We were vacationing last month in Scotland. At a small country hotel—on a misty Western isle—I mentioned to a group of guests that I conduct research at Vanguard on retirement issues. You guessed it: Suddenly the conversation shifted from the weather (ever-changing in Scotland) to worries about finances and retirement security.
Of all the generally accepted investment concepts called into question by the recent market environment, it seems to me that rebalancing is pretty close to the top of the list.
During late 2008 and early 2009, rebalancing your portfolio to stay close to your asset allocation target would have been almost a daily ritual—and one that would have felt increasingly futile. Even if you’d stuck to an annual approach, closing the gap between your actual asset allocation and your target would have required strong nerves.
