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Managing Investment Holdings – Portfolio Tracking

Planting a garden is Step 1. Watering and weeding it is Step 2. Your portfolio needs maintenance to ensure it stays healthy and aligned with your goals.


What is a Portfolio?

A collection of all your investment assets (Stocks, MFs, Gold, FD, Real Estate).

  • Don't view in isolation: Don't just look at "Is my Reliance stock up?". Look at "Is my Total Portfolio up?".

The Art of Rebalancing

Rebalancing means resetting your portfolio to your original Asset Allocation.

Scenario:

  • Target Allocation: 50% Equity, 50% Debt.
  • Year 1 Bull Market: Equity doubles.
  • New Status: 70% Equity, 30% Debt.
  • Risk: You are now taking more risk than intended.

Corrective Action (Rebalancing):

  • Sell some Equity (Book profits).
  • Buy Debt.
  • Result: Return to 50:50.
  • Magic: This forces you to "Buy Low, Sell High" automatically!

Reviewing Performance

Check your portfolio Once in 6 Months/1 Year. Not daily.

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Benchmarking

  • If your Mutual Fund gave 12% return, but Nifty gave 15%, your fund Underperformed.
  • If your fund gave -2% but Nifty gave -10%, your fund Outperformed (protected downside).

Consolidated Account Statement (CAS)

  • What is it?: A single statement showing ALL your investments (MFs + Demat) across all brokers.
  • Source: NSDL/CDSL sends this monthly via email.
  • Use: Gives the "Big Picture" view of Net Worth.

When to Sell?

  1. Goal Achieved: You need the money for the goal (Wedding/House).
  2. Rebalancing: To restore asset mix.
  3. Fundamental Change: The company you invested in has turned bad (Fraud/Losses).
  4. Emergency: Last resort.

Don't sell just because market fell 5% yesterday!


Summary

  • Portfolio view: Look at the aggregate, not just individual winners/losers.
  • Rebalance: The secret sauce to manage risk and book profits.
  • Review: Annually. Avoid over-monitoring (it causes anxiety).
  • Benchmark: Compare returns against the market index, not your friend's returns.

Quiz Time! 🎯

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Next Unit: Insurance Planning! 🛡️