Defensive Investing: Eight Ways to Tell if Your Mutual Fund Still Fits You

With the whipsaw patterns U.S. stocks have experienced in recent weeks - both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index are down 12% from their highs for the year - even the most ardent buy-and-hold investors are studying their portfolios, searching for holdings to cull. But what if your buy-and-hold strategy has been implemented using mutual funds? As part of a solid " defensive-investing " review, should you consider bailing out of your current mutual-fund holdings at this point and looking for better funds to ride into any future recovery? You'll only know if you take the time to make the review. And you should take that time.