Hack 1: Set one clear goal for the year

Yes, you read that right: set just one goal.

It can be tempting to set multiple goals. But ‘the more the merrier’ doesn’t always hold true especially when it comes to financial goals. 

Juggling multiple goals can become overwhelming, leaving your finances thinly stretched and, potentially, seeing you toss the whole idea of investing out the window. It makes far more sense to give one goal the top priority. 

Most importantly, make your goal clear and specific. A goal like “I want to grow my portfolio” is too vague. Be bold and put a number and a timeframe to your goal. 

For example, “I plan to invest an extra $10,000 in my portfolio by December 2026,” gives you a firm dollar value and date to work towards. 

Risk to consider: Our lives don’t stand still, and neither should your financial goals. Be prepared to tweak your portfolio if your life goals have altered due to key events such as marriage, the arrival of children, divorce, or impending retirement.  
 

Hack 2: Put investing on autopilot

Our lives are busy. Being an investor shouldn’t have to strain our already hectic schedules. The solution could be to put investing on autopilot. 

That can be done by setting up direct debits for your preferred investments. Time them to match pay days to be sure you don’t overdraw your everyday account. 

Take this simplicity one step further by considering automated portfolios that regularly rebalance your portfolio holdings back in line with your goal and risk tolerance. This way, your investments always reflect your comfort levels around risk.

Risk to consider: Automation is great, but it shouldn’t be a substitute for personal control. Review direct debits at least annually, preferably bi-annually, to ensure you stay in control of where your money is going.  
 

Hack 3: Check the fees you are paying

It’s easy to assume your investments, and this includes superannuation, come with low fees. Although that may have been the case initially, it may not be so true today.

So, it’s time to take a check. Over the next few weeks, plenty of us will enjoy leave from work. Devote just an hour or so to reviewing how much your investments are costing you – everything from brokerage on shares, to fees on exchange traded funds (ETFs) or your super fund.

Chances are, you could be surprised at what you’re paying, especially if it’s been a while since you last reviewed the fees you’re paying.

Aiming to keep a lid on fees means more of your money goes towards building your wealth. And that’s the whole point of investing. 

Risk to consider: It makes sense to be mindful of fees but weigh up what you’re getting in return for the fees you pay. It’s all about getting maximum bang for your buck. 
 

Hack 4: Resist the urge to check your investments daily

It’s only human to want to know how your portfolio is performing, even though wealth creation is a long-term journey. 

Checking the progress of your investments daily, weekly or even monthly, can be harmful. Markets move up and down all the time, and short-term swings have the potential to be highly stressful. They can also increase the risk of impulsive, knee-jerk actions like panic selling (or buying for that matter). 

The key is finding a balance through periodic portfolio reviews. Set a review schedule for your portfolio – maybe quarterly or semi-annually and commit to it. This can help you understand if you are on track to reach your goals, and whether your portfolio needs to be finetuned, without the stress of constant monitoring.

In today’s 24-hour news cycle, it isn’t always easy to resist the urge to relentlessly check your investments. Remember though, short-term market movements don’t define long-term success. 

Risk to consider: Ignoring your portfolio altogether can be just as risky as compulsively reviewing your investments. Left unchecked, your portfolio can drift away from your goals or risk tolerance. 
 

Hack 5: Skip the herd

Herds work brilliantly for animals like zebras, which all look the same, and so create the illusion of a bigger whole when they band together. But investors are individuals with financial goals that are as unique to each of us as our fingerprints. 

That’s why it is always concerning to see retail investors pile into an asset class (following the market ‘herd’) just as it’s reaching a peak, and in many cases lose money when the inevitable downswing rolls around.  

We saw a classic example of this back in 2017. Bitcoin surged from about $AUD1,200 at the start of the year to reach a (then) record price approaching $AUD27,000 in December [1]. More than 300,000 Australians spent close to $AUD3.9 billion on Bitcoin in 2017. Yet over half the trades were placed in December when the digital currency was a hair’s breadth away from its peak [2]. 

By mid-January 2018, Bitcoin had nosedived, dropping to $AUD8,000 by February [3]. Investors who chose to bail out – and there would have been plenty – were left nursing a substantial loss.

I realise that 2017 seems like a lifetime ago. However, over time, InvestSMART sees the same pattern repeated across various asset classes from residential property to cryptocurrency and, more recently, gold.

The beauty of sticking to your own plans rather than letting FOMO (fear of missing out) shape your portfolio, is that it requires no effort at all. 

Risks to consider: The herd isn’t always wrong. The growth of ETFs over the last five years [4] confirms that some investments really do live up to the market interest. Like all investments, ETFs also have risks to consider. 
 

Conclusion

Try one of these hacks, or mix and match them all, and you could potentially give yourself a head start to finish 2026 with a cost-effective portfolio tailored to your needs and aspirations. And if markets are on your side, you could finish the year one step closer to achieving your personal goals.   

From ASX

The free, online ASX Shares course is designed for first-time investors who want a basic understanding of how the sharemarket works and what they will need to start investing in shares.

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[1] https://bitcoin.com.au/btc-stats/
[2] https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/australias-digital-currency-market-expanding-accenture-and-australian-digital-commerce-association-research-reveals.htm
[3] https://bitcoin.com.au/btc-stats/
[4] https://www.asx.com.au/content/dam/asx/about/media-releases/2025/asx-reaches-significant-milestone-in-the-etf-market.pdf