Here in the U.S., we celebrate the New Year with the Times Square Ball Drop. In Japan, ‘Bonenki’ (forget-the-year parties) are held to bid farewell to the problems and concerns of the past. In the Netherlands, the Dutch burn their Christmas trees in large bonfires—to purge the old and welcome the new.

It seems that investors also have an annual New Year’s tradition—that of cleansing and purging their portfolios. They eagerly await publication of various mutual fund ranking reports. Armed with this data, they rush to analyze their portfolios and prepare a list of ‘must have’ funds selected based on last year’s performance. As a result, their current investment holdings are divided into two camps: “Winners” and “Dogs”. 

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