• It is important to be diversified in an unstable environment.stock market analysis screenshot image by .shock from Fotolia.com
  
  A mutual fund is a collective investment scheme that is professionally managed to pool in money from investors for being invested in securities. Legally speaking, mutual funds are required to maintain a specific level of diversification for operating in the best interests of the people. They are operated and sponsored by various kinds of investment management companies. Investors need to put their money in a diversified mutual fund which seizes the available opportunities in the market across various sectors.
  
  

Key Concepts

• Sometimes, investors are advised not to focus on short-term goals on the basis of dividend yield, capitalization of companies, or sector specific issues. It is best to manage the diversified mutual fund based on the bottom-up approach to make superior returns from equities that are also adjusted to various risks.
  
  

Identify Investment Objectives

• Once you have the investment portfolio with you, identify its investment objectives: time line, amount required for investment, objectives for return, etc. These objectives help you to formulate the investment strategy based on assessment of the previous objectives.
  
  If it is a high-risk prospect, requiring a long time, your rule should include more mutual funds that have a high risk and higher returns at the same time. Remember: Portfolios with high-risk tolerance contain low-risk funds as well.
  
  

Determine the Mutual Fund you Want to Invest In

• Assessing your investment strategy helps you to identify the type of fund you want and the amount you are willing to invest. There are various types of mutual funds available like stock, bonds and index funds and each of them have their own risk factors. Money market funds are less risky. After going through the types, you need to categorize the sectors you want to invest in. You need to make a list of mutual fund candidates to accommodate the established investment strategy. With an assessment of sector performance, you will be able to compare the performance of each sector and invest accordingly.
  
  

Invest in the Mutual Fund for Diversification

• One of the basic rules to keep in mind is to invest in the fund as soon as it has been targeted. However, before making the investment, assess the expenses of the fund and the minimum amount that you are required to invest against it. At times, the fees of the fund can outweigh the advantages of investing in it. Hence, go through the terms and conditions carefully before investing.