I own several coins.
Bitcoin is the safest, no doubt about it.
The problem with litecoin is that it is just a good alternative because the tx fees are so low compared to BTC because of volume. I think inevitably LTC will fall.
If you are starting out I think a safe spread would be:
BTC - Majority, at least 50% of what you own.
ETH
XMR
DASH
XRP
Be careful though, because the market is RED HOT right now. It would not shock me if in 2-3 days we wake up and Bitcoin is down to 5K or so. Buy slowly, buy whatever you are comfortable losing and learn the market. The shyt takes a ton of persistence and studying to not be left holding bags.