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Keeping Track of Your Portfolio: How to Stay on Top of Your Investments

Why Monitoring Your Portfolio Matters

Once you’ve built an investment portfolio that suits your goals and risk tolerance, it’s tempting to set and forget. But markets shift, economies change, and your personal circumstances evolve, which means your portfolio needs attention too.

Regularly reviewing your investments helps ensure they continue to serve your long-term objectives, whether that’s wealth creation, funding your retirement, or protecting your family’s financial future.

How Often Should You Review Your Investments?

There’s no single rule for how often to check your portfolio, but once or twice a year is a good rhythm for most investors. Too frequent reviews can lead to emotional decision-making; while neglecting it altogether can allow small imbalances to grow unnoticed.

Key moments to schedule a review include:

🔹 End of financial year – assess your tax position and contributions.
🔹 After major life events – such as marriage, a new job, or property purchase.
🔹 When market conditions change – particularly during periods of volatility.

What to Look for in a Portfolio Review

A portfolio review isn’t just about checking performance. It’s about ensuring your investments still align with your goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk.

Here are a few important areas to focus on:

  1. Asset Allocation
    Market movements can shift your mix of shares, property, bonds, and cash over time. Rebalancing helps keep your portfolio aligned with your intended level of risk and return.
  2. Diversification
    Spreading your investments across sectors, asset classes, and regions can help smooth returns and reduce exposure to any one market event.
  3. Performance and Fees
    Compare your investments against relevant benchmarks and review fees to ensure they’re providing value for the returns you’re achieving.
  4. Tax Efficiency
    Consider whether your current investment structure remains the most tax-effective for your situation. Small adjustments can make a big difference to your long-term outcomes.
  5. Goal Alignment
    As your circumstances change, so do your goals. A review is an opportunity to ensure your portfolio continues to reflect your priorities, whether that’s early retirement, supporting children through school, or building passive income.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

It’s easy to be influenced by headlines or short-term market movements. However, the most successful investors stay focused on the bigger picture.

Avoid:
 🔹 Reacting emotionally to market dips.
 🔹 Chasing performance by switching into last year’s top funds.
 🔹 Ignoring your portfolio for years on end.
 🔹 Over-diversifying to the point of diluting returns.

Remember, consistency beats intensity when it comes to investing.

When to Seek Professional Advice

A financial adviser can help you make objective, informed decisions and ensure your portfolio reflects both your goals and your tolerance for risk. They can also identify opportunities to improve efficiency, optimise your tax position, and strengthen your long-term financial plan.

At Poole Advisory, we regularly review our clients’ portfolios as part of a broader financial strategy, giving them confidence that their investments are working as hard as they are.

The Takeaway 

A portfolio review isn’t about reacting to every market movement. It’s about checking in, staying aligned, and making deliberate, informed choices. Your financial goals deserve the same attention and care as the work that got you there.

If you’d like guidance on reviewing or rebalancing your investments, Poole Advisory can help you build a plan that evolves with your life.

 

Compliance Disclaimer: 

This information contains general advice only, that is, advice which does not take into account your needs, objectives, or financial situation. You need to consider the appropriateness of that general advice in light of your personal circumstances before acting on the advice. You should obtain and consider the Product Disclosure Statement for any product discussed before making a decision to acquire that product. You should obtain financial or credit advice that addresses your specific needs and situation before making investment or borrowing decisions. Taxation information is based on our interpretation of the relevant laws as at 1 July 2018. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this information, Prosperitas Partners Pty Ltd does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information. The case studies are hypothetical, for illustration purposes only and are not based on actual returns. 

Poole Advisory Pty Ltd ABN 15 642 040 604 is a Corporate Authorised Representative (No. 001282603) of Prosperitas Partners Pty Ltd ABN 30 662 654 453 AFSL 544 917  

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