How Many Investment Firms Should I Split my Money Between?
- How Many Investment Firms Should I Split my Money Between? James Conole, CFP® 22:32
James and Ari discuss diversification and the nuances of managing investments. A client plans to split his funds across multiple institutions, like Schwab and Vanguard, believing it will improve diversification, but true diversification isn’t about holding accounts at different places but ensuring varied asset allocation. Using examples, James and Ari highlight risks such as single stock and sector concentration, explaining that owning the same stock or sector across institutions offers no added diversification.
They emphasize the importance of understanding risks—like single stock, sector, and asset allocation risks—before trying to diversify. While protections like SIPC keep most investors’ funds secure against institutional failures, splitting accounts unnecessarily can overcomplicate things without real benefits. Instead, they focus on simplifying accounts, building portfolios that match your goals, and clearing up common myths about diversification. It’s all part of Root’s mission to make financial decisions and management simpler for you.
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Timestamps:
0:00 – A question about diversification
3:10 – Single-stock and sector-concentration risk
6:37 – The S&P 500
9:24 – Grocery analogy
10:46 – Risks of too many accounts
13:09 – Ensuring assets are protected
16:19 – Guarantees vs real diversification
18:45 – Summary
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