Risks · Diversified
What can go wrong with NZ diversified funds
Diversified funds blend shares, bonds, cash and sometimes property in a single portfolio. The blend determines almost all of the risk you experience.
This page is information about asset-class risk dynamics, not personal financial advice. For guidance specific to your situation, consult an authorised financial adviser.
FMA standardised risk indicator across the 68 funds in our coverage
Every NZ managed fund on the FMA Disclose register publishes a standardised risk indicator on a 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest) scale, computed from recent return volatility. The table below shows how the diversified funds in our coverage distribute across the scale.
- Median risk band
- 4
- Range
- 3–6
- Funds with risk band published
- 68
Most NZ diversified funds in our coverage carry an FMA standardised risk indicator of 3, 4 or 5 on the 7-point scale — reflecting the bond-and-cash buffer relative to a pure equity fund. Growth-leaning diversified funds cluster at band 5; balanced and conservative-balanced at bands 3–4.
5-year return range across the class
Realised 5-year annualised returns across the 39 funds in this category for which Sorted Smart Investor reports a 5-year history. Past returns do not predict future returns; this range shows what funds in this asset class have actually delivered over the most recent 5-year window.
- Lowest realised 5y
- 0.8%
- Median realised 5y
- 3.2%
- Highest realised 5y
- 7.9%
What specifically can go wrong with diversified funds
Asset-class-specific risks not captured by the single FMA risk-indicator number. These apply across the category — each individual fund\'s PDS discloses fund-specific risks on top.
- 1
Equity allocation drives the drawdown. A balanced fund holding 60% growth assets will typically experience around half the peak-to-trough fall of a 100%-equity fund in a sharp market drop — but in severe events that can still mean a 15–25% paper loss before recovery.
- 2
Rebalancing drag in trending markets. Funds that rebalance to fixed target weights sell winners and buy laggards by design. In a year where one asset class runs hard, this systematically clips the upside relative to a buy-and-hold benchmark.
- 3
Currency exposure on the international sleeve. Most diversified funds hold some unhedged international shares; NZD strength erodes returns when measured in NZD.
- 4
Bond-sleeve interest-rate risk. When the RBNZ raises the Official Cash Rate, the bond component of a diversified fund typically falls in value before higher-coupon income compensates. 2022 was a notable example — most balanced funds lost ground from both stocks and bonds at once.
- 5
Fee stacking in fund-of-funds structures. Where a NZ manager builds a diversified portfolio by allocating to other managers' funds, the underlying-fund fees stack on top of the headline annual fund charge. The annual fund charge disclosed on FMA Disclose should already include these, but verify against the PDS.
Questions people ask about diversified funds
Questions that recur in search results for this asset class, answered with reference to FMA Disclose register definitions and asset-class structural dynamics. Not personal financial advice.
What are the disadvantages of a balanced fund?
A balanced fund holds roughly 50–60% growth assets and 40–50% income assets. The main trade-offs are: lower long-run expected return than a growth fund (a slower path to a given balance), still meaningful drawdown in severe market falls (the income sleeve doesn't fully cancel equity volatility), and rebalancing drag in trending markets. Balanced funds also typically charge a higher annual fund charge than a single-asset-class index fund because they hold underlying assets across multiple categories.
Are balanced funds good for retirees?
Whether a balanced fund suits a retiree depends on the retiree's spending horizon, other income sources (NZ Super, rental income, dividends), and risk tolerance — factors that vary by individual. The structural feature relevant to retirees is sequence-of-returns risk: a sharp market fall in the early years of drawing income is harder to recover from than the same fall later. The FMA standardised risk indicator on each fund's PDS quantifies recent volatility on a 7-point scale.
What is the average return on a balanced fund?
There is no single "average return" — past returns vary by manager, currency exposure, mix and time window, and historical returns do not predict future performance. NZ balanced funds typically target a 5-year return in the range of 4–7% per annum, but actual delivered returns over any given 5-year window vary widely. Each fund's realised return is reported quarterly in its Fund Update on FMA Disclose.
68 diversified funds, ordered by FMA risk indicator
Highest-risk funds in the class first; ties broken by annual fund charge ascending. Each fund\'s page surfaces its full PDS, holdings and risk-indicator history.
Related
Source: FMA Disclose register (risk indicator + 5-year return). Methodology: /methodology.