Too many shares?

QIs it possible to have too many shares of one stock in a portfolio?

— W.L., Worcester, Massachusetts

APay little attention to the number of shares. What really matters is the total value of your stake in each company and how it relates to your total portfolio value. There isn’t much difference between owning 1,000 shares of a $10 stock (total value: $10,000) or 200 shares of a $50 stock (total value: $10,000).

Don’t let any single stock grow to represent a large percentage of your portfolio, though, because it’s risky to be over- concentrated. If 25% of your portfolio is in the stock of a single company and that stock takes a dive, your portfolio will be hit hard. But it can also be counterproductive to have your money spread across too many companies: If you have only 1% of your portfolio in a stock that triples in value, it won’t make a huge overall difference. Focus your money on your best ideas. For many people, 10 to 20 stocks is a good number of holdings — enough for diversification, but not more than you can keep up with.

QI’m thinking that since I’m single, I don’t need life insurance. Right?

— B.D., Warren, Ohio

AGenerally, true: The purpose of life insurance is to protect anyone who depends on you financially. The classic example is children, and it’s smart to carry term life insurance from their birth to when they can be financially independent. Your spouse or your parents also may depend on your income, as might a family business. If your funeral expenses can be paid for and no party would be financially hurt if your income disappears, you can probably do without life insurance.

which owned a stake in it, and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos joined the board of directors as well.

But all that wasn’t enough. The company was purchased in 2011 by Walgreens, which eventually shut it down in 2016. (Interestingly, Amazon.com is now expanding into online pharmacy and health care services, launching a digital pharmacy.)