Asset allocation is a fancy word for diversiļ¬cation. āLet every man divide his money into three parts, and invest a third in land, a third in business, and a third let him keep by him in reserve.ā So it is written in the Talmud, a record of debates among rabbis about Jewish law dating as early as 220 C.E. In investment circles, this quote is well known. It is an interesting reference to a properly diversiļ¬ed portfolio, dating back almost two millennia.