Considering the highly volatile market conditions, it is important to closely monitor all your investments for maximizing your returns, while minimizing your risks. In order for your investments to continue to perform within your expectations and to meet your financial needs, you may not only need to stay current on the status of your investment portfolio, but also be prepared to respond quickly to get the most out of any opportunities that may arise from the changing market conditions.

Here are a few tips that you may find helpful:

• Get a Portfolio Accounting Software: There are many easy-to-use and affordable investment portfolio management software packages that you can install on your personal computer, and make things relatively easy for yourself. Most of such software packages require you to enter all your holdings once, and then it tracks them for you. Most investment monitoring software applications also come equipped with detailed analysis tools that you can pre-configure to generate detailed analytical reports on a daily/weekly/monthly or yearly basis. These applications allow you to tell at a glance how well all your investments are doing.
  
• Stay Current on Financial News: Internet can be a great source of information on personal finance related matters. If you are looking for diverse perspectives and opinions, spending some time on a few Internet sites could be very helpful. With the round the clock coverage of financial market on TV, as well as daily coverage of the same on all major daily newspapers, there is no reason not to stay current on all your stocks, bonds, and mutual fund prices. Considering that every media outlet has its own bias and often tempers the facts by adding it's own unique slant, it is generally a good idea to get your financial news from several sources. Did I mention Internet can be a great help if you are looking for independent analysis, and diverse perspectives on the ongoing?
  
• Review Your Portfolio Periodically with an Investment Professional: Simply leafing through the account statement that a brokerage firm mails out every month is not usually enough. It is important to look at the bigger picture once in a while. It may be helpful, therefore, to review your portfolio with an experienced, well-qualified investment planner or investment broker at least once every quarter. As your life circumstances change over time, so should your portfolio. Compare current returns on your investment, and see if they still match with your current needs and expectations. Schedule a review at lease once every six months. Expect a course correction at least once every five years -if not earlier.
  
• Adjust Your Holdings As Needed: Weed out poorly performing investments periodically. If the returns on your investment are radically different from your goals/expectations, consult with a couple of investment professionals, and make any adjustments to your investment portfolio as may be needed.

Maximizing yield by leveraging short-term fluctuations to the fullest without radically altering your portfolio -while keeping things well within your acceptable range of risk threshold -may not be as difficult as it may appear to be. It certainly requires one to stay current on the changing market conditions and to make course corrections as may be warranted, but the returns for those who have mastered those skills can be very sweet indeed. For the rest of us, staying current on financial news, and keeping a close eye on our investment portfolio using an easy-to-use investment monitoring software package, and periodic reality checks with the help of our favorite investment broker usually does the job.