Abstract: A method and accompanying apparatus for managing, through use of combined (averaged) optimized weights, a composite financial portfolio formed of multiple component portfolios, which all follow a common investment strategy and all contain the same securities, that advantageously reduce both performance variability, i.e., maximal drift, amongst the component portfolios and associated trading costs. Specifically, an average optimized weight is periodically determined for each security held across all component portfolios in the composite portfolio, rather than a separate weight unique to the component portfolios in just one optimization tranche, and then using, for subsequent re-balancing, that averaged weight for that security in each and every such component portfolio for subsequent and periodic re-balancing. Optimization and re-balancing each occur at different periodicities and each on a different time-staggered basis.