trimming

You don’t need to exit your positions wholesale, but consider trimming them and rotating into small- and mid-cap stocks, says Paul Stanley, chief investment officer of Granite Bay Wealth Management in Portsmouth, N.H.

Guild says those everyday investors, are more savvy than given credit for, buying when those stocks dip and trimming when they climb, and not dumping entire positions.

Generally, Christmas is a quiet time for the housing market as potential buyers and sellers concentrate on turkey and trimmings instead.

“I was washing dishes and my hands are still wet, and your father, he’s out back trimming the apple tree.”

Prices have slipped slightly since then, trimming the gains to a mere $1.1 billion.