Diversification Landscape: Building Diversified Portfolios

Last year, a 60/40 portfolio performed better than a diversified portfolio. What does it mean to diversify your portfolio?

When considering what investments to include in an investor’s portfolio construction process, it’s important to consider their risk tolerance. A portfolio’s risk level not only depends on its individual securities but also how these securities interact with each other—hence portfolio diversification. The more asset classes in a portfolio, the more likely it is to reduce market volatility, but also potentially returns. Though a 60/40 portfolio enjoyed about 15% gains last year, the macroenvironment is different this year. With 2025 presenting economic and market uncertainty, portfolio diversification is ever critical to withstand any market condition.


Morningstar’s report on portfolio diversification analyzes the diversification benefits of adding different asset classes and styles to portfolios, the relationship between risk and diversification, historical considerations and long-term trends, strategies for building a diversified portfolio, and more.


Access the report to learn how the value of diversification can empower successful investing strategies to meet your investing goals.

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What's Inside

  • A comparison between the performance of diversified portfolios vs. 60/40 portfolios in the 2024 market 
  • Analysis between asset-class correlations during higher interest rates, inflation, and economic slowdowns 
  • Deep dives into 12 major asset classes and their role in building a diversified portfolio