Portfolio Rebalancing
By Menno — 13 years in crypto, 3 bear markets survived, zero paid promotions
Last updated: March 2026
Portfolio rebalancing is periodically adjusting your holdings to maintain your target allocation. If one asset outperforms and becomes overweight, you sell some and buy underweight assets to restore balance.
Portfolio rebalancing is the process of realigning the weights of assets in your portfolio back to your target allocation.
Example: you decide on a 60% BTC / 30% ETH / 10% SOL allocation. After a month where SOL rallies 50%, your portfolio might be 55% BTC / 25% ETH / 20% SOL. Rebalancing means selling some SOL and buying BTC and ETH to get back to 60/30/10.
Why rebalance: - Maintains your intended risk profile - Forces you to sell high and buy low (sell winners, buy laggards) - Prevents any single asset from dominating your portfolio - Creates a systematic decision-making framework
How often to rebalance: - Time-based: monthly or quarterly on a fixed schedule - Threshold-based: rebalance when any asset deviates more than 5-10% from its target - A combination of both
In crypto, rebalancing is especially important because of extreme volatility — a single altcoin can go from 10% to 40% of your portfolio in a bull run, creating concentrated risk.
Related Terms
Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA)
Dollar-cost averaging is an investment strategy where you invest a fixed amount at regular intervals regardless of price, reducing the impact of volatility on your overall purchase.
Cost Basis
Cost basis is the average price you paid for an asset across all your purchases. It determines your profit or loss when you sell and is essential for tax reporting.
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