What is portfolio analysis?
Portfolio analysis is the process of evaluating your investments to understand their performance, risk characteristics, costs, and alignment with your goals. It helps you identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions about rebalancing or adjusting your investment strategy.
A worked analysis
Here is what an analysis looks like for a simple three-fund portfolio holding $50,000 in an S&P 500 index fund (0.04% expense ratio), $20,000 in an international index fund (0.06%) and $30,000 in a bond index fund (0.05%).
Total value
$100,000
Across 3 holdings
Holdings
3
Broad, non-overlapping funds
Weighted expense ratio
0.049%
Value-weighted average
Annual fees
$49
At current portfolio value
| Asset class | Allocation |
|---|---|
| US stocks | 50% |
| International stocks | 20% |
| Bonds | 30% |
Key portfolio metrics
Asset allocation
How your money is distributed across different asset classes.
- Stocks vs bonds vs alternatives
- Domestic vs international exposure
- Sector and industry breakdown
Cost analysis
Total costs including expense ratios and fees.
- Weighted average expense ratio
- Annual fee impact
- Cost efficiency compared to benchmarks
Risk metrics
Measures of portfolio volatility and risk exposure.
- Standard deviation (volatility)
- Beta (market sensitivity)
- Maximum drawdown
Performance
Returns and performance relative to benchmarks.
- Total return over various periods
- Risk-adjusted returns (Sharpe ratio)
- Benchmark comparison
Portfolio analysis checklist
Review asset allocation
Compare your current allocation to your target. Check that you are properly diversified across asset classes, geographic regions and market capitalisations.
- Is your stock/bond ratio appropriate for your age and risk tolerance?
- Do you have adequate international exposure (typically 20-40%)?
- Are you over-concentrated in any single sector or company?
Analyse costs
Calculate your portfolio's weighted average expense ratio and identify high-cost investments that could be replaced with lower-cost alternatives.
- Are your expense ratios below 0.20% for most funds?
- Do you have any high-fee actively managed funds?
- Could you achieve similar exposure with lower-cost index funds?
Evaluate performance
Compare your returns to appropriate benchmarks over multiple time periods. Focus on risk-adjusted returns rather than raw performance.
- How does your portfolio perform against a simple index fund portfolio?
- Are you being compensated for taking additional risk?
- Have you consistently underperformed or outperformed?
Assess risk alignment
Ensure your portfolio's risk level matches your tolerance and time horizon. Consider both volatility and correlation among holdings.
- Is your portfolio more or less risky than you intended?
- Do your holdings move together too closely (high correlation)?
- Have you taken on unnecessary complexity or risk?
Common portfolio problems
Over-diversification
Too many overlapping funds that increase costs without reducing risk.
High costs
Expensive actively managed funds that do not justify their fees with performance.
Style drift
Allocation has drifted significantly from your target due to market movements.
Concentration risk
Too much money in one stock, sector or geographic region.
Tax inefficiency
Poor placement of tax-inefficient investments in taxable accounts. See tax-efficient investing.
Complexity
Too many holdings, making the portfolio difficult to monitor and rebalance.
Portfolio optimisation tips
Simplification
Consolidate similar funds
Replace multiple overlapping funds with single broad funds.
Use core holdings
Build around broad market index funds as your foundation.
Consider target-date funds
A single-fund solution for complete diversification.
Cost reduction
Switch to index funds
Replace high-cost active funds with low-cost index alternatives.
Compare expense ratios
Choose the lowest-cost option for similar exposure.
Avoid transaction fees
Use your broker's commission-free fund options.
Portfolio analysis schedule
Monthly
- Check account balances
- Review recent transactions
- Monitor major allocation drift
Quarterly
- Review performance against benchmarks
- Check allocation drift
- Consider rebalancing needs
Annually
- Comprehensive portfolio analysis
- Review and adjust target allocation
- Tax-loss harvesting opportunities