Diversifying your stocks enables you boost up your portfolio. You will see a more steady flow with the large companies and even your mix of international and small-cap businesses. When making investments with individual stocks, having a good 15-20 solid ones will set you up at a decent, manageable pace. Also to help yourself even more, really make sure you understand the business's product/service and its risks. Remember, if strictly doing stocks spread it across parts like technology and health care both big and small. You'll have a nice chunk in the works. Another good place to mix up your investments is with index and individual stocks. This helps if you have very little to start with. Investing in 15-20 individual stocks may eat your pockets out. Having most of your funds in one sector should be your mainstream generation, while the rest is a nice boot. Be strategic with how you organize your stock portfolio and make it tastefully plentiful so you can get the best, and most profitable outcome.