals and risk tolerance to ensure your portfolio aligns with your long-term objectives. Your risk tolerance may have changed due to market changes or changes so it’s important to review and assess your current state of risk.
Consider Tax Implications: Analyze your investments' tax implications and make adjustments to optimize your tax situation.
Ad Hoc Adjustments
While regular reviews are essential, specific life or market events may necessitate more immediate attention. Responding to these changes ensures that your portfolio remains aligned with your evolving financial landscape. Situations that may warrant ad hoc adjustments include:
Life Events: Marriage, divorce, birth of a child, career changes, and health changes.
Major Market Events: Economic downturns, market booms, and changes in legislation.
Shifts in Financial Goals: New savings targets, needed major purchases, unforeseen circumstances.
Regularly maintaining and strategically adjusting your portfolio can ensure it remains aligned with your evolving financial landscape and long-term goals.
Life and Market Events: When to Adjust
Life is full of changes, and your portfolio should adapt to reflect significant events and shifts in your priorities. Let’s investigate some common life scenarios that warrant a portfolio review and adjustment.
Marriage or Divorce - Marriage often means combining financial resources and goals, which may require reassessing your investment strategy. Conversely, divorce can significantly change your financial situation, necessitating a portfolio review to reflect your new circumstances.
Birth of a Child - Welcoming a new member to the family is a significant (and joyful) life event that can impact your financial priorities. It could require major changes in budgeting, saving for education, and purchasing a new home or vehicle to accommodate family growth.
Career Changes - A promotion, job change, or retirement can significantly alter your income and financial outlook. Ensure your investment strategy aligns with your new situation, whether increasing your investment contributions or adjusting your risk tolerance.
Health Changes - A significant health diagnosis can impact financial needs and priorities. To protect your assets during uncertain times, you may need to allocate more funds to healthcare or make your portfolio more conservative.
Creating a Responsive Investment Strategy
Adjusting your portfolio to align with lifestyle or changes in financial priorities requires a responsive and flexible investment strategy. Here are some steps to help you create a strategy that adapts to your evolving needs.
Define Your Financial Goals—Clearly defining and documenting your financial goals is the first step in creating a responsive investment strategy. Whether you're saving for retirement, buying a home, or funding your child’s education, having clear objectives will guide your investment decisions and help you stay focused on your long-term vision. That vision is the ultimate guide and compass for making decisions. Your goals may change as life changes, and your portfolio and investment strategy can adjust accordingly.
Diversify Your Investments - Diversification is key to managing risk and enhancing the stability of your portfolio. By spreading your investments across different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate, you can reduce your exposure to any investment’s poor performance. That’s why we need to know your investments and retirement plans to ensure you are properly diversified and hedged against risk.
Implement Regular Reviews- We establish a schedule for regular portfolio reviews to monitor your investments and ensure they align with your goals. We use these reviews as an opportunity to rebalance your portfolio, address any changes in your financial situation, and make necessary adjustments. You can use these reviews to address any questions or concerns, update us on any life changes now or in the future, and let us know if you’ve changed your comfort level with your investment strategy.
Stay Informed - Stay informed about market trends, economic indicators, and legislative changes that may impact your investments. Continuously educating yourself about the financial landscape will help you make informed decisions and ask the right questions. We monitor these changes regularly for you and have our teams of knowledgeable partners that provide valuable insights into economic changes. However, having personal knowledge is the best way to stay up-to-date and take ownership of your financial plan.
Embracing the Lifestyle Portfolio Mindset
Adopting a lifestyle portfolio mindset means recognizing that your investment strategy should be as dynamic and adaptable as your life. It’s about proactively reviewing and adjusting your portfolio to reflect your evolving financial priorities and goals. Here’s how you can embrace this mindset:
Stay Flexible
Flexibility is key to a successful lifestyle portfolio. Be open to changing and adjusting as your life and financial situation evolve. This adaptability ensures your investment strategy remains relevant and practical.
Focus on What You Can Control
While you can’t control market movements, you can control your investment decisions and how you respond to changes in your life and the market. Focus on making informed, deliberate choices that align with your long-term goals.
Prioritize Long-Term Success
A lifestyle portfolio mindset prioritizes long-term success over short-term gains. Stay committed to your financial goals, maintain a long-term perspective, and avoid making impulsive decisions based on short-term market fluctuations.
Celebrate Milestones
Celebrate the milestones and achievements in your financial journey. Whether you reach a savings goal, purchase a home, or achieve financial independence, acknowledging your successes motivates you to stay focused and continue progressing.
So, there you have it! Adjusting your investments to align with changes in your lifestyle or priorities is vital to maintaining a robust and resilient portfolio. Understanding fundamental investment principles, regularly reviewing your portfolio, and responding to significant life or market events ensures your investment strategy remains aligned with your evolving financial goals. Embrace the lifestyle portfolio mindset, stay proactive, and take control of your financial future. With the right approach, you can achieve a secure and fulfilling retirement, no matter what life throws your way.
