2Yr·

Why I don't have a Europe Etf in my portfolio:


Since I've written about this a few times in comments over the past week, I thought I'd just compose a post about it. This viewpoint represents only my personal opinion. Since many of the community live in Europe, I am specifically addressing these people.


You always hear that with an All World Etf or a World Etf you have a lump risk with the USA because the USA portion is so high and the Europe portion is so low. I also started out with a world portfolio consisting of 70% World Etf, 20% Emerging Markets Etf and 10% Europe Etf as a strategy to match the weighting of my portfolio to the gross domestic products, but then switched to a 70/30 World/EM and I would like to explain why.


One question or confusion that comes up often and should be nipped in the bud is "I need to weight the Europe Etf at least 20% to match my Europe portion to GDP". This is not correct. Europe's GDP in the world has been around 20-25% in recent years. The Europe portion in the World Etf (if it has 70% weighting in the portfolio) + 10% extra Europe Etf equals about 24% Europe portion in the total portfolio if the remaining 20% of the portfolio does not include Europe.


Let's come back - why would you underweight Europe in your portfolio?

Besides the fact that it's simpler to save, rebalance and un-save 2 Etfs, your place of residence should play a crucial role in the weighting of your Etfs. I live in Germany and therefore also in Europe. If this also applies to you, then the following factors in Europe can directly or indirectly influence you, your salary, your assets or other circumstances of your existence:

European politics, migration, immigration, infrastructure, medical care, basic services, environmental disasters, regional crises & unrest, inflation & deflation, real estate prices, cost of living, violent conflicts, political tensions & sanctions, etc.


Even if you do not work in the free economy and/or your salary is at least indirectly linked to the European economy, your wealth accumulation is subject to a dependency on your place of residence and the associated circumstances (currency, economy, politics, environment).


Thus, Europe already plays an important role for most of us in the community, which is not represented in a percentage weighting and therefore some are not so clearly aware. If you weight Europe in your portfolio in such a way that it comes close to the gross domestic product and you also live and/or work in Europe, you are in my opinion overweighting Europe, since the above-mentioned factors, which of course have an impact on the European share in your portfolio, primarily have an impact on your life and possibly also on your asset accumulation.


Thus, European investors unintentionally enter into a high weighting, or dependency on Europe. For me, this is one reason to stick with a 70/30 split between the World Etf and the EM Etf. Another would be that the few percent more or less Europe in the portfolio will not make a big difference in my estimation either. Many roads lead to Rome.


With this train of thought I also say goodbye to you for an indefinite time 👋🏽 I will be operated tomorrow and according to my experience I will not be on social media for the time being.

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34 Comments

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First of all, good luck with the operation. Then: I don't see it as if the place of residence should have any influence on any weighting. What I find much more interesting is the expected growth in Europe compared to America, which for various reasons is actually always weaker. However, I see Europe as morally superior in many cases and even if some here see it differently, that plays a role in my decision.
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@leveragegrinding thank you 🙏🏽 I think you can't just detach the events that influence your portfolio from your personal life. European politics, economics and other factors affect you as a person just as much as your portfolio. And whether we are morally superior 🤷🏽‍♂️🤷🏽‍♂️😂😂 very philosophical question.
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@hendrik_lmr well. The Americans are pure capitalist, there is not much room for more. We are a little further along, and you can also measure it by numbers, not so philosophically.
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@leveragegrinding the philosophy is to ask why one is more moral than the other.
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Cool post, and good luck that the surgery goes well 🙌🏻
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@mark_101 thank you 🙏🏽
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Wild train of thought 🥴 My 60% EU share then just goes to the moon without you🌚 Good luck with the surgery 😇
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@getquin thank you 🙏🏽 nee I profit then yes through my private dependence on it 😏
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Deleted User
2Yr
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Thanks for the post and get well soon 👌
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@TheAccountant89 thank you 🙏🏽
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Mine is already too paradoxical
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@Vic1 did not check at first, but then I looked at your portfolio 😂😂
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So just because I live here, I've already weighted Europe?! Either that makes 0 sense, or I just don't get it right now? Should the Yanks then not invest at all because they already live in the US?
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@DiFigiANo The events in Europe that affect the European share in your portfolio also affect you in the long term. You are already dependent on growth in Europe and not only when you invest in Europe. No 😂😂 I didn't say that you shouldn't invest in Europe at all. But if you weight Europe in your portfolio in such a way that it comes close to the gross domestic product and you additionally influence your own existence through your stay here, you experience the ups and downs of Europe twice. Once in the portfolio and once in private life. I just want to express that the dependence on a region, if you live in it, does not start with investing.
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@hendrik_lmr now it clicked 😄 Is but very funny thought 😄 or too much detail. Accordingly, German companies from the depot? Would separate here but private and investment. If not even classify as insider knowledge 😄
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@DiFigiANo You can invest as you see fit. You diversify less when you invest in your home country, because you gain twice and lose twice 🤷🏽‍♂️ I know that is very advanced for us Europeans probably less interesting than for Americans, but I think in the case of a purely European crisis, you would notice whether you suffer twice (in the portfolio and in private) or just simply.
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@hendrik_lmr Civil servant 😎 Money always comes 😄
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@DiFigiANo It's not just about income. But yes soldiers are probably the least affected by it
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@hendrik_lmr or most likely when it goes downhill 😭
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@DiFigiANo but then DuZ is collected until you are a millionaire 😂
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Thanks for the interesting post and good luck with the surgery! Get well soon, recover well 💕
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@Lorena thank you 🙏🏽
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Interesting post! Fingers crossed for your op tomorrow :)👍
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@Shareholder thank you 🙏🏽
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All the best for the surgery.
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@Europoor thank you 🙏🏽
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I can understand that with a single share like VW and working at VW in Wolfsburg. Then you are all-in at VW and the diesel scandal + electromobility + chip shortage including a nice short-time work and possibly dismissal take you double. I don't see it that way in Europe.
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@Osiriz uff yes that is a dramatic example. I hope you have come out of it in one piece by now. I don't see such a drastic scenario for Europe either.
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@hendrik_lmr No, it doesn't affect me. But it's just a lump-sum risk that many employees used to take. Proud of their own work and directly invested. In the event of bankruptcy, you are then double. But with my place of residence in Europe and the European stock market, I'm rather relaxed about it. But would also simply take an ACWI ETF and good. 😁👍
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@Osiriz oh so good 😅 yes just sit back and let the market to its thing
Deleted User
2Yr
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