How Many Mutual Funds Should I Own in My Portfolio? (2024)

26 February 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?

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.

What is the ideal number of mutual funds in a portfolio? ›

While there is no precise answer for the number of funds one should hold in a portfolio, 8 funds (+/-2) across asset classes may be considered optimal depending on the financial objectives and goals of the investor. Further, higher allocation of portfolio to the right fund is of crucial importance.

Is it a good idea to invest in multiple mutual funds? ›

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.

Are 10 mutual funds too many? ›

The rest 60-70% should be to large caps. There is no one right answer to questions like how many funds should I invest in. But just adding new funds to the portfolio to 'diversify' or reduce risks doesn't work. So, in general, having 1-2 schemes in the chosen fund category would be sufficient.

What is the 75 5 10 rule for mutual funds? ›

Diversified management investment companies have assets that fall within the 75-5-10 rule. A 75-5-10 diversified management investment company will have 75% of its assets in other issuers and cash, no more than 5% of assets in any one company, and no more than 10% ownership of any company's outstanding voting stock.

What is the 4% rule for mutual funds? ›

The 4% rule says people should withdraw 4% of their retirement funds in the first year after retiring and take that dollar amount, adjusted for inflation, every year after. The rule seeks to establish a steady and safe income stream that will meet a retiree's current and future financial needs.

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 the 3 fund portfolio good enough? ›

The three-fund portfolio is lazy investing at its best. It's simple, it's proven to have a better long-term track record of gains than picking single stocks and trying to time the market, and it lets you generally "set it and forget it" when it comes to saving for retirement.

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

It's important to make sure that your portfolio is well-diversified, but holding too many funds means there's a risk some may overlap. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you could get back less than you invest. If you're not sure about investing, seek independent advice.

What is the ideal number of funds in a portfolio? ›

There isn't a strict rule, but between five and 10 funds is usually a good idea. That lets you allocate money to different types of funds and markets without doubling up too much. It's also a manageable number to monitor and won't cost you too much in trading fees.

What is one downside of a mutual fund? ›

Disadvantages include high fees, tax inefficiency, poor trade execution, and the potential for management abuses.

Is 5 mutual funds too much? ›

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.

What is the 3 5 10 rule for mutual funds? ›

Specifically, a fund is prohibited from: acquiring more than 3% of a registered investment company's shares (the “3% Limit”); investing more than 5% of its assets in a single registered investment company (the “5% Limit”); or. investing more than 10% of its assets in registered investment companies (the “10% Limit”).

What if I invest $1,000 in mutual funds for 10 years? ›

(You must convert the rate of return to the monthly figure through dividing by 12). You also have n = 10 years or 120 months. FV = Rs 1,84,170. So, the future value of a SIP investment of Rs 1,000 per month for 10 years at an estimated rate of return of 8% is Rs 1,84,170.

What is the 15 15 15 rule for mutual funds? ›

It is based on the principle of compounding, which means earning interest on your interest. The rule suggests that you should invest 15% of your income for 15 years in a mutual fund that gives 15% annual returns. If you follow this rule, you can turn a small amount of money into a large sum over time.

What is the 15 15 rule of mutual funds? ›

If investors aim to earn Rs 1 crore in the near future, this rule can be a good attempt to achieve your goal. What is 15-15-15 Rule? The rule says to achieve the goal of earning Rs 1 crore, an investor should invest Rs 15,000 monthly through SIP for 15 years, considering a 15% annual return from an equity fund.

What is the 5 50 mutual fund rule? ›

Let's start with the 25:1 and 50:5 rule, a sort of “bright line test” with two simple guidelines: One issuer cannot contribute more than 25% of the portfolio's fair market value. Five or fewer issuers cannot contribute more than 50% of its fair market value.

What is the average number of mutual fund holdings? ›

Mutual fund–owning households owned many funds through multiple purchase sources (Figure 1.6). In 2021, these households owned a median of four mutual funds. Forty-nine percent owned three or fewer funds, and 51 percent owned four or more.

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