How Many Stocks Should I Own to Form a Portfolio? (2024)

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How Many Stocks Should I Own to Form a Portfolio? (1)

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How Many Stocks Should I Own to Form a Portfolio? (2)

“How many stocks should I own?” This is one of our most commonly asked questions from new and experienced investors. Here’s the answer.

One question that Inner Circle members often ask is, “How many stocks should I own in my investment portfolio?” The right number of stocks for you to hold depends in part on where you are in your investing career.

How Many Stocks Should I Own to Form a Portfolio? (3)

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“How many stocks should I own as I begin my investing career?”

As part of your initial portfolio management approach, you should aim to invest in a minimum of four or five stocks—one from most, if not all, of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources; Consumer; Finance; and Utilities). But you can buy them one at a time, over a period of months or even years, rather than all at once. After that, you can gradually add new stocks to your portfolio as funds become available, taking care to spread your holdings out as we advise.

What does it mean to have a diversified portfolio?

Portfolio diversification is the process of making sure you balance your investments so they are not tied to one industry, geographic area, or investment type. Portfolio diversification gives you the greatest chance for safety and profit and is key to our three-part Successful Investor philosophy. As mentioned above, you can start to diversify your portfolio by spreading your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Finance, Utilities, Manufacturing, Resources and Consumer).

The proportions should depend on your objectives and the risk you can accept. Diversifying your portfolio can also mean balancing your investments geographically. Avoid focusing your portfolio on any one country or region. As well, a lower-risk way to add international exposure to your portfolio is to hold multinational U.S. stocks, such as IBM, McDonald’s and Walmart, which are active in markets all around the world.

Market leaders and market laggards both deserve a place in your portfolio. Over long periods, high-quality stocks play leapfrog. Some of the lowest-risk, highest-profit buys you’ll ever find are overlooked or out-of-fashion stocks of high investment quality that are coming back into investor favour.

“How many stocks should I own later on in my investing career?”

When your portfolio gets into the $100,000 to $200,000 range, you should aim for perhaps 15 to 20 stocks. If you’re married, it’s best to treat your family holdings as one big portfolio, even if you and your spouse keep your money separate. That way, you can be sure you aren’t operating at cross purposes, or investing too much of the family fortune in a single area.

When you get above $200,000 or so, you can gradually increase the number of stocks you hold. When your portfolio reaches the $500,000 to $1 million range, 25 to 30 stocks is a good number to aim for.

Of course, you may fall a few stocks below that range, or go a few above it, particularly when you’re making changes in your holdings. That won’t matter if you follow our three-part investment advice: invest mainly in well-established, mostly dividend-paying companies; spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors, and downplay stocks that are in the broker/media limelight.

Our upper limit for any portfolio is around 40 stocks. Any more than that and even your best choices will have little impact on your personal wealth.

“How many stocks should I own?” Consider quality over quantity

The best investment plans or systems use a variation of the value investing approach. That is, they revolve around choosing high-quality investments and diversifying your holdings.

Safer investing also means taking a careful and methodical approach to investing that does not jeopardize your savings or your investment goals. There will always be some inherent risk when investing, so making safer investing decisions lets you minimize that risk.

The safest way in our view for Successful Investors to invest money is to place a lot of importance on investment quality.

Keep our three-part Successful Investor philosophy in mind while making stock picks

In summary, investors should never have all their money tied to one investment idea, location, industry or type. And to reiterate, at TSI Network we recommend our three-part Successful Investor philosophy for investing:

  • Invest mainly in well-established, dividend-paying companies;
  • Spread your money out across most if not all of the five main economic sectors (Manufacturing & Industry; Resources & Commodities; Consumer; Finance; Utilities);
  • Downplay or avoid stocks in the broker/media limelight.

We think about 40 stocks should be upper limit for a diversified portfolio. How many stocks are in your portfolio? Why?

This post was originally published in April 2019 and is regularly updated.

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How Many Stocks Should I Own to Form a Portfolio? (2024)

FAQs

How Many Stocks Should I Own to Form a Portfolio? ›

What's the right number of companies to invest in, even if portfolio size doesn't matter? “Studies show there's statistical significance to the rule of thumb for 20 to 30 stocks to achieve meaningful di- versification,” says Aleksandr Spencer, CFA® and chief investment officer at Bogart Wealth.

How many stocks should I own in my portfolio? ›

“Most research suggests the right number of stocks to hold in a diversified portfolio is 25 to 30 companies,” adds Jonathan Thomas, private wealth advisor at LVW Advisors. “Owning significantly fewer is considered speculation and any more is over-diversification.

How much should a stock be in a portfolio? ›

Stock allocations by age

Investors in their 20s, 30s and 40s all maintain about a 41% allocation of U.S. stocks and 9% allocation of international stocks in their financial portfolios. Investors in their 50s and 60s keep between 35% and 39% of their portfolio assets in U.S. stocks and about 8% in international stocks.

Is 35 stocks too many for a portfolio? ›

Private investors with limited time may not want to have this many, but 25-35 stocks is a popular level for many successful investors (for example, Terry Smith) who run what are generally regarded as relatively high concentration portfolios. This bent towards a 30-odd stock portfolio has many proponents.

Is owning 100 stocks too many? ›

It's a good idea to own a few dozen stocks to maintain a diversified portfolio. If you load up on too many stocks, you might struggle to keep tabs on all of them. Buying ETFs can be a good way to diversify without adding too much work for yourself.

Is it OK to have 100% stocks in my portfolio? ›

An internationally diversified portfolio of stocks turned out to be the least risky strategy, both before and after retirement, even though a 100% stock portfolio did expose couples to the greatest risk of a drop in wealth that may be temporary or last several years.

What is the best ratio for a portfolio? ›

Finding the right mix for your portfolio. One of the first things you learn as a new investor is to seek the best portfolio mix. Many financial advisors recommend a 60/40 asset allocation between stocks and fixed income to take advantage of growth while keeping up your defenses.

What is the best portfolio balance by age? ›

The common rule of asset allocation by age is that you should hold a percentage of stocks that is equal to 100 minus your age. So if you're 40, you should hold 60% of your portfolio in stocks. Since life expectancy is growing, changing that rule to 110 minus your age or 120 minus your age may be more appropriate.

What is a good portfolio size? ›

“It is generally recommended to have a portfolio size of at least $100,000 before considering investing in individual securities, and at least $500,000 before moving away from investment products and investing directly in stocks and bonds.”

How to build a stock portfolio for beginners? ›

6 Steps to Building Your Portfolio
  1. Step 1: Establish Your Investment Profile. No two people are exactly alike. ...
  2. Step 2: Allocate Assets. ...
  3. Step 3: Decide how to diversify. ...
  4. Step 4: Select investments. ...
  5. Step 5: Consider Taxes. ...
  6. Step 6: Monitor your portfolio.
Jan 13, 2024

How much money do I need to invest to make $1000 a month? ›

A stock portfolio focused on dividends can generate $1,000 per month or more in perpetual passive income, Mircea Iosif wrote on Medium. “For example, at a 4% dividend yield, you would need a portfolio worth $300,000.

Is owning 30 stocks too much? ›

There might be other practical considerations that limit the number of stocks. However, our analysis demonstrates that, whether you own ETFs, mutual funds, or a basket of individual stocks, a well-diversified portfolio requires owning more than 20-30 stocks.

How do I know if my portfolio is good? ›

How to Monitor Your Stock Portfolio?
  1. Keep Yourself Updated About the Latest News About the Company. ...
  2. Analyze the Quarterly Results of the Company. ...
  3. Keep Tabs on Any Corporate Announcements. ...
  4. Be Aware of Any Changes in the Shareholding Pattern. ...
  5. Check the Credit Rating of The Company. ...
  6. Assess the Promoter's Pledge of Shares.
May 20, 2024

What is a good number of stocks to own? ›

As the number of stocks in a portfolio reach 20-25, the volatility reducing benefits of diversification reach near zero. This is the sweet spot for portfolio size for an investor seeking to beat the market. At 20-25 stocks, you've captured all the potential benefits of diversification with even the right stocks.

What is the ideal portfolio of stocks? ›

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.

How many stocks does Warren Buffett own? ›

Buffett's company Berkshire Hathaway (BRK. A, BRK.B) publicly discloses its top stock holdings quarterly, giving you a glimpse behind the curtain to see the stock portfolio of one of the world's greatest investors. Among the 47 stocks Berkshire Hathaway holds, the top 10 represent about 84% of the company's holdings.

What is the optimal number of shares in a portfolio? ›

Determining the 'optimal' number of stocks to hold is a crucial consideration when diversifying your stock portfolio. While there isn't a one-size-fits-all answer, experts generally suggest that holding around 20-30 individual stocks can balance effective risk diversification and manageability.

Is it okay to buy 10 shares of stock? ›

Most experts tell beginners that if you're going to invest in individual stocks, you should ultimately try to have at least 10 to 15 different stocks in your portfolio to properly diversify your holdings.

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