If your portfolio has taken a hit this month and you’re wondering whether to panic, sell, or quietly cry into your morning coffee, you’re not alone. March 2026 has been a rough ride for investors, and I want to break down exactly what’s happening, how it’s affecting my own finances, and why I’m not changing course.
Why Your Portfolio Is Falling Right Now
The Iran conflict has rattled global markets in a way that’s hard to overstate. Oil prices have surged as supply routes face uncertainty, and that feeds directly into inflation across almost every sector fuel, food, logistics, energy bills. It’s a classic geopolitical shock, and markets hate uncertainty.
Now you might think: “I’m not heavily in US stocks, so I should be okay.” I’m only 20% US equities myself. But here’s the uncomfortable truth when America sneezes, the world catches a cold, and when there’s active conflict reshaping oil markets, there’s no real hiding place. The UK, Europe, Asia all are absorbing the inflationary pressure. My portfolio is down roughly £10,000 this month, even after adding £2,500 in fresh contributions.
My Networth in March
Down £10k or 1.81%, so it doesn’t sound like much, but I want to retire in the year, so Trump, stop the war!
I can never stop the market from doing what they do, so I just keep investing and do not change the strategy.
| Date | Total Net Worth | £ Gain this month | % Gain this month |
| 16/04/2025 | £375,446 | -£112,369 | -23.04% |
| 16/05/2025 | £433,326 | £66,372 | 18.09% |
| 16/06/2025 | £447,891 | £14,755 | 3.41% |
| 16/07/2025 | £474,068 | £26,177 | 5.84% |
| 16/08/2025 | £490,406 | £16,338 | 3.45% |
| 16/09/2025 | £510,518 | £20,112 | 4.10% |
| 16/10/2025 | £533,165 | £22,647 | 4.44% |
| 16/11/2025 | £535,587 | £5,591 | 1.05% |
| 12/12/2025 | £539,739 | £4,152 | 1.40% |
| 12/01/2026 | £550,380 | £10,641 | 1.97% |
| 12/02/2026 | £556,319 | £5,939 | 1.08% |
| 21/03/2026 | £549,551 | -£10,130 | -1.81% |
| Yearly | £70,225 | 19.98% |
Should You Sell, Hold, or Buy More?
This is the question burning through every retirement forum and Facebook group right now. Here’s my honest take:
Selling into a geopolitical dip is usually the worst move. Markets have historically recovered from every major conflict the Gulf War, 9/11, Russia-Ukraine. The investors who panic-sell lock in real losses. Those who hold, or better yet buy more at depressed prices, tend to come out ahead over a 5–10 year horizon.
If you’re early in retirement like me, you likely still have decades of investment runway. The key questions to ask yourself:
- Do I need this money in the next 2–3 years? If no, stay invested.
- Am I diversified enough that a continued drop won’t force me to sell at a loss? If not, that’s the real problem to solve.
- Can I add more at these lower prices? Even small amounts matter during a downturn.
The hardest part of long-term investing is doing nothing when every headline screams at you to act. That discipline is what separates wealth builders from wealth destroyers.
My Pension to ISA Withdrawal Plan, End of Tax Year 2025/2026
One of the smartest structural moves I’m making right now has nothing to do with reacting to markets it’s about getting money into the right tax wrappers before 5th April.
My partner and I have both had empty ISAs until now. We’ve been focused on maxing out my pension and AVCs, which made sense at the time. But now I’m shifting strategy: withdrawing from my pension and filling both of our ISA allowances before the end of the tax year.
The full ISA allowance for 2025/2026 is £20,000 per person, so that’s potentially £40,000 being sheltered from future tax between us.
Why a Flexible ISA Matters More Than You Think
We’re specifically using a Flexible ISA, and I can’t stress enough how important this feature is especially in retirement when cash flow can be unpredictable.
With a standard ISA, if you withdraw £5,000, that allowance is gone for the tax year. With a Flexible ISA, you can withdraw and reinvest the same money within the same tax year without losing your allowance.
For us, this is critical. If a family expense comes up a car, home repair, helping someone out I can dip into the ISA, deal with the situation, and then reinvest the funds later in the year with zero penalties and no allowance lost. That flexibility is genuinely life-changing in retirement planning.
If you haven’t checked whether your ISA is a Flexible ISA, do it today. Many people don’t realise theirs isn’t.
Things I’m Doing in Retirement, Building a Side Hustle
Retirement isn’t just about money it’s about staying sharp, staying purposeful, and ideally finding something you’d do even if you weren’t paid.
I’m currently building a small side hustle in a niche I’m genuinely passionate about. It doesn’t make money yet, and I’m okay with that. The goal is to grow it slowly, keep my mind active, and have something meaningful to pour energy into. The financial upside, if it comes, will be a bonus.
If you’re approaching or in early retirement and haven’t thought about this I’d encourage you to start before you finish work. Finding a side hustle you care about is much easier when you’re not desperate for the income.
I’ve Built A Retirement Calculator (And Why I’m Sharing It)
Here’s something a bit different I recently built a retirement calculator using AI, and I’ve been quietly sharing it in Facebook groups whenever someone asks about retirement planning or couples’ finances.
It’s not a money-maker. I built it because I needed it, and I figured others might too. The response has been great it fills a specific gap that most generic calculators miss.
I’m planning to build more financial tools. If you have ideas for tools that would genuinely help you things you can’t find anywhere else, calculators that don’t quite exist yet drop them in the comments. I’d love to know what would actually be useful.
The Bottom Line
War is affecting oil. Oil is driving inflation. Inflation is crushing portfolios. And yet the plan doesn’t change.
- ✅ ISA allowances filled before April 5th
- ✅ Flexible ISA in place for family cash flow needs
- ✅ Continuing monthly contributions even as prices drop
- ✅ Side hustle growing quietly in the background
- ✅ New finance tools in development
If your portfolio is down right now, you’re not doing anything wrong. You’re just in the market during a market event. Stay the course, use the wrappers available to you, and keep building.