Balanced Asset Allocation

The conventional portfolio is prone to frequent and potentially devastating losses because it is NOT balanced to different economic outcomes. In contrast, a truly balanced portfolio can help investors reduce risk and more reliably achieve their objectives. This simple fact would surprise most investors, from beginners to professionals. Investment consultant Alex Shahidi puts his 15 years of experience advising the most sophisticated investors in the world and managing multi-billion dollar portfolios to work in this important resource for investors. You will better understand why nearly every portfolio is poorly balanced and how to view the crucial asset allocation decision from a deeper, more thoughtful perspective. The concepts presented are simple, intuitive and easy to implement for every investor. Author Alex Shahidi will walk you through the logic behind the balanced portfolio framework and provide step-by-step instructions on how to build a truly balanced portfolio. No book has ever been written that discusses asset allocation in this light.
* Provides insights from a top-ranked investment consultant using strategies from the industry's brightest minds
* Proposes a balanced asset allocation that can achieve stable returns through various economic climates
* Introduces sophisticated concepts in very simple terms

For those who want to better manage their investment portfolio and seek a more advanced approach to building a balanced portfolio, Balanced Asset Allocation: How to Profit in Any Economic Climate provides an in-depth treatment of the topic that can be put to use immediately.

Foreword Bill Lee ix
Acknowledgments xi
About the Author xiii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 The Economic Machine: Why Being Balanced is So Important Today 5
Chapter 2 Your Portfolio is Not Well Balanced 19
Chapter 3 The Fundamental Drivers of Asset Class Returns 29
Chapter 4 Viewing Stocks through a Balanced Portfolio Lens 49
Chapter 5 The High Value of Low-Yielding Treasuries within the Balanced Portfolio Framework 69
Chapter 6 Why TIPS are Critical to Maintaining Balance (Despite Their Low Yield) 89
Chapter 7 Owning Commodities in a Balanced Portfolio 101
Chapter 8 Even More Balance: Introduction to Other Asset Classes 115
Chapter 9 How to Build a Balanced Portfolio: Conceptual Framework 127
Chapter 10 How to Build a Balanced Portfolio: The Step-by-Step Process 143
Chapter 11 The Balanced Portfolio: Historical Returns 155
Chapter 12 Implementation Strategies: Putting Theory into Practice 181
Chapter 13 Conclusion 195
About the Website 197
Index 199