5 investment resolutions to power your 2026

As 2026 begins, it’s worth taking a fresh look at your investing practices and considering specific actions that could accelerate your wealth-building journey, whether you’re mapping out a formal strategy or simply ready to be more intentional with your portfolio.

1. Evaluate your core with fresh eyes

A strong portfolio starts with a solid foundation. Even if you already have a core, it’s worth reviewing your main holdings to see if they still match your goals for 2026.

After all, your priorities as well as market movements can shift your portfolio’s balance over time. What started as a 30% allocation to growth might now be 45%. The start of a new year offers a natural checkpoint to ensure your core holdings still align with where you’re heading.

The action: Review your largest positions and ask whether they still serve your 2026 goals. Replace anything that’s drifted off course with investments that better match your current priorities. With $0 brokerage¹ on Betashares Direct, you can rebalance your portfolio without worrying that transaction costs will eat into your returns. If building a core from scratch or completely restructuring feels overwhelming, our managed portfolios and core funds can provide a ready-made foundation to work from.

2. Add a global complement

While many Australian investors say they’re interested in international shares, only 16% of portfolios actually hold global stocks. While Australian equities have served investors well, expanding beyond our home market opens access to sectors and companies that don’t exist or are only a small part of our market.

The action: If Australian equities dominate your holdings, consider expanding internationally. Begin with broad exposures like NDQ Nasdaq 100 ETF or BEMG MSCI Emerging Markets Complex ETF , then explore specific sectors and themes that excite you.

3. Upgrade your cash

Parking money in a ‘safe’ place like a term deposit is not necessarily the smartest long run decision. Term deposit rates have dropped and inflation, especially now when it’s above the RBA’s target range of 2-3%, erodes purchasing power in real time.

The opportunity cost extends beyond rates alone. Cash sitting idle misses the compounding effect that even modest additional returns can generate over time. For money you’re setting aside for a house deposit or other medium-term goal, enhanced cash solutions can work considerably harder while maintaining liquidity and capital stability.

The action: Activate your cash holdings through enhanced cash and short-duration fixed income ETFs like MMKT Australian Cash Plus Active ETF . When your bank offers 3-4% but alternatives like MMKT yield 4.21% (as at 14 January 2026) with comparable risk profiles, that difference can compound meaningfully over time – turning into thousands of dollars over several years.

4. Automate your wealth habit

Building wealth is about consistent execution, not perfect timing. Using auto-invest on Betashares Direct can help keep your plan on track through market ups and downs. By investing regularly and automatically, you stay disciplined, capture compounding over time and avoid the cost of missed opportunities.

The action: Commit to regular contributions and automate them through Betashares Direct. Dollar-cost averaging² removes emotion from the equation and keeps you building regardless of market conditions. Set it up once and let compound growth do the heavy lifting.

5. Clean up your portfolio

If you’ve enjoyed the rally in Australian and global equities over recent years, your portfolio has likely grown substantially. But here’s what many investors overlook: as your balance grows, so does the dollar amount you’re paying in fees. A 0.70% fee on a $50,000 portfolio costs $350 annually. On a $200,000 portfolio after a few good years? That’s $1,400 in annual fees – money that could be compounding for you instead.

The action: Work out what your portfolio’s weighted average expense ratio is. You do this by multiplying each holding’s fee by its percentage of your portfolio, then adding these together. For example, if 60% of your portfolio charges 0.20% and 40% charges 0.70%, your weighted average is 0.40%.

Then identify any holdings that overlap significantly in their exposures and consider consolidating similar positions into lower-cost alternatives. Every dollar saved in fees stays invested and working for you.

Make 2026 the year you start executing on your long-term wealth goals. Betashares Direct provides the tools and insights to help you make a great decision. All you need is to start.

Footnotes:

1. Refer to the PDS for information on interest retained by Betashares on cash balances and Portfolio fees. ↑

2. Dollar cost averaging involves investing the same amount of money at set intervals over a long period – whether market prices are up or down. For more information please see: https://www.betashares.com.au/education/dollar-cost-averaging-taking-time-out-of-the-investment-equation/ ↑