Dump These 45 Household Names Before It’s Too Late

Last week’s market activity proved that many were expecting a Romney victory, so there may be some short-term growing pains while Wall Street adjusts to four more years with President Obama in the White House. But that doesn’t mean you should go to cash—not by a long shot.

Want to know my take on how to handle the uncertainty caused by the impending “Fiscal Cliff” and the ongoing eurozone debt drama? Trim your portfolio of all dead weight. I’m talking about all of the companies that have announced mixed earnings results or have sloppy guidance looking forward. Of course, it can be tedious reviewing the latest earnings results for each of your companies, so I’ve broken down the top 45 big blue chips that you should steer clear of.

The economy is expected to perk up next quarter, and I do expect Wall Street to cheer up as we head into Thanksgiving and the holiday shopping season.

In the meantime, the best thing you can do to prepare (and to weather the current choppy trading activity) is invest solely in companies with the best earnings prospects. Of course, the best place to start is to run your portfolio through my Portfolio Grader screening tool. It doesn’t take much to see that sticking to A- and B-rated stocks pays off big in the long run.