Worried about economic weakness ahead? You're not alone. The United States' GDP growth rate slumped to a mere 1.1% last quarter, coming in below expectations as well as under long-term norms. Economists are worried too.

Investors don't need to panic, however. They need to plan. Here's a rundown of five measures to consider if you're looking to defend your portfolio from a recession, from least important to most important.

It's a mistake to sell all of your stocks before (or during) a recession simply because recessions are trouble for the market. But it's not wrong to dump your lower-quality holdings that are more vulnerable to marketwide weakness.

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Source Fool.com