Best Tips for Reviewing and Managing Your Investment Portfolio

Whether you’ve just started investing or you’ve been building your portfolio for years, regular investment reviews are key to staying on track with your financial goals. Life changes such as a new job, a growing family, or buying a home can shift your priorities and tolerance for investment risk. That’s why managing your investments isn’t a “set it and forget it” process.

Here are a few expert-backed tips to help you take control of your financial future through thoughtful, ongoing investment portfolio review.

1. Define Your Financial Goals by Life Stage

Before you make changes to your portfolio, make sure your investments still align with your current life stage and future goals. For example:

• New professionals may be focused on long-term growth, making them better suited for more aggressive asset allocations.
• Young or growing families might want to prioritize stability and plan for milestones like homeownership or education savings.
• Maturing families may want to shift toward lower-risk investments and increase liquidity as retirement nears.

2. Review Your Asset Allocation Annually

A core part of any investment portfolio review is checking your recommended portfolio allocation: the mix of assets like stocks, bonds, and cash that match your risk tolerance and timeline. Market fluctuations can cause that balance to shift over time.

Let’s say your target was 70% stocks and 30% bonds, but a strong market has boosted your stock holdings to 80%. This may increase your risk without you realizing it. Regular rebalancing—selling and buying assets to realign with your original allocation—can help maintain your intended risk level.

3. Diversify to Minimize Risk

Diversification helps spread risk across different asset types, industries, and even geographic regions. When one part of the market is down, others may remain stable or even grow. Review your portfolio to ensure it’s not too heavily weighted in a single area, such as tech stocks or U.S. equities.

Don’t forget about tax-advantaged accounts, like 401(k)s and IRAs, as part of your diversified strategy. If you’re not sure how your accounts work together, a professional advisor can help you assess the full picture.

4. Monitor Fees and Performance

It’s easy to overlook investment fees, but over time they can take a noticeable bite out of your returns. As part of your review, look at fund expense ratios, advisory fees, and transaction costs. Consider whether you’re getting good value in relation to how an investment is performing, and whether more cost-efficient options like index funds or ETFs might make sense for part of your portfolio.

5. Stay Consistent—But Stay Informed

It’s important to resist the urge to make knee-jerk changes based on short-term market news. A well-constructed, diversified portfolio aligned with your goals should weather ups and downs. Still, staying informed about market trends, inflation, and interest rate changes can help you make better long-term decisions.

And don’t forget that you have helpful tools at your disposal. WesBanco’s Digital Banking Tools and budgeting platform, Personal Finance can help you monitor your broader financial picture—so your investment strategy works hand-in-hand with your everyday money management.

6. Partner with a Financial Advisor

You don’t have to do it alone. A professional investment review can provide valuable insights you may not catch on your own. An advisor can help you:

• Clarify your short- and long-term goals
• Adjust your recommended portfolio allocation
• Prepare for major life events like buying a home or saving for college
• Reduce unnecessary risks or overlooked fees

At WesBanco, our Investment Services team is here to support you with personalized, experienced guidance, so you can make confident decisions every step of the way.

Reviewing and managing your investments isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about staying aligned with what matters most to you. With a consistent, informed approach and the right support, your investments can adapt to life’s changes and help you build a stronger financial future.

 

 

WesBanco Bank, Inc. is a Member FDIC. WesBanco Trust and Investment Services, a division of WesBanco Bank, Inc., may invest in insured deposits or Non deposit investment products. Non deposit investment products are not insured by the FDIC or any other government agency, are not deposits or other obligations of, or guaranteed by any bank or any affiliate, and are subject to investment risks including the possible loss of the principal amount investment.

Content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal or financial advice. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of WesBanco.

While we hope you find this content useful, it is only intended to serve as a starting point. Your next step is to speak with a qualified, licensed professional who can provide advice tailored to your individual circumstances. Nothing in this article, nor in any associated resources, should be construed as financial or legal advice. Furthermore, while we have made good faith efforts to ensure that the information presented was correct as of the date the content was prepared, we are unable to guarantee that it remains accurate today.