17/08/2026
School’s out for summer and it’s a time when people often have the opportunity to take a breath and reflect a bit on what’s happened in the year.
Perhaps you had some financial plans for 2026, which is great, but have you checked in with those plans to see if you’re making progress?
If not, now could be a great time to ask yourself a few questions:
Savings & spending
• Am I still sticking to the budget I set in January, or has it quietly slipped?
• Have I built up (or maintained) an emergency fund of 3-6 months' expenses?
• Are there subscriptions or direct debits I've forgotten to cancel?
Tax efficiency
• Have I used any of this year's ISA allowance yet, or am I leaving it to the last minute again?
• Am I on track to use my full pension annual allowance, or is there room to contribute more before the tax year ends?
• Have I checked whether I'm still eligible for allowances I used last year (marriage allowance, dividend allowance, etc.)?
Protection & risk
• If my income stopped tomorrow, would my current cover (life, income protection, critical illness) actually be enough?
• Has anything changed this year, a new job, a mortgage increase, a new dependant, that means my cover needs updating?
Investments
• Has my attitude to risk changed at all this year, and does my portfolio still reflect that?
• Am I still comfortable with how diversified my investments are?
• Have I checked in on performance, or have I been avoiding looking?
Big picture
• Is there a decision I've been putting off because it feels overwhelming (consolidating pensions, writing a will, having "the money conversation" with a partner)?
• If I look ahead to December, what would I want to have sorted by then?
Taking a proper look at where things are currently means you can get to the end of the year in a much better place rather than looking back, finding things that were missed and making yet another New Year’s Resolution that never delivers.
How often do you review your finances during the year?