CHAPTER VI. 
THE TREATMENT OF EXISTING 
INVESTMENT LISTS. 
But few of those who read the pages of this 
book will find that their own investments are 
distributed in the manner suggested by us as 
the safest ; because stocks and shares are 
usually acquired gradually, and added to from 
time to time without any definite Investment 
Scheme being followed. 
Whenever the investor’s banking account 
discloses an unnecessarily large cash surplus, 
a stockbroker is consulted, and this or that 
stock is bought without any regard to previous 
‘purchases, and without considering the fitness 
of the new stock to assist in the development 
of a wide distribution of risks. As the sums 
of money so freed for the purpose of invest 
ment naturally vary, at one time a large 
purchase is made, whilst on another occasion 
only a small amount of stock is required. 
As a natural result the most curious com 
binations of investments are strung together, 
in which the quantities of the various stocks 
held bear no symmetrical proportion to each