What % of your portfolio is "experimental"?

[dtbach]

The majority of my portfolio consists of index funds and VG Wellington and Wellysly. About 92%. I also have about 3% in cash.

Then I have a Fidelity account that I use to play around with Sector funds. I have been keeping track of my core funds rate of return since 2009 (and of course my FIDO fun account)

So far the fun account is ahead by about .6%. But I might still hit a home run with one of the Sector funds and then is "Go on a cruise time"

 

[NW-Bound]

My whole portfolio (66% equities / 5% bonds / 29% cash) is considered "experimental" as I do not trust any of them to be really safe, meaning guaranteeing positive returns, or not losing to inflation.

However, I try to conduct only "safe" experiments, hoping that nothing is going to blow up in my face.

 

[Dawg52]

I have used a little as play money, but never that much. Less than 1%. None at the moment though.

 

[REWahoo]

1.62%

Google it...

 

[Midpack]

Depends on your definition of experimental, but using my deviation from Four Pillars as a benchmark, the 5% of my portfolio in VGELX (Energy Sector) might be considered "experimental" - though it's just Large Caps so hardly experimental IMO. Otherwise my holdings are all classic Four Pillars with small, value, emerging markets tilts.

I also have half my bond holdings in VFSUX (Short Term Investment Grade) if the OP considers that experimental.

 

[kaudrey]

I probably have about 1% in my "experimental, which sounds more experimental than some of the others. I own a few biotech companies and some shares in other small companies that could "hit it big"....or not.

 

[dtbach]

I call it my "fun" portfolio as I sell/buy funds much more aggressively than my other funds. Don't consider it necessarily unsafe as I've spread the $ out among about 7 sectors. This is the one area I will use "timing" to buy sectors that I feel are undervalued. In 8 years I have not had any "disasters" but no doubles or triples either.

 

[pb4uski]

None for me, but I have considered carving out a portion and making bets on individual stocks. I used to play individual stocks a long time ago and had mixed results.

 

[Mulligan]

I don't have a huge portfolio and it only consists of IBonds, CDs, and 2 Vanguard index funds. But I did put about 10k in Intel earlier this year, just to have more fun looking at my daily results as the index funds barely move on a day to day basis. I liked the 4% dividend. I doubt I ever do this again.

 

[Major Tom]

My entire portfolio is indexed - except for a little over 2.5%, which is/was held in 4 different individual equities. One of them, MAKO, I bought at the wrong time, got out of it and ended up losing money on. The other 3, GOOG, BIDU and RAX are doing fine - GOOG particularly so

If I ever pursue my idea of living in an RV with my 3 kitties, these equities could end up providing the RV seed money. I do plan on selling these stocks and being all indexed eventually.

 

[HFWR]

[-]100%[/-] 0%

 

[unclemick]

2-3% - 'a few good stocks'. Football season is the worse time of year. Also look at new pickup trucks but usually resist.

Lifecycle index funds on full auto since 2006 and I drive her Honda Fit in town.

My theory - it's a male hormone thing.

heh heh heh -

 

[GrayHare]

About 3%, experimenting can be a great way to learn.

 

[Gatordoc50]

2.5% in MLPs and other high dividend payers.

 

[W2R]

Less than 1%, actually 0.7%.

My experimental part has done so poorly that it is barely holding its own. After having it for over a decade I think I am about fed up with the whole idea, because I am hardly ever fiddling with it any more. So, I might merge it with the rest of my portfolio.

 

[FIREd]

Much of my portfolio would probably be considered experimental here (individual stocks and bonds, partnerships, trusts, precious metals, foreign RE, etc...).

 

[NW-Bound]

With the Fed doing things like QE that's in uncharted territory, even Treasuries become experimental. Heh heh heh...

 

[ziggy29]

If we're talking about things like "alternative" asset classes, probably about 8%, mostly in various natural resource plays. But I don't really have the "Vegas money" bucket (of about 5%) that I used to have when I was working.

 

[Secondact]

None. I quit experimenting long ago.

 

[Lsbcal]

Much of our portfolio consists of strategic allocations ... maybe they would be called experimental. But it's based on a lot of backtests with decades of data sets and has to pass the believable test (not based on butter production in Bangladesh) . Overall this might get 1% or 2% more return over time ... if I'm lucky. Still the objective is to not stray too far from buy-hold and to reduce risk when straying.

Seems to me "experimental" is in the eye of the beholder. One could call life a great experiment. My feeling is that this whole universe is one huge wild experiment.

 

[clifp]

I am the outlier.
Rental Real Estate 7%
Angel Investments 6%
MLP 8%
Shorts and options typically around 2-3%

Plus a bunch of individual stocks and bonds. Only about 30% of my assets are in Index funds.

 

[ikubak]

3-4% is my "fun" money. I buy individual stocks with good dividends in companies I like. I figure at worst, I'll learn how stupid investing in individual stocks is. If things don't hit worst case scenario, I'll collect my dividends and maybe have some stock appreciation.

 

[Meadbh]

It all depends what you consider experimental. About 12 years ago I started a small individual stock portfolio as an experiment. It is currently worth ~1.5% of my investment portfolio, and currently consists mostly of dividend stocks, though there has been a lot of capital appreciation recently. I don't trade much. Over the years as I have been learning more, it has become less experimental and more value/growth. OTOH, about 8 years ago I did invest a small amount of money (<1%) in a biotech startup. It had a great business proposition and was doing very well for a while but went belly up in the Great Recession. That is an experiment I am not likely to repeat.

 

[RetireAge50]

I like to earn 12% overall and to keep it simple. Therefore, based on the rule of 72, I just put entire portfolio on red every 6 years.

 

[ripper1]

1.62%

Google it...

Does that stuff work!