Unfortunately, there's no easy way to find out whether there is dangerous subprime exposure lurking in your bond fund. "It's really tough. It's not a well-understood area of the market," says Paul Herbert, a senior analyst at Morningstar. Even the savviest investors have been burned.
One simple tip-off: If your bond fund is showing significantly steeper losses than comparable funds in the past couple of weeks, it's likely that it's holding securities that have been harmed by the credit fallout. In that case, advises Jeff Tjornehoj, a senior research analyst at Lipper, try calling the 800 number for your fund and find out what the portfolio manager is doing to stem the decline. If the answer doesn't allay your fears, consider getting out of the fund altogether and moving your stake to a money market or Treasuries fund.
Will the subprime lending meltdown and credit crunch send us into a financial free fall? We asked the sharpest minds in business to share their reactions to the downturn, and their insights on the road ahead. (more) 
For years big players ignored obvious dangers and reaped rich rewards. Now they are paying the price - and so is everyone else, writes Fortune's Shawn Tully. (more) 
