Your Investment Checklist for 2026: Am I on Track?

Start of Year Assessment: Are Your Foundations Solid?

Every year provides a valuable opportunity to step back from the day-to-day noise of markets and assess whether your investment strategy is genuinely on track. This checklist covers the key questions every UK investor should work through in 2026 — from tax efficiency and platform costs to contribution rates and portfolio construction. Work through each section honestly and act on any gaps you identify.

Tax Efficiency: Are You Using Every Allowance?

ISA allowance: Have you maximised your £20,000 Stocks and Shares ISA for the current tax year? The year runs to 5 April 2026, and unused allowance is permanently lost. SIPP contributions: Have you contributed enough to claim the full tax relief available at your income tax rate? Higher-rate taxpayers who do not claim their 40 per cent SIPP relief through self-assessment are leaving significant money on the table. Junior ISA: If you have children, are you contributing to a Junior ISA with up to £9,000 per year per child? Lifetime ISA: If you are eligible — aged 18 to 39 — are you using the Lifetime ISA's 25 per cent government bonus on up to £4,000 per year?

Platform and Fund Costs: Are You Paying Too Much?

List every fund in your portfolio and check its OCF. Any fund charging above 0.75 per cent deserves scrutiny — is it genuinely delivering value above what a 0.15 to 0.22 per cent index ETF provides? Review your platform's fees. As your portfolio grows, percentage-based fees become increasingly expensive. A portfolio of £100,000 at Hargreaves Lansdown in funds pays £450 per year in platform fees. The same portfolio at InvestEngine in ETFs pays zero in platform fees. Is there a cheaper platform that meets all your needs? Have you compared total costs — platform fee plus fund OCF — across your realistic alternatives?

Portfolio Construction: Is Your Allocation Still Right?

What is your current equity-bond split? Does it still reflect your risk tolerance and time horizon? If you have had a significant life event in the past year — marriage, children, house purchase, job change — has your investment strategy adapted accordingly? Is your portfolio genuinely diversified across geographies, sectors, and asset classes, or are you heavily concentrated in a specific market, sector, or individual stocks?

Contribution Rate: Are You Investing Enough?

Calculate your savings rate — the percentage of your take-home income you invest each month. If it is below 10 per cent, consider whether increasing to 15 or 20 per cent is feasible. Have you increased your contributions to reflect any income growth in the past year? Have you set up automated contributions so investing happens automatically without requiring a monthly decision?

Emergency Fund: Is Your Safety Net in Place?

Do you have 3 to 6 months of essential living expenses in accessible cash savings — separate from your investment portfolio? If not, building this before increasing investment contributions protects you from having to sell investments at bad prices in an emergency. Is your emergency fund held in a competitive easy-access savings account earning a reasonable interest rate?

Goals Review: Are Your Targets Still Realistic?

Review your financial goals and timelines. Are you on track to reach your retirement target or FIRE number at your projected date? Have your goals changed — a house purchase, supporting family members, career change — that should alter your strategy? Use a compound return calculator to project where your current portfolio and contribution rate will take you in 10, 20, and 30 years.

Final Checklist

If you can confirm that your ISA is funded, your SIPP contributions are optimised for tax relief, your funds are low-cost index funds with OCFs below 0.25 per cent, your platform fees are competitive, your asset allocation reflects your risk tolerance and time horizon, you are contributing regularly and automatically, and your emergency fund is in place, then your investment strategy is in excellent shape for 2026. Make any necessary adjustments now, set your next annual review date, and return to the productive habit of not obsessing over your portfolio day-to-day.