A wet and windy Maracana Stadium was the venue for the conclusion of the 2016 Rio Olympics. The games came to an end with a spectacular ceremony, lasting almost three hours, celebrating Brazil’s arts and highlighted by a vibrant carnival parade. Penny Oleksiak, the 16-year-old swimming sensation from Toronto, was Canada’s flag-bearer.
She led an elated Canadian team, who marched onto the floor of the massive stadium wearing red jackets and mittens as music blared, dancing broke out and 11,303 athletes from 206 countries laughed and took pictures of one other in a spirit of joyful celebration. The 31st Olympiad gave Canada a gold medal haul that was the best we have achieved in the past two decades and we’re 10th overall in the medal count.
As we applaud the gold medal success of our Canadian athletes, it is perhaps worth reminding ourselves about the key ingredients of building a gold medal portfolio. There are three:
Asset allocation
This is crucial, since asset allocation can account for as much as 90% of performance. Establishing an appropriate asset mix is a dynamic process and it plays a key role in determining the risk and return in any portfolio. Making that determination is not something we do unilaterally. You are a central part of this conversation.
Risk return tradeoff
The more risk to which an investor is exposed, the higher returns that investor ought to enjoy. We like to be able to sleep well at night and believe that you should enjoy a similar privilege. We will never expose your portfolio to more risk than you, in careful consultation with us, are prepared to tolerate.
Diversification
It is fundamental that the careful combination of different asset classes, such as fixed income, equities and cash, can materially reduce risk while potentially increasing returns. Diversification reduces the potential for adverse market fluctuations and allows for more consistent portfolio performance.
