Spreading your investments across different asset classes is foundational to any investment strategy. The principle is simply that by selecting different asset classes, you reduce your dependence on a single market or financial product. For example, if you hold only equities and the stock market experiences a slowdown, you would definitely be worse off than if you had invested in different types of investments such as bonds.
Your portfolio should contain different proportions of the main asset classes, specifically cash assets, fixed-income investments and growth equities. It is your investor profile that determines what proportion of each you should have in your portfolio.
If you already know your investor profile, click on it to view a recap of the main characteristics of your portfolio and optimum diversification by type of investment (PDF documents).
If you don't know your investor profile, or if you think your profile may have changed as a result of changes in your financial situation, complete the Personalized Investment Plan (PIP).
