Is investing in multiple mutual funds right for you? Here are its pros and cons (2024)

Mutual funds are a popular and convenient way to invest money. They allow investors to purchase a basket of stocks and bonds in one transaction, diversifying their portfolio and giving them access to a wide range of investments.

With mutual funds, investors can benefit from professional asset management without the need to do all the research and analysis themselves. But should you invest in multiple mutual funds?

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits and drawbacks of investing in multiple mutual funds and discuss whether or not it’s a smart investment strategy. Before we dive into the pros and cons of investing in multiple mutual funds, let’s take a look at what mutual funds actually are.

What are mutual funds?

Mutual funds are investment vehicles that pool the money of various investors together to buy a basket of stocks, bonds, or other securities. The fund is managed by a professional fund manager who makes decisions about which securities to buy and sell based on experience and research.

By investing in a mutual fund, investors can gain exposure to a range of investments without having to do all the research and analysis themselves. There are two main types of mutual funds: actively-managed funds and passively-managed index funds.

Actively-managed funds are run by fund managers who actively select investments and adjust the portfolio according to their own judgment. Passive funds, on the other hand, mirror a stock market index and aim to replicate its performance without active management.

What are the benefits of investing in multiple mutual funds?

Diversification

The primary benefit of investing in multiple mutual funds is diversification. Diversification is an important part of any investment strategy as it helps to reduce risk by spreading your investments out over a range of different assets.

By investing in multiple mutual funds, you can gain exposure to a variety of different markets, sectors, and asset classes. This helps to reduce the overall risk of your portfolio and ensures that you don’t put too many eggs in one basket.

Access to professional management

One of the major benefits of investing in mutual funds is that you get access to professional asset management. Mutual funds are managed by experienced fund managers who have years of experience in selecting investments and adjusting portfolios to ensure optimal performance.

By investing in multiple mutual funds, you can benefit from the expertise of a number of different fund managers. This can be especially beneficial if you don’t have the time or knowledge to manage your own investments.

Cost efficiency

Another major benefit of investing in multiple mutual funds is cost efficiency. Mutual funds typically come with lower fees than individual stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or other investments. By investing in multiple funds, you can spread these costs out to make sure they don’t become too high.

Reduced volatility

Another advantage of investing in multiple mutual funds is that it can reduce volatility. Investing in a single fund has more volatility than investing in several funds. By investing in multiple mutual funds, you can spread out the risk associated with any one fund and reduce overall volatility.

What are the drawbacks of investing in multiple mutual funds?

Potential for over-diversification

Despite the benefits of diversification, there is a potential for over-diversification when investing in multiple mutual funds. When you spread your investments too thinly, it can lead to underperformance, as each individual investment may not be able to generate sufficient returns to offset the costs of the fund.

Complexity in tracking

Another potential drawback of investing in multiple mutual funds is the complexity it can add to your portfolio. With multiple funds, you have to keep track of all the different investments you own, as well as the performance of each fund.

This can be difficult to manage on your own, especially if you have a large number of funds. Additionally, trying to coordinate all the different investments can be time-consuming, and it can be hard to keep track of when you need to rebalance your portfolio.

Higher transaction costs

Investing in multiple mutual funds also comes with higher transaction costs. Each time you buy or sell a fund, you will incur trading fees. Over time, these can add up and eat into your returns. Additionally, some funds may require additional fees such as annual maintenance fees or redemption fees.

Investing in multiple mutual funds can be a smart move for investors who want to diversify their portfolios and gain access to professional asset management.

However, it’s important to be aware of the possible drawbacks, such as the potential for over-diversification and higher transaction costs. Ultimately, the decision to invest in multiple mutual funds should be made on a case-by-case basis depending on your individual needs and goals.

Is investing in multiple mutual funds right for you? Here are its pros and cons (1)

Too many mutual funds

First Published: 17 Mar 2023, 08:46 AM

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Is investing in multiple mutual funds right for you? Here are its pros and cons (2024)

FAQs

Is investing in multiple mutual funds right for you? Here are its pros and cons? ›

Investing in multiple mutual funds can be a smart move for investors who want to diversify their portfolios and gain access to professional asset management. However, it's important to be aware of the possible drawbacks, such as the potential for over-diversification and higher transaction costs.

Is investing in multiple mutual funds good or bad? ›

While mutual funds are popular and attractive investments because they provide exposure to a number of stocks in a single investment vehicle, too much of a good thing can be a bad idea. The addition of too many funds simply creates an expensive index fund.

What are the pros and cons of investing in mutual funds? ›

One selling point is that they allow you to hold a variety of assets in a single fund. They also have the potential for higher-than-average returns. However, some mutual funds have steep fees and initial buy-ins. Your financial situation and investment style will determine if they're right for you.

Is it better to invest in multiple funds? ›

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. While it's important to have a mix of styles and strategies to achieve diversification, that doesn't mean you need a long, unwieldy list of funds.

Can you buy multiple mutual funds? ›

Yes, its completely upto you, how many mutual funds you wish to invest. But you must choose the best mutual fund that satisfies your needs, if you need some money after 2 years say for marriage, you must invest in a fund which is formed of high beta stocks to give you a good return in short term period.

Is it beneficial to have multiple investment accounts? ›

Multiple Brokerages Help Diversify and Manage Risk

A benefit of owning multiple brokerage accounts is they can help diversify your holdings.

Is investing in mutual funds good or bad? ›

Mutual funds can be good for diversification and professional management, but like any investment, they come with risks. It depends on individual financial goals and risk tolerance.

Is it better to invest in one thing or multiple? ›

The bottom line is that there is no universal answer to this question -- it depends on your personal situation. Just remember to consider these important factors: How much money you have to invest. Whether you need to diversify your investment portfolio or want to put all your available capital into the stock.

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

Some index funds provide exposure to thousands of securities in a single fund, which helps lower your overall risk through broad diversification. By investing in several index funds tracking different indexes you can built a portfolio that matches your desired asset allocation.

How much overlap is good in mutual funds? ›

While there's no fixed rule, a lower overlap is better for diversification. Aim to keep it below 33% for a balanced portfolio. To reduce overlap: Diversify across fund categories systematically: Investing in funds from different categories won't guarantee low overlap unless chosen strategically.

Is it OK to have 10 mutual funds? ›

Too Much of Mutual Fund Investment

You must remember that each equity fund you invest in has at least 50 stocks. If you hold, say, 7 to 10 of these equity funds, you are in actual fact, investing in around 500 stocks on the high side. This figure could go higher, depending on your distinct number of funds.

What if I invest $1,000 in mutual funds? ›

At a 12 per cent rate of return, a Rs 1,000 SIP may earn you Rs 1,14,00,000. This demonstrates the power of compounding. Now, if you raise your SIP amount by 10 per cent each year, as your income grows with each passing year, this SIP over 40 years can generate a corpus of Rs 3.5 crore.

What is an ideal mutual fund portfolio? ›

You can consider replacing 1 or 2 small-cap funds with a large-cap or multi-cap fund. This will provide stability to your portfolio. There is an overlap between Quant Infrastructure Fund and Quant ELSS Tax Saver Fund Growth as more than 50% of portfolio allocation is the same, so invest in either one of them.

Is it good to invest in 5 different mutual funds? ›

Most debt mutual funds give you similar returns so it doesn't make sense for you to own multiple debt mutual funds. Sectoral Mutual Funds: The number of sector mutual funds you invest in should be the number of industries you have great knowledge about.

Is it safe to put all money in mutual funds? ›

Are mutual fund investments safe? Market-linked mutual funds are subject to market risk that can be caused by several reasons such as changes in policy, macroeconomic conditions, pandemics, poor investor confidence and so on. Therefore it is a good idea to go through document papers carefully before investing.

Is it good to invest in multi asset fund? ›

By investing in a multi-asset fund, you can smooth out these fluctuations, as the varying performance of different asset classes tends to balance out over time. Example of asset class performance: Equity: Typically leads to significant wealth growth over the long term but can be highly volatile.

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