How Many Mutual Funds Should I Own in My Portfolio? (2024)

04 June 2024

4 min read

How Many Mutual Funds Should I Own in My Portfolio? (1)

You must have heard of diversification.

Every investment advisor asks you to diversify your investments to safeguard them from sudden risks. But do you know you can overdo it?

Overdiversifying can prevent you from making good gains!

So the question now arises, how many mutual funds should you have?

Over-Diversification of Mutual Funds

The aim of diversification is to spread risk. If you invest too much in one company’s stock, you are at great risk.

If something happens to that company, a significant portion of your money could get wiped away. So to mitigate that risk, you buy shares of many companies.

And to mitigate risk further, you buy shares of companies from different industries. So even if one entire industry is performing poorly, a good percentage of your money will still remain safe.

But if you invest in too many companies, and one of them does very well, your investment won’t gain much. The company that did well would have had a very small impact on your total investment. So you should limit yourself to owning a few shares from most industries.

Sounds fair.

But should you apply the same logic to your mutual funds? No, not really. This is because equity mutual funds themselves buy shares from very diverse industries.

Typically, equity mutual funds at any point are invested anywhere between 50 to 100 shares. So when you invest in an equity mutual fund, you are indirectly owning shares of that many companies. Your portfolio is already very diversified!

How Many Mutual Funds Should I Own?

Mutual funds are of many types.

Large cap equity mutual funds invest only in large cap company shares. Investing in many large cap mutual funds is not necessary. One well-chosen large cap mutual fund should be enough.

Mid cap equity mutual funds invest in mid cap companies only. Mid cap companies grow at much higher rates when compared to large cap companies. At the same time, the risk is also much higher.

After careful research, you can consider owning a few mid cap mutual funds. The chances of overlap of ownership of shares is lower in the case of mid cap mutual funds because the number of mid cap companies is much higher.

Small cap mutual funds, as the name suggests, invest in small cap companies. Small cap companies are very volatile and can lead to meteoric rises and spectacular falls. The risk in case of small cap mutual funds is very high.

The chances of overlap of shares are lower in the case of small cap mutual funds. But it must be remembered, these mutual funds are very risky.

Debt mutual funds, invest money in bonds and other market instruments. They are low risk, low returns mutual funds. Debt mutual fund returns are very consistent over time and somewhat similar.

Sectoral mutual funds invest money in certain sectors or industries only. From a risk perspective, investing in a sector mutual fund is almost the same as buying shares in one industry only. You should have good knowledge of a certain sector to pick up a mutual fund in any given sector.

So, How Many Mutual Funds Should You Invest in?

The answer to that, as usual, depends on you. Unless you are very well versed with the markets and have expert knowledge about mutual funds, a good rule of thumb would be to own:

  1. Large Cap Mutual Funds: Up to 2. Maybe 3 at best. Beyond that, it doesn’t make sense as there will be a great overlap in the shares owned by your mutual funds.
  2. Mid Cap Mutual Funds: Up to 2. While you might get higher returns, the risk you expose yourself to is also higher.
  3. Small Cap Mutual Funds: Up to 2. Given how high the risk is with these mutual funds, it is best to limit yourself to a limited number of small cap mutual funds. Also, avoid putting in a great percentage of your total mutual fund investment in small cap mutual funds.
  4. Debt Funds: Ideally 1, but 2 is also good. Most debt mutual funds give you similar returns so it doesn’t make sense for you to own multiple debt mutual funds.
  5. Sectoral Mutual Funds: The number of sector mutual funds you invest in should be the number of industries you have great knowledge about. You should skip investing in these if you don’t have a very good idea of the sector the mutual fund is investing in.

So, about 8 (or +/- 2) mutual funds seem like the ideal number of funds to own. There is nothing wrong if you want to own significantly more or less mutual funds than suggested here, provided your decision is well-informed.

You May Also Be Interested to Know

1.

How to Invest in Mutual Funds

2.

10 Tips to Invest in Mutual Funds

3.

How to Choose Mutual Funds in India

4.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mutual Funds in India

5.

Things to Know Before Investing in Mutual Funds India

Disclaimer

The stocks mentioned in this article are not recommendations. Please conduct your own research and due diligence before investing.Investment in securities market are subject to market risks, read all the related documents carefully before investing.Please read the Risk Disclosure documents carefully before investing in Equity Shares, Derivatives, Mutual fund, and/or otherinstruments traded on the Stock Exchanges. As investments are subject to market risks and price fluctuation risk, there is noassurance or guarantee that the investment objectives shall be achieved. Groww Invest Tech Pvt. Ltd. (Formerly known as Nextbillion Technology Pvt. Ltd)Ltd. do not guarantee any assured returns on any investments. Past performance of securities/instruments isnot indicative of their future performance.

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How Many Mutual Funds Should I Own in My Portfolio? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Mutual Funds Should I Own in My Portfolio? ›

The answer to that, as usual, depends on you. Unless you are very well versed with the markets and have expert knowledge about mutual funds, a good rule of thumb would be to own: Large Cap Mutual Funds: Up to 2. Maybe 3 at best.

What is the ideal number of mutual funds in a portfolio? ›

However, analysts say that at any point of time, three to five mutual funds . A few multi-caps, combined with one large-cap and a mid-cap, should do the trick. If your appetite is a high-risk one, then you may pick a fund of small-caps. Additionally, you should make sure that funds you pick don't hold the same stocks.

How many funds should you hold in a portfolio? ›

So, what's the ideal number of funds? Well, there is no right or wrong answer. It can depend on a number of factors including the number of funds you're comfortable monitoring in your portfolio, your investment objectives and risk appetite.

How much of my portfolio should be in real assets? ›

For example, research from the University of Florida states that model portfolios which have a mixture of stocks, bonds and real estate outperform other portfolios. In view of this, the “optimal mix” should be 50% real estate, 30% stocks and 20% bonds.

Is it better to invest in one or multiple mutual funds? ›

If you have a particular strategy or want diversification within your portfolio, then investing in multiple mutual funds can be a good idea. Diversification implies spreading your investments across different asset classes, industries, and geographical regions to reduce your overall risk.

What is the 80% rule for mutual funds? ›

The Names Rule requires that if a Fund's name suggests that the Fund invests in a particular type of investment or investments, or in investments in a particular industry, group of industries, countries, or regions, then such Fund must adopt a policy to invest at least 80 percent of the value of its assets2 in such ...

How many different mutual funds should I have in my portfolio? ›

Unless you are very well versed with the markets and have expert knowledge about mutual funds, a good rule of thumb would be to own: Large Cap Mutual Funds: Up to 2. Maybe 3 at best. Beyond that, it doesn't make sense as there will be a great overlap in the shares owned by your mutual funds.

What is the 5% portfolio rule? ›

The 5% rule says as an investor, you should not invest more than 5% of your total portfolio in any one option alone. This simple technique will ensure you have a balanced portfolio.

What is a good diversified portfolio? ›

A diversified portfolio should include a mix of asset classes, diversification within asset classes, and adding foreign assets to your investment strategy. Working with a financial professional can help you avoid diversification pitfalls such as over-diversification and not taking correlation into account.

Should I put all my money in mutual funds? ›

Key Takeaways

Mutual funds are largely a safe investment, seen as being a good way for investors to diversify with minimal risk. But there are circ*mstances in which a mutual fund is not a good choice for a market participant, especially when it comes to fees.

How much of net worth should be in house at age 65? ›

Therefore, you should consider the role of home equity and mortgage payments in your real estate allocation. According to some experts, the optimal range for home equity is between 20% and 50% of your net worth.

What is a good asset allocation for a portfolio? ›

A good asset allocation varies by individual and can depend on various factors, including age, financial targets, and appetite for risk. Historically, an asset allocation of 60% stocks and 40% bonds was considered optimal.

How much of your portfolio should be in investments? ›

If you wish moderate growth, keep 60% of your portfolio in stocks and 40% in cash and bonds. Finally, adopt a conservative approach, and if you want to preserve your capital rather than earn higher returns, then invest no more than 50% in stocks.

What is the ideal number of funds in a portfolio? ›

The ideal number of funds in your portfolio depends on your investment goals and risk tolerance. However, as a general rule of thumb, we recommend no more than 15 funds.

What is an ideal mutual fund portfolio? ›

If you are a moderate-risk investor, it's best to start with a 60-30-10 or 70-20-10 allocation. Those of you who have a 60-40 allocation can also add a touch of gold to their portfolios for better diversification. If you are conservative, then 50-40-10 or 50-30-20 is a good way to start off on your investment journey.

Can you own too many mutual funds? ›

Investing in too many funds, and justifying it as diversification, is redundant. Beyond a point, there are no additional (diversification) benefits available if you increase the number of funds in the portfolio.

What is the 15 15 rule of mutual funds? ›

The 15-15-15 rule suggests investing 15% of your income for 15 years in a mutual fund with 15% annual returns. Compounding is the process of reinvesting earnings to generate more returns. By following this rule, you can achieve long-term financial goals such as accumulating a substantial corpus for future needs.

What is the 75 5 10 rule for mutual funds? ›

Diversified management investment companies have assets that fall within the 75-5-10 rule. A 75-5-10 diversified management investment company will have 75% of its assets in other issuers and cash, no more than 5% of assets in any one company, and no more than 10% ownership of any company's outstanding voting stock.

What is the 4% rule for mutual funds? ›

The 4% rule says people should withdraw 4% of their retirement funds in the first year after retiring and take that dollar amount, adjusted for inflation, every year after. The rule seeks to establish a steady and safe income stream that will meet a retiree's current and future financial needs.

What is the 5 50 mutual fund rule? ›

Let's start with the 25:1 and 50:5 rule, a sort of “bright line test” with two simple guidelines: One issuer cannot contribute more than 25% of the portfolio's fair market value. Five or fewer issuers cannot contribute more than 50% of its fair market value.

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