How often should I meet with my investment advisor?

After setting up your portfolio of investments it is important to meet with your investment advisor and review your holdings. How often is a matter of preference not just yours, but also the investment manager. Importantly, establish the frequency and place (in person or over the phone) while you are initially investing your money. At a minimum an annual assessment is recommended for everyone. However, there may be a couple of reasons to meet more often; the size of your portfolio, how involved you want to be, and any major life or market changes.

 

Investors whose holdings of stocks, bonds, or mutual funds (i.e. your portfolio) total between $150,000 to $500,000 an annual meet will probably be enough. If your total is between $500,000 to $1,000,000 a semi-annual review would be a good idea. Above $1,000,000 I usually recommend quarterly. However, these are just guidelines and only one aspect of deciding how often to meet.

 

Another important consideration is how actively you want to meet. Many of us have busy lives and don’t want to spend our free time looking at our portfolio. Isn’t that why you hired someone in the first place? So, personal preference matters.

 

Big market changes and major life events are another time to check-in with your money manager. Market moves either up or down are a time to rebalance your holdings. Major life changes – a death, divorce, retirement, disability or unemployment – are also a time to at least consider making changes.

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