Investing
1 min
Published:
February 20, 2024

What Is Risk Tolerance?

Risk tolerance refers to how much risk you are willing to take

Higher risk

Typically, higher risk comes with the chance of much higher rewards, while lower risk options typically have less pay-off but are less volatile, and safer.

Lower risk

If you have quite a low-risk tolerance, perhaps because you are older and wouldn’t want to lose your money, then you might invest 90% of your money into less risky items, while leaving 10% for a few more risky options.

Investing always comes with risks

How would you react if you saw a large market drop? Could you ride it out? If you would lose sleep over your investments, then a less risky approach might be a better fit for you.


It’s all about finding the right blend of risk for your goals and comfort zone.

Always do your own research and use the tools available to you. For example, we use a chilli rating system to indicate risk rating on the Exchange-Traded Funds available on Wombat.

Regardless of if an investment is higher risk or lower risk, your capital is at risk when you invest.

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Remember when investing, your capital is at risk.
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