When to Reassess Your Risk Profile

Your risk comfort zone is not something that stays the same forever. Just as your life evolves, so does your relationship with risk. What once felt like an acceptable level of volatility might feel overwhelming at a different life stage—or, conversely, what once felt too risky might feel more tolerable as your financial position strengthens.

At Optimize, we believe that regularly revisiting your risk comfort zone is a healthy part of long-term investing. It ensures that your portfolio continues to reflect not just your financial circumstances, but also your evolving feelings about risk, your life priorities, and the role your investments play in supporting your future.

Life Changes Can Shift Your Comfort with Risk

Major life events often bring new financial needs, obligations, and emotional responses that change how you view risk. For example:

• Retirement or nearing retirement may make you feel less willing to tolerate large swings in your portfolio, as you begin relying on your investments for income.

• Starting a family or buying a home may bring new responsibilities that make preserving your investments feel more important than maximizing growth.

• Inheriting wealth or selling a business might provide financial security that allows you to take on more calculated risks than before.

• Experiencing a health event, divorce, or career change can also change your tolerance for uncertainty, prompting a desire for more stability or liquidity.

These are all natural, human reactions to life changes, and your portfolio should evolve alongside them. Ignoring these emotional shifts can lead to a disconnect between your investment strategy and your comfort level, which often increases the risk of making impulsive decisions during times of stress.

Emotional Shifts May Not Always Be Tied to Life Events

Sometimes, your comfort with risk changes simply because you are more experienced as an investor, or because you have lived through different market cycles that shape how you feel about volatility. For example, an investor who stayed disciplined through a market downturn might develop more confidence in staying the course. Others might feel that a recent downturn has made them more cautious than they were before.

These shifts are equally valid reasons to reassess your risk comfort zone and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Why Reassessing Your Risk Profile Is Proactive, Not Reactive

At Optimize, we encourage you to think of reassessing your risk comfort zone as a proactive conversation, not a reactive decision made during periods of market volatility. When emotions are high, it is harder to make objective adjustments. That is why we recommend having these conversations during calmer periods or as part of regular portfolio reviews.

By doing so, you can adjust your portfolio thoughtfully, ensuring it reflects your current comfort level without overreacting to short-term events.

How Optimize Supports You in Revisiting Your Comfort Zone

We see assessing and reassessing your risk comfort zone as an ongoing partnership. Through our regular check-ins, reviews, and open conversations, we provide the space for you to reflect on whether your portfolio still feels right—not just from a performance standpoint, but from a personal comfort perspective.

When changes are needed, we help you make them carefully and deliberately, ensuring your portfolio continues to support your financial life today, tomorrow, and as your journey evolves.

By staying open to revisiting your comfort with risk, you create a more flexible, resilient investment strategy—one that grows with you, adapts to your life, and supports both your financial goals and your emotional peace of mind.