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?

Diversification: How Much is too much?

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? ›

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.

How many mutual funds should be in my 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.

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

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 an ideal mutual fund portfolio? ›

The ideal number of mutual funds for building the best mutual fund portfolio depends on various factors, including your investment goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon. However, a general rule of thumb suggests having between 6 to 10 funds across different asset classes to achieve adequate diversification.

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

A commonly cited rule of thumb is to own between 10 and 20 mutual funds, but the actual number will vary depending on your individual circ*mstances. Too many funds can lead to unnecessary over-diversification and overlap. There's really no point in owning, say, two index funds that invest in the same index.

What is the 4% rule for mutual funds? ›

It's relatively simple: You add up all of your investments, and withdraw 4% of that total during your first year of retirement. In subsequent years, you adjust the dollar amount you withdraw to account for inflation.

What is the 15 15 rule of mutual funds? ›

Meaning of the 15-15-15 rule in Mutual Funds

The Investment: You should invest Rs 15,000 per month. The Tenure: The total of your investment should be 15 years. It means that you will invest Rs 15,000 every month for the next 15 years. The Return: Your expected returns on your investment should be 15%

What is a good allocation for a mutual fund? ›

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.

What is considered a good return on mutual funds? ›

What is the average return of mutual funds? Historically average around 9% to 12% annually. Subject to market volatility but offer potential for higher returns.

What is a good portfolio allocation? ›

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 80% rule for mutual funds? ›

Scope and Requirements for a Fund's 80% Policy

Under the adopted amendments, any fund whose name suggests that the fund focuses its investments in a particular area or has certain characteristics (such as thematic funds or “growth” or “value”) will need to include an 80% policy.

What is the 80 20 rule in mutual funds? ›

One way is to allocate 80% of your portfolio to low-risk, diversified assets, such as index funds, and 20% to high-risk, high-reward assets, such as individual stocks or cryptocurrencies. This way, you can balance stability and growth, while limiting your exposure to losses.

What is the 3 portfolio rule? ›

A 3 fund portfolio is an asset allocation mix comprising three asset classes, domestic stocks, international stocks, and domestic bonds. Standard & Poor's 500 is a market index that tracks the market value and performance of the top 500 US large-cap stocks.

Is 5 mutual funds too many? ›

If you think that's too low a number, think again. An average mutual fund has about 40 to 80 securities (stocks or bonds). So, a fund is often well-diversified in itself. Thus, four-five funds from different fund houses can take care of diversification adequately.

How many funds should I hold in my 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.

Is it good to have 4 mutual funds? ›

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.

Is the 3 fund portfolio good enough? ›

While the three-fund portfolio is great because it's simple to learn and easy to manage, it isn't without its disadvantages, as we discuss on our personal finance for physicians primer.

References

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