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The Illusion of Diversification

Diversification is usually framed as protection.

Spread the risk. Reduce exposure. Avoid concentration.

In practice, diversification often does something else.

It reduces visible volatility while quietly increasing structural fragility.

When decisions are diversified without architecture, responsibility diffuses. Attention thins. No single outcome matters enough to force clarity. Risk doesn’t disappear — it becomes harder to see.

This is true in portfolios, but it’s more dangerous outside them.

Life diversification — too many strategies, roles, accounts, entities, advisors, structures — feels prudent. It looks sophisticated. It signals caution.

Over time, it erodes conviction and accountability.

The problem isn’t variety. It’s fragmentation without intent.

Diversification works when there is a clear center. Without one, it becomes a way to avoid choosing — and avoiding choice is itself a decision.

Most people don’t suffer from taking too much risk.

They suffer from spreading themselves thin enough that nothing can absorb shock when it matters.

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