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FIRST QUARTER 2016 NEWSLETTER

  As we write this, we are in the last few days of January. Weather in our part of the country has been unusually calm and mild; while the markets have experienced the stormiest January in a very long time. In fact since late August of last year, we have experienced significant volatility; and few stocks have been immune to the selloff.

THIRD QUARTER NEWSLETTER

                As we write this, summer market activity has brought most year-to-date domestic market indices to flat or slightly negative levels. We have seen significant economic weakness in China and Greece finally reached the crisis point which had long been anticipated, putting much pressure on the euro.

Quarter 1, 2015

Quarter 4, 2014

This Fall, the stock market decided to celebrate Halloween early. For several days, it seemed that witches had taken over Wall Street.

We hope you are enjoying your summer with friends and family. As we look back on the second quarter we continue to see mixed signals from the economy and the markets. The stock market overall turned in a strong performance for the second quarter. Economic news from the Fed released on July 30, showed an annualized growth rate of 4%.

One of the principal tenets of investing is that no one single investment is right for everyone. Every investment has certain characteristics, risks, and objectives that must match those of the investor, and fixed annuities are no different.

If you have read any literature on retirement planning or have received advice from a financial professional, chances are you were presented with the 70% rule, the one that suggests that retirees will need between 70 and 80% of their pre-retirement income in order to maintain their standard of living.