Make your annual review about your life.
A meeting agenda that starts with what changed and ends with decisions, owners, and deadlines.
Jump to the checklist
Original AI-assisted editorial illustration · Fortune 100 Brokers
Start with what changed
Before discussing an account’s performance, list changes since the last review: a new job, a family responsibility, a move, a health concern, a large purchase, or a shift in what you want from work. Note what has become more urgent and what can wait. Investor.gov frames investing around goals; this review agenda is an editorial framework for applying that perspective to a conversation.
Revisit the assumptions
Ask which assumptions in your existing plan deserve another look. Has your expected spending changed? Is the date of a goal different? What cash needs are coming up? Ask the advisor to explain how their approach responds to these changes, including what would happen under a less favorable scenario. You are looking for understandable reasoning, not a promise that events will follow a forecast.
Discuss results in context
Ask how the advisor evaluates progress toward your goals and how fees are reflected in the discussion. If a benchmark is used, ask why it is relevant and how it differs from your actual holdings and risks. Write down the explanation. A review can be useful even when no investment change is proposed.
Review the relationship as well as the plan
Are the services you receive the ones you agreed on? Are you reaching the right person when questions come up? Request clarification of new charges or service changes. Ask whether beneficiary information, account contacts, or documents need attention, and which issues should be handled with your attorney or tax professional.
Leave with an action list
Turn each agreed next step into a short entry: what needs doing, who owns it, and the target date. Separate decisions from ideas that still need research. Ask for a written meeting summary and schedule a follow-up for unresolved items. Keep your own copy so the next review can begin with what was actually completed.
Your next-step checklist.
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Sources & further reading
Official resources to explore alongside this guide.
For general education. These guides do not provide individualized investment, tax, or legal advice. Verify professional information independently and discuss your circumstances with qualified professionals.
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