Return/Volatility Comfort Guidelines

Question: “Which return/volatility level are you most comfortable with?”

 

Return/volatility comfort or level of risk tolerance affects both the asset mix and the Core/Specialty Mix Core investments are investments that have relatively low volatility, and are usually diversified, actively managed or have larger capitalization.

Specialty investments are investments that have relatively high volatility, and are usually dedicated to a single sector or market, aggressively managed, or have smaller capitalization.
in a portfolio.  It should be considered when making any adjustments that could increase the portfolio's volatility.

 

Using Return/Volatility Comfort to Adjust Asset Mix

An investor's comfort with volatile investments and his or her knowledge and experience with investing determines the amount of adjustment we make to the Asset Mix The ratio of income investments to equity Investments..

 

The specific guidelines are:

 

 

Return/
Volatility

Comfort

Adjustment to Basic Asset Mix

Income

Equity

Low

+10%

-10%

Medium

no change

no change

High

-10%

+10%

 

Using Return/Volatility Comfort to Determine the Recommended Maximum Specialty Allocation in a Custom Portfolio

An investor’s comfort with volatile investments (along with financial means and investment knowledge) is used to determine the prudent maximum specialty amount recommended for Core/Specialty mix in a custom portfolio

 

In general, conservative investors with low volatility/return comfort or tolerance should focus on core investments. On the other hand, aggressive investors with high volatility/return comfort or tolerance can increase the focus on specialty investments.

 

The specific guidelines are:

 

 

 

Return/
Volatility

Comfort

Adjustment to Core/Specialty Mix

Core

Specialty
(max 60%)

Low

0%

-10%

Medium

-10%

+10%

High

-20%

+20%

 

 

 

Learn More

Return/Volatility Comfort Concepts

Determining Return/Volatility Comfort