Summary of Getting More Conservative

Test drive before you buy

Before deciding that you want to add dividend-paying stocks, developed-markets stocks, or short-term bond funds to your portfolio, find out how these new choices would work with and affect your current mix.

Many online financial Websites offer tools that can help.

Once you see all of the holdings for your "conservative" portfolio, answer a few questions:

• Will you still be able to meet your goal with this portfolio?
• How much less volatile is this portfolio?

You may be surprised by what you find. You may see, for example, that you’re becoming too conservative. Or, conversely, that the changes you want to make aren’t going to make much of a difference as far as your future returns or future volatility are concerned. Or you may find that you’ve built a better portfolio for your goal.