N othing says “summer” more than barbecues, beaches and baseball.

The crack of a ball against the bat and the cheers of the crowd amplify the tremendous amount of skill and teamwork that is poured into a season. This same approach of teamwork — combining different talents to form a collection of skills towards a common effort — can be found in other endeavours, one of which is investing.

Here, then, is one possible lineup of investment moves to consider:

Diversify

Rebalance

All investments have both benefits and risks. As an investor, your goal is to maximize the benefits and minimize the risks. One of the best ways to do this is by diversifying your money across a range of assets.

Diversifying can help you reduce the impact of market volatility that might affect your portfolio if all your money was tied up in one particular asset class, and that asset went through a “down” period. Keep in mind, though, that diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee profits or protect against loss.

Even without taking significant actions, your portfolio can evolve in ways that may not be to your liking. For example, if some of your more aggressive investments appreciate greatly, they may eventually constitute a larger percentage of your holdings than you had planned — and in doing so, elevate your overall risk level. To prevent this from happening, you should meet with your financial adviser periodically to “rebalance” your portfolio.

Seek quality. Many people latch onto “hot” investments, only to be disappointed when they “cool off.” Instead seek quality vehicles — the ones that generally lose the least ground when the market is down and recover more quickly when the market rallies. When you invest in stocks, for instance, look for those companies that have strong management teams, competitive products and good business models. When you purchase bonds, look for those with high ratings from the independent rating agencies.

Stay invested

It’s tempting to “take a breather” from investing when the financial markets are volatile. But if you stay on the investment sidelines, you may miss out on the beginning of the next market rally. If you’ve built a diversified portfolio of quality vehicles, it may be easier to stay invested. Know your risk tolerance If you find yourself constantly fretting about the market’s ups and downs, to the extent that your worries are affecting the quality of your life, you may have a portfolio that’s unsuited to your risk tolerance.

Conversely, if you’re dissatisfied with the growth of your investments, you may be investing too cautiously, which could be a concern when you’re striving to reach long-term goals, such as a comfortable retirement.

Ultimately, there’s no one “right” way for everyone to invest, but you do need to match your portfolio’s composition with your individual risk tolerance and time horizon.

Your financial adviser can help your find the lineup of investment moves that is right for you. Put it to work soon.