A Message from Webster Bank 1/27/2023

In 2022, stock and bond markets repriced in response to stubbornly high levels of inflation and the Federal Reserve’s actions to reign it in.  As a result, this was one of just a handful of years over the past 100 years where both stocks and bonds ended the year at a loss.  It is impossible to forecast the short-term direction of the markets, but we try to identify trends and risks and manage portfolios accordingly.  Moving into 2023, markets could continue to see higher levels of volatility due to ongoing geopolitical issues and the Federal Reserve’s continued campaign to conquer inflation.  While this could be disconcerting to many, history has shown that the best course of action in periods such as this has been to stick to a disciplined and systematic investment approach predicated upon ones current and future needs.  All PLAN of MA & RI accounts are managed with this type of mindset and will continue to be moving forward to protect and grow participant assets over the long term.

PLAN of MA & RI considers many factors when selecting the appropriate investment strategy for each participant. PLAN of MA & RI reviews and manages the beneficiaries’ portfolios based on the underlying strategy for each beneficiary.  As a result,  participant accounts have experienced less volatility than what is reported on the nightly news.  Individual performance at the beneficiary level will be dependent upon several variables, including when moneys are invested, the investment strategy assigned to the participant and the actual cash flows in and out of the portfolio.