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A 2025 survey found that 40% of people with retirement savings check their investment performance at least once per month, while 26% check quarterly. So, how often are you checking your investments, and how often is too much—or not enough?

In this episode of Money Wisdom, Jake Doser, CFP®, CPWA® and Nicholas J. Colantuono, CFP® explore the dangers of constantly checking your portfolio, and the equally important risks of ignoring it altogether.

Checking Your Portfolio Too Often

Ask yourself, “What is the purpose of my investments?” If you are investing for retirement and still have 10 to 15 years left, you likely don’t need to check your portfolio all that often.

Of course, it’s important to stay informed, but checking too frequently can lead to impulsive decisions. Your investments can rise and fall quickly, tempting you to act at the wrong time. This emotional reaction may hurt your long-term performance and increase unnecessary stress.

But if you structure your portfolio with intention, you’re less likely to make knee-jerk decisions. Instead of reacting emotionally, you can trust the purpose behind each part of your strategy.

Never Checking Your Portfolio

On the flip side, there’s also danger in never checking your portfolio. Ignoring your investments altogether can create a different set of problems. You might miss opportunities, or your portfolio could drift out of balance.

When the market is down, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to look at your accounts. When the market is performing well, it’s easy to see why you’d be excited to take a look. Recognizing this bias, however, is important for managing your behavior as an investor.

How Often Should You Check?

Generally, review your accounts once a month at a high level. At minimum, review them once per quarter to help ensure everything is on track. Beyond that, structured reviews with a financial advisor are key.

These meetings focus on your overall investment strategy. Together, you’ll review how each component performs, whether it meets expectations, and whether you need to make thoughtful adjustments driven by real-life needs, not by your emotions.

How To Avoid Checking Too Often

If you find yourself checking your accounts too often, there are a few ways to manage that habit. You could turn off app notifications, remove investment apps from your phone, or revisit your financial plan with an advisor. Ultimately, the goal is to trust your strategy enough to not constantly worry about your investments.

Are you wondering if you’re ready to retire? Get your free Are You Ready to Retire? Starter Kit by texting “KIT” to 800-757-0436.