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Among the tough choices facing investors is how often to check their portfolios. Looking too often can induce dread and even panic over normal market volatility, leading to poor decisions. But ignoring it can lead to missed opportunities and an out-of-balance asset allocation.
What’s the right approach? Financial advisors recommend checking about every three months.
Key Takeaways
- Investors are advised not to check their portfolio too often because it can lead to impulsive decisions based on short-term market performance.
- At the same time, never checking can distort the allocation balance and lead to missed opportunities.
- Financial advisors say most investors should review their portfolio once a quarter, just to see that nothing is amiss.
- Any changes should be carefully considered.
Balance is Key
Investors should check their 401(k) regularly to stay informed, verify asset mixes, and see if their employer added or removed investment options. But they shouldn’t check so often that it causes stress and impulsive decisions, said Marguerita Cheng, a certified financial planner and CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth.
For Cheng, the ideal timeframe is checking at least once a quarter. “Balance is key here,” Cheng told Investopedia. “You don’t want to ‘set it and forget it,’ nor do you want to day trade in your 401(k).”
Cheng stressed that checking in doesn’t necessarily mean making changes. Switching investments should be carefully planned, she said, since timing the market is extremely difficult and frequent trading usually hurts long-term growth.
Case-by-Case Basis
Sibyl Slade, the founder and president of IntegriVest Wealth Advisors, suggests that each investor should take an approach based on their own style, goals, and contribution patterns. She suggests checking your portfolio once a month to once a quarter.
“For my supersavers, monthly check-ins with their retirement savings work well,” Slade said. “This helps ensure they don’t overcontribute to tax-deferred accounts—potentially triggering tax issues or causing employer matches to stop prematurely. It also allows us to reallocate any surplus funds to other investment vehicles and make the most of their savings and investment momentum.”
For those contributing up to the employer match, quarterly reviews are typically sufficient, allowing timely adjustments throughout the year for things like increasing contributions for tax purposes or reallocating funds in response to shifting goals due to life changes, she said.
How Often Are People Checking Their Portfolios?
How often do most people actually check their retirement accounts? About 40% of people with retirement savings check their retirement accounts at least once a month, according to an April 2025 survey by BlackRock. Meanwhile, 26% of respondents said they check quarterly, and 16% said they check yearly or less frequently. Nearly one in five (17%) said they don’t check at all.
The Bottom Line
Most people look at their investment portfolio either too often or too infrequently. Financial advisors say checking your investments once a quarter—or once a month for big contributors—is ideal. This frequency, they say, is enough to correct errors in time without being obsessive and increasing the risk of emotions ruining returns.
