There's more to successful portfolio building than picking good investments.Putting together a portfolio of investments is like building a home. Even if a house is filled with beautiful rooms that may not be enough: All those rooms need to work together to form a pleasing and useful whole. Investment portfolios work the same way. 1) Have a blueprint. Just as building a home begins with a blueprint, you need a pattern for your portfolio. The blueprint tells the builder to build a structure of a particular size and shape, with specific features, to suit the needs of its future owners. Similarly, your portfolio should suit your needs and specifications. The best starting point is to think about why you're investing in the first place. Maybe you're investing for retirement, for your child's education or marriage, or for the down payment of a home. Get specific. How much money will you need for each goal? How much time do you have? Whatever your goal, it gives y