Don't take a position size that is large compared to your overall portfolio. What do I mean by that? What is large? I don't believe it's wise to put more than 2% to 3% of your portfolio into any particular position. There will be times that a position collapses for one reason or another. Sometimes that may be via an unforeseen event, or it could be a result of fraud coming to light. All we can do is look at the available information and make a decision on whether a company meets our financial objectives. Now, let's assume we only have a 2% position in a company. Something happens (or maybe investor sentiment shifts) and shares fall by 30%. What do we do? Well, given that the position is small, the impact on the overall portfolio is small. A 30% loss with a 2% position is only an impact of 0.6% on your overall portfolio. Certainly, not a reason to panic. We would decide what to do with that position based on whether the move down is due to deteriorating financials or an otherwise changed outlook (in which case we might sell it)...or whether it is an overreaction to some news unlikely to have a long-term negative impact on the bottom line (in which case we hold despite the 30% loss). You also want to make sure your portfolio is diversified. If you are highly concentrated in a low-risk sector, your portfolio beta is low, but you are subjecting yourself to excessive sector risk. If the downside for the sector is 15%, and you have a portfolio exclusively in that sector, you may lose 15%. A key takeaway: never sell just because a company declines. You sell because of a change in the outlook. By keeping your positions small, you take away the pressure to sell in a panic. Panic selling is a good way to lower your long-term returns. If you do not have the stomach for large declines (which happen in the best companies), stick to low beta stocks. Conclusions Let's re-cap the important lessons for building long-term wealth: - Know your risk tolerance and invest accordingly. If you buy a high beta company and sell after a 10% decline, your risk tolerance suggests you stick to lower beta companies.
- Keep your eye on the long-term. Panicking because of short-term volatility will hurt your returns.
- Keep your individual positions small, so a large decline in one holding doesn't have a large impact on your portfolio.
- Diversify across industries to lower your overall market risk.
- Stick to your plan and do not make emotional decisions about your investments. Accept that sometimes there will be decliners, but decide before you invest how much of a decline you are prepared to accept.
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