Portfolio
/pɔːrtˈfəʊliˌəʊ/
Definitions
3 meaningsA collection of financial investments such as stocks, bonds, and real estate owned by an individual or organization.
/pɔːrtˈfəʊliˌəʊ/
A collection of financial assets.
She regularly reviews her investment portfolio to assess its performance.
💡 Simply: Imagine you have a collection of your favorite toys – that's like a portfolio of investments! Instead of toys, it's a bunch of stocks, bonds, or other things you own that might make you money. So, your financial portfolio is all the investments you have.
👶 For kids: It's like a treasure chest filled with different kinds of money things that grow over time!
More Examples
The company aims to expand its real estate portfolio.
A diversified portfolio is often recommended to mitigate risk.
How It's Used
"The investor diversified their portfolio across various stocks and bonds to reduce risk."
"A well-balanced portfolio should include a mix of assets."
A collection of a person's best work, such as artwork, writing samples, or design projects, used to demonstrate their skills and abilities.
/pɔːrtˈfəʊliˌəʊ/
A collection of work samples.
The architect brought his portfolio to the interview to show off past projects.
💡 Simply: It's like a scrapbook of your best work! If you're an artist, it's a collection of your paintings. If you're a writer, it's a collection of your best stories or articles. It shows off what you can do!
👶 For kids: It's a special book or folder that shows all the cool things you've made!
More Examples
A strong portfolio is essential when applying to art schools.
The photographer displayed their portfolio of wedding photos.
How It's Used
"The artist presented their portfolio of sketches and paintings to the gallery owner."
"Students submitted their portfolios to showcase their projects."
The responsibilities or areas of authority of a particular person, especially a government minister.
/pɔːrtˈfəʊliˌəʊ/
A collection of responsibilities.
The Prime Minister reshuffled the Cabinet, assigning new portfolios.
💡 Simply: Imagine a superhero with a bunch of cool superpowers. Each superpower is like a part of their portfolio, like the different things they're responsible for. In politics, it's the areas a minister is in charge of, like the portfolio of finance or health.
👶 For kids: It's like a job or set of jobs that someone is in charge of doing!
More Examples
The CEO's portfolio includes overseeing all of the company's international ventures.
The minister’s portfolio covers a broad range of environmental issues.
How It's Used
"The new minister was assigned the portfolio of education."
"The executive's portfolio included responsibility for several product lines."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
build a portfolio
To create or assemble a collection of investments or work samples.
"The investor is working to build a diversified portfolio."
portfolio diversification
The practice of spreading investments across different assets to reduce risk.
"Portfolio diversification is a key strategy for managing financial risk."
From Italian *portafoglio*, from *portare* ('to carry') + *foglio* ('sheet of paper'). Originally referred to a case for carrying documents, its meaning evolved to encompass a collection of items.
Originally used to describe a carrying case, its meaning evolved over time.
Memory tip
Think of a briefcase (folio) carrying your financial assets. Port-a-folio = carry your finance.
Word Origin
"A case for carrying documents. *Porta* means 'to carry' and *foglio* means 'sheet of paper'."