Here's How Investors Can Build a Diversified Portfolio in a Matter of Minutes

Having a diversified portfolio is essential to both growing wealth and avoiding losses in the stock market. But what exactly does a diverse portfolio entail? At a minimum, you should aim to invest in a dozen different stocks, ideally from an array of market segments. But the more stocks you own, the greater your chances of making money in your portfolio and steering clear of losses when the stock market crashes.

Of course, buying stocks is an involved process. You'll need to research each individual company you're interested in, figure out how it makes money, assess its cash flow management, and make sure it offers distinct value or growth potential. And you may not have the time -- or desire -- to put in that amount of effort. Or you might be too nervous to pull the trigger on individual stocks, even despite of your research.

If that's the case, here's some good news: You can actually assemble a well-diversified portfolio without spending hours upon hours doing research. In fact, you can get the job done in just a few minutes with one easy move.

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Source Fool.com