Welcome to 2026. The beginning of the year is often the time when you should take stock of your investments, conduct portfolio reviews and look at what you want to achieve for the year ahead. Investing well is often less about reacting to markets and more about knowing what to expect, preparing early and making decisions that are planned rather than under pressure. Below are the key steps you should take by month during 2026.

January

Portfolio review

Start the year by reviewing and setting investment goals. Christine Benz has written a great article on the steps to conduct a comprehensive Portfolio Review. As most Australian investors base their financial goals around the Financial Year instead of the calendar year, we will be conducting a half-yearly check. This involves understanding whether you are on track with your goals, if you need to rebalance your portfolio, or adjust your savings rates.

Superannuation contributions

It’s halfway through the financial year. Now is a good time to review your superannuation contributions for the year. Tracking progress against your concessional contribution cap can identify opportunities for additional contributions or give you an opportunity to plan for additional tax if you are on track to exceed the cap. The 2025 / 2026 concessional contribution cap is $30,000.

Economic data

January usually sees the release of Australian Bureau of Statistics (“ABS”) data, including employment and inflation figures. Inflation figures in particular are important to pay attention to. Higher than expected inflation lowers the real or inflation adjusted returns of your investments. Although you should focus on the long-term, a few periods of high inflation can impact your financial goals. Not only should you pay attention to the headline inflation figures, recalculate and focus on your personal inflation rate as it is more relevant to your financial goals.

I’ve written on personal inflation rates here, including a calculator that you can adjust for the latest quarterly results.

US reporting season

Q4 Earnings kick off and the largest companies in the world will report full year results. This sets the tone for global risk sentiment, particularly tech results. Many Aussie investors now have meaningful exposure to the US market. These investors may have portfolio volatility around this period.

February

Reporting season

February brings the first reporting season of 2026 for ASX-listed companies that begin releasing half-year results. At Morningstar, our analysts pay close attention to earnings, but the focus is on long-term results and valuations. A single earnings report usually doesn’t lead to a meaningful change in the long-term assumptions behind our assessment of a stock’s fair value, unless a company also comes out with new, material information that changes our long-term assumptions. For example, new data on a drug that raises the probability of approval, or pricing gains in a key product line could affect an analyst’s long-run thinking.

The paradox of being an investor is that the only thing that matters is what a company achieves in the future. Yet all the information we have is historic. Many investors place outsized importance on earnings season as it shows how companies, and their investments, performed. Although interesting, it defeats the purpose of investing, as we shouldn’t place undue emphasis on what happened in the past. Our focus should remain on the future. After all, we purchase shares not for their past performance or results, but for their future potential.

However, this isn’t to say that earnings season can’t lead to opportunities. We believe opportunities occur when the short-term reaction to an earnings announcement is not in line with the long-term value of a company. Our fair value estimates for a company can provide context to price movements.

Dividend announcements

As part of reporting season, companies often declare dividends. If you are an income investor it can help you understand whether the income you earn is in line with your expectations. This may cause an adjustment of your plan if you are drawing down on your portfolios.

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its first interest rate decision of the year.

March

Dividend payments

Many Australian companies pay dividends reported during the February reporting season.

Wages data

Mid-March sees the ABS Quarterly Wages Data (WPI) which is a key indicator for inflation pressures. This can influence rate expectations and bond yields.

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

April

Portfolio maintenance

If you conduct portfolio reviews on a quarterly basis, now is a good time to check in how you are tracking, and potentially rebalance as required based on Q1 performance.

Easter and holiday season

This year, we have a holiday-filled April. If you are drawing down on your investments, plan around these holidays and weekends as there may be delays from institutions processing any withdrawals.

Federal budget preview

In April, we usually get a Federal Budget preview. Check for any updates announced that may impact your investments or portfolio.

May

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

Federal budget announcement

Key tax and superannuation policy changes are often revealed.

HECS/HELP payments

I’ve covered before I’ve previously covered the trade-offs on making extra repayments to your HECS/HELP debt. The indexation rate is applied to student debt balances on June 1. If you are paying off your debt voluntarily, it is important to make the payment before June 1 to avoid having to pay that extra indexation on top of the debt.

June

End of Financial Year (EOFY)

End of Financial Year brings many deadlines for investors. I’ve put together a comprehensive list before.

Super

It is your last chance to make super contributions for the financial year. Important to note is that the form must be submitted in time for the superannuation fund to timestamp or process it. This time will vary depending on their processes. It is better to be safe than sorry and make your contributions with enough leeway for it to be processed, so you’re able to minimise the tax that you are paying.

Harvest capital losses

Not every investment is going to work out. Take advantage of any losers in your portfolio by harvesting your capital losses on these investments to offset gains. You can read more here.

Review your deductions

Now is a good time to review the deductions that you are eligible for from the past financial year. It will make your life easier in July, as the paperwork will pile on for your tax planning and submission to the ATO.

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

July

New financial year

Happy New Financial Year. This is the time that Aussie investors usually conduct a full year check. The goal is to understand how your portfolio has performed on a full year basis and if any adjustments are needed for the year ahead.

When you conduct a half yearly check in January, there may be some areas you want to closely monitor. A full year check may be the time to act on those concerns. For example, if your portfolio is not meeting the rate of return required, you may need a more aggressive asset allocation.

Often, investors wait for the receipt of your investment and superannuation statements to conduct this review. They are usually received in July, or early August.

I have written on a few key metrics that investors can use to judge the progress of their portfolio.

Tax season

It’s time to submit or prepare to submit a lodgment of your income tax to the ATO.

Previously announced legislative changes

Payday Superannuation: From 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay their employees’ superannuation guarantee (SG) at the same time as their salary and wages.

Division 296: From 1 July 2026, people with superannuation balances above $3 million will pay a 30% rate on their realised earnings above that threshold. Those with balances over $10 million will face 40% on earnings above that threshold. Both thresholds will be indexed annually to CPI.

Paid Parental Leave scheme: From 1 July 2026, Australia’s Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme will provide financial support to eligible working parents, up to 26 weeks paid at the national minimum wage.

August

Reporting season

Time for full-year results for ASX-listed companies. Again, there is outsized emphasis placed on reporting season. However, investors may be able to find opportunities where the market has unfairly punished companies for unexpectedly poor results that do not impact the long-term outlook for the company.

Companies also declare dividends during this reporting season.

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

September

Quarterly Economic Data

Employment and inflation updates. Again, pay attention to your personal inflation rate.

US Federal Reserve Meeting

One of the Fed’s key projection meetings, with Australian markets tending to react to the Fed.

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

October

Tax return deadline

October 31st is the tax return deadline for individuals who are lodging their return without a tax professional/agent.

November

Health insurance review

Many investors that earn over $101,000 or $202,000 as a family will have health insurance (due to the Medicare Levy Surcharge). Australian health insurance funds usually operate on a calendar year basis for their benefits. Ensure you are maximising any benefits that you have before the end of the year. At the same time, it is a good time to review all insurances that you hold, including death, TPD and income protection. If you have a mortgage, it may be a good time to review the rates that you have through a trusted mortgage broker.

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

December

RBA meeting

The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announces its interest rate decision.

Relax!

Start collecting your statements for the half-yearly review coming up in January.

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