Suze Orman: Here’s How Often You Should Check Your Retirement Portfolio
Written by
Jennifer Taylor
Edited by
Rebekah Evans
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Contributing to a retirement account on autopilot is great. However, that doesn’t mean you don’t need to monitor your investment.
In a LinkedIn post, Suze Orman highlighted the need to check your retirement portfolio at least once per year. She said this is important, because investments shift over time — which can go unnoticed.
For example, she said your target portfolio might be 70% stocks and 30% bonds/cash, but the mix may have shifted to 80% stocks and 20% bonds.
Things like this are normal, she said. This would just mean you need to rebalance, which you can do within your IRA or 401(k) without being taxed.
Of course, this is just Orman’s opinion. GOBankingRates checked in with two financial advisors to get their take on the matter. Here’s what they had to say about how often you should check your retirement portfolio.
Checking Once a Year Is Sufficient
“I generally agree with Suze Orman’s view that retirement portfolios do not need to be checked frequently,” said Hardik Patel, founder and financial advisor at Trusted Path Wealth Management. “For most investors, reviewing asset allocation once a year is sufficient and often healthier from a behavioral standpoint.”
Checking a retirement portfolio more than once a year can lead to unintended consequences like overtrading, higher transaction costs and inadvertent tax consequences — especially in taxable accounts, he said.
“Frequent monitoring also increases the temptation to react to short-term market movements, which can undermine long-term retirement goals,” he said. “An annual review allows investors to stay focused on strategy rather than market noise.”
To simplify matters, he also prefers focusing on asset allocation ranges, instead of absolute targets.
“For investors in the accumulation phase, rebalancing might be handled by directing new contributions or reinvesting dividends and interest toward underweighted assets, avoiding unnecessary trades,” he said. “For those in retirement or decumulation, withdrawals might be taken from assets that are overweight, again reducing trading and costs.”
Ultimately, less frequent monitoring, combined with intentional, disciplined adjustments typically leads to greater success than constant checking and reacting, he said.
Don’t Check Frequently, Unless Close To Retirement
Generally speaking, checking your retirement portfolio less frequently is ideal, said Joseph Boughan, certified financial planner (CFP) and managing member at Parkmount Financial Partners. Many people check their retirement portfolio daily — or even multiple times per day — which can cause them to make emotional decisions based on market fluctuations.
He agreed with Orman that having a disciplined process for checking in and making necessary adjustments according to historically valid investment advice is a solid approach.
“My thought that I would add to her post is that checking in [and] adjusting more frequently is better for people that are closer to retirement or in retirement,” he said. “This is because there is more risk that needs to be managed for people needing to liquidate their portfolio and plan for income proactively or different tax planning opportunities to be reviewed in generating that income.”
Even following this approach, if adjustments are made correctly, he said it isn’t necessary to check your retirement portfolio more than two or three times per year.
Editor’s note: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Always consider your individual circumstances and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.
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