How long would you keep a mutual fund before dumping it?

I'm thinking maybe a year at most?

Remember, mutual funds are supposed to be watched over time. Mine were doing really bad several years ago, now they are doing awesome. Talk to someone in financial services.

If it's doing well compared to other funds of the same type, might as well keep it indefinitely. If it's not, then changing after a year or even less could make sense.

I have some I have had for over 15 years. And at least 2 I have had almost 20 years.
They still make me good money so I see no need to get out of them.

Why do you think a year at the most?
If you are investing for the long run (retirement) it's best to find a few good, different funds and stick with them.

That is a very involved question since there are over 4000 mutual funds. If I knew who you had or if at least if it was no-load or load I could give you some advice. The best group of funds is: www.vanguard.com

I see no reason to ever dump a mutual fund as long as the returns are sufficient. Its not unusual for a fund to have a negative return for a year. Its a long term investment and the long term returns you should consider. Now if the fund expenses rise a great deal I would consider dumping it. Fees can take a bite out of your returns in the long run.

The relevant question is whether you believe in the investment, regardless of whether you made or lost money so far. If you don't, sell.

I would dump a fund for 2 reasons:

1) I have reached my goal and now need to spend that money on my goal.

2) The fund has raised its fees signficantly.

I would not dump a fund because it lost money. In fact, if the fund lost money, I would buy more shares, because they would be at a discount.

BTW, you pay a higher tax for short-term capital gains. There is a tax incentive to hold your fund for longer than a year.