At the
very least, it can be helpful to review your portfolio and rebalance it at least once a year if necessary. The most important thing when deciding how often to restore balance. When deciding how often to rebalance, it’s important to choose a frequency that fits your overall investment style. For most young, long-term investors, rebalancing once a year should be sufficient
.
If you’re just talking about retirement accounts, it doesn’t matter when you rebalance. Tax season is a good time like any other, especially if you’re making IRA contributions by the deadline of April 15. How often investors decide to realign their portfolios can vary. Some rebalance monthly or quarterly, while others rebalance every six months or annually
.
The first is that you should regain balance as time goes by. Some people do it once a year, on the first day of the year, on their birthday, when they take RMDs, or when they make an annual contribution. The data shows that you probably shouldn’t do it more than once a year and that every 2-3 years is probably okay. Of course, that won’t do much to the hobbyist.
My parents made theirs in March when a contribution was made (which, by the way, made for some surprisingly fantastic random market hours), but we’ll probably switch to December soon when the RMDs are due, as they’re now fully retired. In a 401 (k) setting, you would typically set a regular interval in which your account is rebalanced to a fixed allocation. Yearly or semi-annually are usually a good choice. You probably don’t want to do this more often than quarterly.
The
price of gold often moves in the opposite direction to the dollar. So if the greenback weakens, gold is likely to appreciate. Buying physical gold often involves high selling costs, and there is also a risk that the retailer is selling pure gold. Some believe that the United States would benefit from its gold reserves if it switched to a gold standard
.