It is impossible to eliminate stock market risk. Risk and volatility are wily beasts and uncontainable, but they can be mitigated. One method is to use low-beta stocks, which tend to be less volatile than the S&P 500 NYSEARCA: SPY. However, there are better reasons to invest than having a low beta, and it takes more than a low beta stock to mitigate volatility. Being less volatile than the S&P does not equate to risk-free, so quality still counts. Quality, which attracts dedicated buy-and-hold investors, is ...