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Choppy Week Ends MixedWeekly Update - May 12, 2014

In This Issue

Quote Of The Week

Recipe Of The Week

Tax Tips

Golf Tip

Healthy Lifestyle

Green Living

The major indices closed out a volatile week on amixed note, though the Dow was able to notch anotherall-time closing record on Friday.[1] Though stocksshowed some momentum mid-week as investorsbought the dip, they lost conviction on Friday as traderstrimmed exposure ahead of the weekend. For theweek, the S&P 500 lost 0.14%, the Dow gained 0.43%,and the Nasdaq fell 1.26%.[2]

Last week was fairly quiet in terms of economic reports. The jobs marketcontinues to show improvement. Jobless claims fell more than expected lastweek, snapping three weeks of increases. Though the four-week moving averagerose slightly, the level is consistent with stable growth.[3]

Fed Chair Janet Yellen spoke before the House and Senate about the state of theeconomy. Her testimony was mostly upbeat and she reassured lawmakers thateconomic activity should pick up speed after the slow first quarter. However, sheexpressed concern about weakness in the housing sector and indicated that Fedeconomists will be watching the sector closely in the coming months. Despitehousing sector worries, the Fed will continue to pare back bond purchases andstill plans to wrap up current quantitative easing programs by this Fall.[4]

Ukraine is slipping closer to civil war as pro-Russian separatists in EasternUkraine move ahead with a disputed referendum on self-rule. Though Russia

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denies any role in the escalating conflict, Western leaders fear that Russia isfunding rebels in order to absorb the Russian-speaking eastern portions ofUkraine.[5] On the positive side, Russian President Vladimir Putin seems reluctantto engage in a showdown with the West by sending in troops. A destabilizedUkraine could lead to disruptions to natural gas supplies and other economicdamage in Europe.

The week ahead is packed with important economic data, and analysts will beclosely watching retail sales and business inventory numbers as well as the nextconsumer sentiment report to get a feel for how strong demand is in the secondquarter. Though housing data is still expected to be weak, analysts are hopefulthat warmer weather will boost activity.

ECONOMIC CALENDAR:

Monday: Treasury Budget

Tuesday: Retail Sales, Import and Export Prices, Business Inventories

Wednesday: PPI-FD, Housing Market Index, EIA Petroleum Status Report

Thursday: Janet Yellen Speaks, Consumer Price Index, Jobless Claims,

Empire State Mfg. Survey, Treasury International Capital, Industrial Production,Philadelphia Fed SurveyFriday: Housing Starts, Consumer Sentiment

"We become what we think about."

- Earl Nightingale

Chopped Salad with Avocado Dressing

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Add deli ham or bacon for a heartier salad

Ingredients:

Serves 4

1/2 avocado1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup), plus more for serving1/4 cup plain yogurt1/4 cup fresh lemon juice1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves2 tablespoons olive oilKosher salt and black pepper1 head romaine, chopped (about 8 cups)2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, thoroughly rinsed and drained2 cups halved grape tomatoesPita chips, for serving

Directions:

1. Using a blender or food processor, chop the avocado, parmesan, yogurt, lemonjuice, parsley, oil, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper, and ½ cup water until smooth andcreamy.

2. Toss the romaine lettuce, chickpeas, chicken, tomatoes, and avocado dressingin a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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3. Serve the salad topped with pita chips and garnished with additional gratedparmesan.

Recipe adapted from Lindsay Hunt | RealSimple.com

Free IRS Webinars for Small Business Owners

The IRS offers special help for small business owners through its Small Businessand Self-Employed Tax Center. In honor of Small Business Week, May 12-16, theIRS will offer two free webinars targeting small business owners.

Both webinars will start at 2 P.M. EST and run for approximately one hour.Participants will be able to engage in a live Q&A with IRS tax experts.

Tuesday, May 13: Payments to Independent Contractors

Thursday, May 15: Avoiding the Biggest Tax Mistakes

To register or request more information, visit:http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/Webinars-for-Small-Businesses-1

Tip courtesy of IRS.gov[10]

Putting Drill for Precision

Unlike long shots, your short game requires you to be able to focus on a smallertarget. Here's a simple drill that will help you improve the precision of your putts:Take five balls and set them on tees in a straight line about a fingers-width apartfrom each other. Tee up about five feet away with your putter and try and knockeach one off of its tee. Go in any order you choose, but if you miss or knock thewrong one off, you have to start over.

Tip courtesy of Dale Abraham, PGA | Golf Tips Mag[11]

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Drinking Beer Could Reduce Women's Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

A recent study found a surprising link between beer consumption and painfulrheumatoid arthritis, a disease that typically strikes women between the ages of30 and 60. Researchers at Harvard Medical School found that having two to fourbeers a week cut the odds of getting rheumatoid arthritis by about one third.However, researchers did have a few caveats:

They are unsure about the intricacies of the relationship between beer andRA;For those who already have RA, mixing alcohol and medication can be risky,due to possible liver complications;Excessive drinking can be harmful, so check with your physician beforeupping your intake.

Tip courtesy of AARP[12]

Join the Freecycle Network

The Freecycle Network is an international nonprofit dedicated to building aworldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves resources, and buildsstronger communities. Every day, network members list items online that they'rehoping to get rid of or receive. Depending on the size and activity level of yourlocal group, you may be able to find or get rid of old computers, furniture, books,baby items, and many other items. By gifting your unwanted household items,you're giving them a new life while reducing waste. To find a group in your area,visit www.freecycle.org.

Tip courtesy of AARP[13]

Share the Wealth of Knowledge!

Please share this market update with family, friends, or colleagues. If you wouldlike us to add them to our list, simply click on the "Forward email" link below. We

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love being introduced!

Investing involves risk including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or

protect against loss in periods of declining values.

Diversif ication does not guarantee profit nor is it guaranteed to protect assets.

The Standard & Poor's 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the

stock market in general.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-w eighted average of 30 signif icant stocks traded on the New York

Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ. The DJIA w as invented by Charles Dow back in 1896.

The Nasdaq Composite is an index of the common stocks and similar securities listed on the NASDAQ stock market

and is considered a broad indicator of the performance of stocks of technology companies and grow th companies.

The MSCI EAFE Index w as created by Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) that serves as a benchmark of the

performance in major international equity markets as represented by 21 major MSCI indexes from Europe, Australia

and Southeast Asia.

The Dow Jones Corporate Bond Index is a 96-bond index designed to represent the market performance, on a total-

return basis, of investment-grade bonds issued by leading U.S. companies. Bonds are equally w eighted by maturity

cell, industry sector, and the overall index.

The S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices are the leading measures of U.S. residential real estate prices, tracking

changes in the value of residential real estate. The index is made up of measures of real estate prices in 20 cities

and w eighted to produce the index.

The 10-year Treasury Note represents debt ow ed by the United States Treasury to the public. Since the U.S.

Government is seen as a risk-free borrow er, investors use the 10-year Treasury Note as a benchmark for the long-

term bond market.

Google Finance is the source for any reference to the performance of an index betw een tw o specif ic periods.

Opinions expressed are subject to change w ithout notice and are not intended as investment advice or to predict

future performance.

Past performance does not guarantee future results.

You cannot invest directly in an index.

Consult your f inancial professional before making any investment decision.

Fixed income investments are subject to various risks including changes in interest rates, credit quality, inf lation risk,

market valuations, prepayments, corporate events, tax ramifications and other factors.

These are the view s of Platinum Advisor Marketing Strategies, LLC, and not necessarily those of the named

representative, Broker dealer or Investment Advisor, and should not be construed as investment advice. Neither the

named representative nor the named Broker dealer or Investment Advisor gives tax or legal advice. All information is

believed to be from reliable sources; how ever, w e make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy.

Please consult your f inancial advisor for further information.

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independently verif ied the information available through this link. The link is provided to you as a matter of interest.

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[1] http://w w w .reuters.com/article/2014/05/09/us-markets-stocks-idUSBREA460FR20140509

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[2] https://w w w .google.com/finance?

q=INDEXDJX%3A.DJI%2CINDEXSP%3A.INX%2CINDEXNASDAQ%3A.IXIC&ei=C5NvU_CTCcWNqQGLw YGYBQ

[3] http://w w w .reuters.com/article/2014/05/08/us-usa-economy-idUSBREA450GW20140508

[4] http://w w w .marketw atch.com/story/yellen-stays-upbeat-but-is-w atching-housing-2014-05-07

[5] http://w w w .cnbc.com/id/101661911

[6] http://w w w .reuters.com/article/2014/05/09/us-w holesale-inventories-idUSBREA480HM20140509

[7] http://w w w .reuters.com/article/2014/05/10/us-china-cenbank-stimulus-idUSBREA4902720140510

[8] http://w w w .cnbc.com/id/101648399

[9] http://w w w .cnbc.com/id/101654929

[10] http://w w w .irs.gov/uac/New sroom/IRS-to-Mark-Small-Business-Week-2014-w ith-Tw o-Webinars

[11] http://w w w .golftipsmag.com/instruction/putting/quick-tips/f ive-a-side.html#.U2-b6K1dVsI

[12] http://blog.aarp.org/2014/05/08/is-beer-better-at-reducing-a-w omans-chance-of-arthritis/

[13] http://w w w .aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-11-2009/freecycle_netw ork.html

Marc Wolff

Southern Trust Financial Planning

1943 Morrill Street, Suite 1

Sarasota, FL 34236

941-308-0041

mwolff@southerntrustfinancial.com

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