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How to build a mutual fund portfolio

By Hashim Manikfan
Last Updated on February 17, 2025
Two individuals are managing mutual fund portfolios.

Building a mutual fund portfolio is not an easy task. Investors who choose strong mutual fund portfolios can sleep peacefully, hoping for the mutual funds to grow.

All thanks to mutual fund managers who supervise everything from research, evaluating financial situations, asset allocation, and rebalancing.

While mutual funds offer professional expertise in managing the portfolio, the process of building a good mutual fund portfolio can be stressful.

There are more than thousands of mutual fund portfolios aligned with diverse financial goals, risk tolerances, investment horizons, performance, and many others.

Moreover, the need to understand fund categories and balance asset allocation in favour of the market makes it more complex to build a good mutual fund portfolio.

Without proper knowledge, your mutual fund portfolio will be subjected to market risk, leading to missed opportunities and poor performance.

Investors may find it hard to navigate the complexity of aligning investments with financial goals as the market shifts.

Yet, you are wondering how mutual fund managers excel at creating a robust mutual fund portfolio, right?

That’s why this guide was created to help you understand how a mutual fund portfolio is built. In this guide, you will find everything you need to know about building a good mutual fund portfolio.

As you read down, you will find a step-by-step guide that explains how to build a mutual fund portfolio in simple words, even that beginners can understand effectively. Before you rush to that, let me tell you what a mutual fund is.

What is a mutual fund?

A mutual fund is a pool of assets, securities, bonds, and other investment options that you can choose to invest all together. Mutual fund plans are typically provided by fund houses and managed by mutual fund professionals.

It works by investors purchasing a mutual fund through a mutual fund provider like asset management companies, banks, or by opening a brokerage account. Once you invest in a mutual fund, all your investment is looked after by a professional for maximum returns.

Mutual funds reap maximum benefits when the portfolio is managed and rebalanced efficiently. In order to do so, you need to learn how to create a solid mutual fund. But before that, let us explain why you need a mutual fund plan.

Why build a mutual fund portfolio?

Mutual funds are diverse investment plans catered to various financial goals and risk tolerance. Whether you are a doctor, engineer, or trader, you are bound to have dreams and goals. A mutual fund plan is like a car to ease your investment journey.

If you have short-term, long-term, or retirement plans, you can achieve them by choosing the right mutual funds. Moreover, you can also invest in various assets in mutual funds to achieve these goals simultaneously. But it requires strategic planning.

Building the right mutual fund is the key to achieving your goals. Crafting a solid mutual fund requires you to assess your financial health, set realistic goals, evaluate your time horizon, select mutual fund plans that align with your financial principles, and many others.

Meeting all the criteria is important to building a strong mutual fund. We will explain what you should do in each step to build a strong mutual portfolio.

Steps to build a mutual fund portfolio

Building a diversified mutual fund portfolio requires strategic planning by evaluating your financial goals, risk tolerance, financial health, and investment timeline. These fundamental principles are essential to consider before selecting a mutual fund plan.

The next step is to choose a mutual fund plan, allocate your investments, and diversify across different funds. This is a critical aspect of portfolio building, as it must align with the criteria mentioned above. Only by carefully considering these factors can you create a well-structured mutual fund portfolio. Because mutual funds carry market risk, it is critical to consider all factors before investing. 

In this section, you’ll find a simplified, step-by-step guide to building a mutual fund portfolio by evaluating various goals and identifying different types of investment options in a mutual fund plan that align together, helping you navigate the process with clarity.

  1. Assess your financial condition
  2. Identify your goals.
  3. Evaluate your risk tolerance
  4. Determine your time horizon
  5. Select your investment option
  6. Determine your asset allocations
  7. Diversify your investment options
  8. Choose an investment mode
  9. Monitor and review

1. Assess your financial condition

Understanding your financial condition is important to learn about how much resource you have for investing. Create a record of your income, debt, expenses, and savings.

A detailed clarity on your financial health will help you determine how much you can afford to invest in mutual funds without comprising day-to-day financial needs. Evaluating your financial condition will also help you to identify the right mutual fund that aligns with your entire financial plan.

Choosing a mutual fund that aligns with your financial condition will also help you to stay on track and achieve financial goals by investing in the mutual fund plan consistently.

2. Identify your goals

Whether you have poor or good financial health, you are bound to have dreams and goals. It can be purchasing a car, buying a home, funding for education, or any other. Each of these goals has different priorities and requirements.

Therefore, prioritise the goals that you want to achieve first. Categorise into short-term, mid-term, and long-term based on the tenure it would take to achieve the goal. Ensure that these goals are realistic with your income.

Your goals should be clear and precise because mutual fund investments are carried out based on your goals. Each type of investment in a mutual fund works differently to grow your wealth. Therefore, it is important to set clear and achievable goals.

3. Determine your time horizon

Consider your investment timeline based on the time horizon of your goals. For example, you want to purchase a car worth 5 lakhs in two years and buy a home worth 50 lakhs in 10 years.

These two goals have two different time horizons and investment values. More importantly, your investment vehicle must be selected by evaluating these goals. So determining the time horizons of each goal you want to achieve will help you select the desired mutual fund plan.

4. Evaluate your risk tolerance

As we all know, a mutual fund is subjected to market risk. So there will always be risk when the market doesn’t go in favour. Therefore, investors should be willing to take risks when investing in mutual funds.

However, how much risk you are willing to take should be determined by yourself by evaluating your income, age, experience, and investment goals. Based on the evaluation, you can decide how much risk you are willing to take.

In doing so, you will be able to choose investment options that balance your risk and return.

5. Select your investment option

There are various investment options that you can invest in a mutual fund. Each investment vehicle is catered to a specific risk tolerance and time horizon.

Check out the specific fund options in a mutual fund diversified portfolio:

  • Equity funds: Contains equity stocks from the small-cap, mid-cap, and large-cap. Suitable for the long term and contains high risk due to market volatility.
  • Debt funds: These are fixed-income securities such as government bonds, corporate bonds, and money market instruments. These are considered safe and lower in risk.
  • Hybrid funds: Hybrid funds are mixed funds of equity and debt. It is a balanced approach to growth and stability. This is suitable for investors who are moderate risk-takers.
  • Tax-saving funds: Tax-saving funds are types of funds that provide the dual benefit of long-term growth and tax benefits. The most common tax-saving fund is ELSS.

6. Determine your fund allocations

Once you get a clear idea of your investment goals, risk tolerance, and investment horizon, you can choose how much you are investing in each asset category to achieve financial goals in the given time frame.

Allocate based on your short-term, midterm, and long-term objectives. This will help you identify which asset, security, or bond you should allocate based on your risk tolerance.

7. Diversify your investment options

Diversify your investment across various classes based on your investment capital, risk tolerance, and financial goals. Distribute your investment across various equity funds, debt funds, hybrid funds, and tax-saving funds.

Here is a diversified mutual fund portfolio example:

1. Equity funds: 60%

  • Large-cap 30%: Established and guaranteed return companies with low risk
  • Mid-cap 20%: Balanced and growth potential companies for stability.
  • Small-cap 10%: Small companies with significant growth potentials with higher risks.

2. Debt funds: 25%

  • Short-Term Debt Funds (10%): Provides stable, low-risk returns through government and corporate bonds.
  • Medium-Term Debt Funds (10%): Balance moderate risk with steady interest income.
  • Corporate Bond Funds (5%): higher risk but with potentially higher returns through investments in corporate debt securities.

3. Hybrid Funds 15%

These are a mix of equity and debt funds. Hybrid funds are used to strike a balance between equity and debt fund

8. Choose an investment mode

You can choose to invest in a mutual fund in two ways: Systematic Investment Plan and Lumpsum.

  • Systematic Investment Plan (SIP): A systematic investment plan is a monthly investment approach where you deposit a fixed amount every month into your investment plan online or offline. This helps to make a disciplined approach to your investment plan.
  • Lumpsum: A lumpsum investment is investing a large amount of money at a single time. This mode of investment doesn’t require maintaining a consistent investment.

9. Monitor and review

Regularly monitor your mutual fund portfolio. Since the mutual fund is subjected to the market, its performance may not remain consistent. Therefore, managing the investments by implementing strategies like hedging is crucial.

Creating a mutual fund portfolio can be difficult if you have no prior knowledge. It requires a basic understanding of the investment landscape. A rigid mutual fund portfolio can be built by aligning your financial goals and financial health.

It is critical to choose a mutual fund that is consistent with your investment objectives. Furthermore, diversifying your assets into different categories based on your risk tolerance is critical for building a strong mutual fund portfolio.

Can I create my own mutual fund portfolio?

Yes, even if you are a fresher to mutual funds, you can build your own portfolio. You need to assess your financial goals and ensure that they align with your financial health as well as the mutual fund plan. You can build your mutual fund portfolio by diversifying your funds across various categories according to your goals, risk management, and strategies.

Things to take care of before building a mutual fund portfolio

A mutual fund is an investment vehicle to achieve financial freedom. During this journey, you may face various challenges that require financial assistance. Hence, before starting a mutual fund, you should raise funds to cover risks and emergencies.

  • Risk Cover: Risk cover is long-term insurance that offers financial protection against the major unfortunate events of life such as disability, critical illness, or death.
  • Emergency Cover: Meanwhile, emergency cover is a stipulated amount that ensures your basic lifestyle does not get affected while facing financial burdens and you can stay afloat without having to resort to debt.

Can I build 2 portfolios?

Yes, there is no restriction on you creating two mutual fund portfolios. You can build two or more portfolios based on your asset allocation or financial goals. This way of mutual fund portfolio may help to get better clarity.

How much money do you need to start a mutual fund portfolio?

You do not need a substantial amount to start your mutual fund. You can start by investing as little as 500 rupees into your mutual fund account.

Conclusion

As you have now completed this article, you have a clear idea of how to build a strong mutual portfolio. Before you start in mutual funds, it is important for you to be protected from any unexpected events or emergencies. Therefore, you must create savings for risk and emergencies.

Once you have built a cover for risk and emergencies, you can think about creating a mutual fund portfolio. You should start by evaluating your financial health, such as by listing your net income.

Then, identify your financial goal. Prioritise your goals based on time and urgency. Select a mutual fund plan that aligns with your financial goals.

Then, allocate your investments in different categories in such a way that your investment is balanced under any condition. Regularly monitor and review your mutual fund account. Make necessary adjustments if required.

With this, you can create a strong portfolio according to your financial risks and goals. Create a tailored mutual fund portfolio as per your financial situation. Choose a mutual fund that has a strong performance ratio. This ensures that you can generate more profits in the long run.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial or investment advice. Stock market investments are subject to market risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. Readers are encouraged to do their own research and consult with a licensed financial advisor before making any investment decisions. The author and publisher are not liable for any financial losses or damages incurred from following the information provided in this blog.

Author Info

Hashim Manikfan

Hashim Manikfan is a professional financial content writer with extensive experience in creating engaging and informative articles on a wide range of financial topics. With academic background in Communication and Journalism, Hashim has published numerous articles aimed at educating readers on essential financial principles. His work covers areas such as financial markets, investment strategies, economic trends, and more. His writing style ensures complex topics are accessible and interesting, making financial literacy attainable for a broad audience.

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