If the wild plunges and rebounds in stock prices have made a yo-yo of your portfolio, welcome to a very big club. The gyrations in stock markets worldwide have forced investors everywhere to confront an uncomfortable reality: Short of stuffing your money in a bank or under your mattress, you have to cope with volatility and risk. Fortunately, there are ways to tame risk – even turn it to your advantage. Here are four steps that you can take to begin to reduce the risk of falling stock prices for your long-term portfolio:

Serena Williams overcame windy conditions and a tough opponent Monday in the fourth round of the US Open. No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki, along with Serena Williams, will go on to the quarterfinals, expected to be played Wednesday.

A gardener and a chef team up to give advice on how to grow and prepare pears.

AP - Armed loyalists of Moammar Gadhafi including top brass crossed in convoys from Libya into neighboring Niger, with the toppled Libyan leader's own security chief at the head of one of the columns as it rolled into the capital of this desert nation Tuesday, officials said.

AP - More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed in at least 57 wildfires across rain-starved Texas, most of them in one devastating blaze close to Austin that is still raging out of control, officials said Tuesday.

AP - Stocks fell sharply Tuesday as worries deepened about Europe's debt crisis and the weak U.S. economy. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell near a record low and gold rose as investors sought safety.