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Course Library · Lesson 6 of 6
Money · Guided lesson

Automate and review

About 20 minutes
Work at your own pace. Optional videos take extra time.
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Before you begin

The idea in everyday life

Automation turns a decision into a repeatable system, but review should remain scheduled and unemotional. Check contributions, allocation drift, fees, beneficiary details, and whether the goal changed. Daily price checking does not improve a long-term policy.

The idea

Good long-term investing is mostly contribution behavior plus occasional maintenance—not constant prediction.

Try it

One step at a time.

Use the sample or information you have permission to use. Keep your work as you go. You can pause between steps.

  1. 1

    Schedule recurring contributions shortly after income arrives and confirm whether purchases are automated too.

  2. 2

    Enable strong authentication, trusted-contact options, and account alerts.

  3. 3

    Set a calendar review once or twice a year to check allocation, fees, beneficiaries, and goal changes.

  4. 4

    If the investment mix moves far from your plan, first consider using new contributions to restore it. Record when the difference would be large enough to consider a trade.

Example

See how it works.

Maya schedules $150 monthly two days after payday and elects dividend reinvestment after understanding the setting. Every six months she checks that deposits were invested correctly, fees remain acceptable, and the stock/bond mix has not moved far outside her chosen range. She changes the policy only when the goal or circumstances change.

Check your work

Did you cover these?

  • Automatic deposits are paired with an instruction that actually invests the money.
  • A calendar review date and short audit checklist exist.
  • The policy defines valid reasons to change instead of reacting to headlines.
Your work

What to finish

A written investment policy with contribution schedule, target allocation, review date, and change rules.

Common mistake

Watch for this

Checking daily and changing a long-term plan in response to normal volatility.

How can I tell I understand it?

You know exactly when you will review the portfolio—and what conditions are not a reason to act.

Try 3 questions

Quick knowledge check

Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.

Not yet passed

You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.

1Three scheduled $100 transfers arrived. The account now shows $300 cash and no intended fund holdings. Which part of the automation should you verify next?
2A hypothetical plan targets 60% stocks and 40% bonds. It now has $700 stocks and $300 bonds. Which $200 contribution moves it closer to the target without selling?
3A written policy calls for a six-month review and earlier review if the goal or cash needs change. Which response breaks that rule without a stated reason?
0 of 3 answeredApply the lesson to a short question, then review the explanation.
6
Finish this lesson

Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.

Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.

Go to the knowledge check
Optional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
Fidelity InvestmentsWhat Is Diversification?YouTube
Optional course overview

What Is Diversification?

From Fidelity Investments. Watch here or open it on YouTube .

Return to the diversification principle and decide how often you need to check allocation—not price—to keep the intended mix intact.
Tools, templates, and lesson sources

Tools and templates

Tools open in a new tab so you can keep your place here.

Sources and further reading

Explore the references behind this lesson.

SEC Investor.gov — Introduction to investing
FINRA — Investing basics
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