How often should I actually check and update my financial plan?

Match the frequency to the task. Do a full deep review once a year: net worth, goals, insurance, beneficiaries, tax withholding, and asset allocation. Check in lightly each quarter to track net worth and rebalance if your investments have drifted well past your targets. Avoid checking investment balances daily; frequent peeking tends to increase anxiety and tempts you into reactive trades that hurt returns. Beyond the calendar, always trigger an off-cycle review after major life events, marriage, divorce, a new baby, a job change, an inheritance, or a big move, since these reshape both your goals and your risk. A plan you set and never revisit slowly drifts out of date, but one you obsess over daily invites costly emotional decisions.