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      colourful donuts

      Portion control isn’t just for meal time

      Building a financial fitness plan has a lot in common with how we manage our diets.

      Late last summer, I returned to New York after two weeks at the Delaware Shore. Oddly, I felt horrible. I was at the highest weight of my life, with sluggish energy and general malaise. In fairness, for years, I pushed health and fitness behind work, believing that one had to come at the expense of the other.

      I needed change and tangible action to help me structure a path forward and focused on some basics: exercise, sleep, nutrition and, perhaps most importantly, portion control.

      I chose pre-portioned meal service for a while, and still use it for lunch. I got a food scale, even while mocked by some family and friends! I have spent a year getting an intuitive sense, through trial-and-error, of what good portions look like. With exercise and diet, I dropped about 30 pounds, and am now aiming to add weight back in the form of lean muscle mass. I feel much better too.

      How to fill your investment plate

      What’s this all have to do with investments? There are investing lessons to be learned from portion control and macro-nutrients; macros are the protein, fat and carb building blocks of nutrition. Investors often miss the idea of portion control. We ought to think of our overall investment portfolios in different portion sizes. We ought to be disciplined about the “PPP” too: the portion’s portfolio purpose.

      For example, one PPP should be emergency funds: say, six to 12 months of rainy day, emergency money that stays invested in bank-guaranteed products at some reasonable yields. Certificates of deposit (CDs) and high-yield savings accounts can be useful tools for this portion. Another PPP might be a consumption goal, such as a home purchase against some timeline. Here a mix of stocks and bonds can help pave the way, typically though open-end mutual funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Retirement is yet another PPP, aiming to deliver growth that can be translated into stable income to be spent down in retirement

      Wagging the dog

      My point is that most personal investors often let the tail wag the dog. Investment decisions should be guided by the purpose of the investment, and less so today’s valuations or what’s hot. Spend some time first drawing up portion sizes. Then it’s easier to decide the mix of investments that go on that plate. When working with a financial advisor, try to work up some portion sizing questions as a way to review your overall investment portfolio and broader financial planning.

      Last observation is about lazy versus recreational money. I still let myself work in “cheat” meals: dessert, a great bottle of wine and I am passionate about ice cream. I think the same can apply for investments. Some recreational money to play the markets is fine. Just portion it out sensibly. It’s about what you do – in eating and investing – most of the time that counts. But, recreational money is different than lazy money. Lazy money is the money that builds up because you’re not disciplined about portions. When dividends and cash build up in your brokerage and retirement accounts, get it back invested in line with your selected portions. And, your investment goals will change as you go through life – same as your health and fitness — so re-apportion from time to time to reflect what you know and where you are going.

      We do know that financial and physical well-bring are related. But, there are basic health and fitness disciplines that we ought to apply in our financial lives as well. Portion control can be a valuable guide for building toward your financial fitness goals.

       

      This article is written by BlackRock.

      Disclaimer

      This article is for general information only and it does not constitute an offer, recommendation or solicitation of an offer to enter into any transaction or adopt any hedging, trading or investment strategy, in relation to any securities or other financial instruments, nor does it constitute any prediction of likely future movements in rates or prices or any representation that any such future movements will not exceed those shown in any illustration. This article has not been prepared for any particular person or class of persons and it has been prepared without regard to the specific investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any person, and does not constitute and should not be construed as investment advice nor an investment recommendation. Where the article describes any insurance product or service, it also does not constitute an offer, recommendation or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any insurance product or service, nor is it intended to provide insurance or financial advice.  You should seek advice from a licensed or an exempt financial adviser on the suitability of a product for you, taking into account these factors before making a commitment to purchase any product. In the event that you choose not to seek advice from a licensed or an exempt financial adviser, you should carefully consider whether the product is suitable for you.

      Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore) Limited (the “Bank”) will not accept any responsibility or liability of any kind, with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information herein. The Bank makes no representation or warranty of any kind, express, implied or statutory regarding this article or any information contained or referred to in this article. This article is distributed on the express understanding that, whilst the information in it is believed to be reliable, it has not been independently verified by the Bank.