And The Winners Are.....

Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth during the Watertown Winter Farm Show held last week. We had many people stop by to visit, inquire about our services, and sign up for our prize drawings.

CONGRATULATIONS to our winners!

David W. Johnson, Reliabank CEO, presenting Rosemary Hoverstadt
$100 in Beef Bucks

Willis DeWitt, VP of Reliabank, presenting Chantel Koistinen
her new bike

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Three years ago we entered our first ice cream competition at the Watertown Farm Show. Being novices at this, we armed ourselves with a borrowed ice cream maker and every imaginable piece of equipment that was necessary to make homemade ice cream. We hauled all the boxes into the Extension Complex, set up, and began the process. We had experimented with various flavors of ice cream the prior week at our Estelline bank location, and with the help of fellow co-workers, came up with the perfect vanilla base and added to that maraschino cherries and almond flavoring. We thought it was sure to be a winner - it was not. We vowed to wow them next year......

On to 2008....... we decided to do a theme of "Pirates" and set up our table with treasure chests, costume jewelry, gold coins, and yes, Cindy and I even donned eye patches, pirate necklaces and bandana's. We meant business, we even purchased a beautiful new electric ice cream maker! If we were to win, we were going to win big! Our ice cream flavor that year was POT O'GOLD Ice cream with crushed malted milk balls, caramel and chocolate flavoring. It was a big hit with the people stopping by our booth to taste test. Would the judges feel the same way? We listened for them to announce th winners over the loudspeaker - and YES, our name was called for 2nd place! Not bad for our second attempt!

And this year? Well, we tried various flavors again and finally decided to go with ULTIMINT Oreo Ice Cream. (Get it? Ultimint to tie to our Ultimate checking account, how creative!)
By now, we considered ourselves pros and were able to pack all our necessary items into one large box to haul to the competition. The ice cream turned out perfect, and after the judges came around to taste test, people attending the Farm Show then got to sample our creation. Many told us ours was the best they had tried out of all the others (too bad there isn't a People's Choice category in the competition) so we were sitting pretty confident by the time they started announcing the winners - "and second place goes to ..................... Reliabank for their Mint Oreo Ice Cream" ok, so we didn't get first but we didn't NOT place either.

I do want to give a big thanks to the Watertown Chamber that hosts this competition each year - they supply the ingredients and presented us with a beautiful plaque (pictured above).

Watch for us in 2010 - who knows what concoction we'll come up with next.

Lisa, Marketing Director

There's nothing wrong with me a little ice cream won't fix. ~Author Unknown

Staying Sane in a Crazy Market (final thoughts)

8. Use cash to help manage your mindset
Cash can be the financial equivalent of taking deep breaths to relax. It can enhance your ability to make thoughtful decisions instead of impulsive ones. If you've established an appropriate
asset allocation, you should have resources on hand to prevent having to sell stocks to meet ordinary expenses or, if you've used leverage, a margin call. Having a cash cushion coupled with a disciplined investing strategy can change your perspective on market volatility. Knowing that you're positioned to take advantage of a downturn by picking up bargains may increase your ability to be patient.

9. Remember your road map
Solid asset allocation is the basis of sound investing. One of the reasons a diversified portfolio is so important is that strong performance of some investments may help offset poor performance
by others. Even with an appropriate asset allocation, some parts of a portfolio may struggle at any given time. Timing the market can be challenging under the best of circumstances;
wildly volatile markets can magnify the impact of making a wrong decision just as the market is about to move in an unexpected direction, either up or down. Make sure your asset allocation is appropriate before making drastic changes.

10. Look in the rear-view mirror
If you're investing long-term, sometimes it helps to take a look back and see how far you've come. If your portfolio is down this year, it can be easy to forget any progress you may already
have made over the years. Though past performance is no guarantee of future returns, of course, the stock market's long-term direction has historically been up. With stocks, it's important to remember that having an investing strategy is only half the battle; the other half is being able to stick to it. Even if you're able to avoid losses by being out of the market,
will you know when to get back in? If patience has helped you build a nest egg, it just might be useful now, too.

11. Take it easy
If you feel you need to make changes in your portfolio, there are ways to do so short of a total makeover. You could test the waters by redirecting a small percentage of one asset class into another. You could put any new money into investments you feel are wellpositioned for the future but leave the rest as is. You could set a stop-loss order to prevent an investment from
falling below a certain level, or have an informal threshold below which you will not allow an investment to fall before selling. Even if you need or want to adjust your portfolio during a period of turmoil, those changes can--and probably should--happen in gradual steps. Taking gradual steps is one way to spread your risk over time as well as over a variety of asset classes.

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, an independent broker/dealer, and are not insured by FDIC, NCUA or any other financial institution insurance, are not deposits or obligations of Reliabank, are not guaranteed by Reliabank, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal.

Dustin Weighs In On Treas. Secretary Geithner

Treasury Secretary Geithner Lays an EGG on TARP ll

In Mr. Geithner’s highly publicized speech on his plan for the second half of TARP ll, Mr. Geithner missed the mark. Wall St. and Main St. alike were anticipating a well thought out plan that he had been working on for the last two and a half months. In reality there was no detail at all. There was just a lot of the same words he's been talking lately about acting boldly and swiftly without a plan to back that up. It is put up or shut up time for the Mr. Geithner. I think this was his chance to restore confidence back in the US Treasury and he failed in a big way. It’s early on in his term, but he’s had time to act swiftly. Let’s hope he puts in the hours that the former Secretary Paulson put in to get us some details soon.

The plan so far doesn’t tackle the issue of how to get the toxic assets off banks’ books so they’ll start lending again. Here are the questions I was hoping to get answered during the speech and hope will get answered soon.
- Will banks be nationalized?
- What key metrics will be addressed in this reported “stress test”?
- Will there be a ring fencing of assets?
- What effects will additional monetary assistance have on the ability to declare optional dividend payments?
- How does the Treasury plan to partner with the private sector to create a conduit to transfer assets?
- Will there be incentive for the institutions to sell assets which are deemed distressed?
- How will a pricing mechanism for these non-marketable assets be determined?
- What other elements will help stabilize the various asset classes leading to write downs? (i.e. residential and commercial real estate, as well as consumer credit among others)
- Will market to market accounting be suspended?

I will keep you updated as information leaks out on this subject. To me, this is the most important thing that needs addressing before we can start to heal our battered economy. Until we get some direction and clarity in this plan, the stock markets and economy will continue to be difficult. Every day that goes by without a solution will create more and more job losses. Stay tuned.
DUSTIN PADGETT

Staying Sane in a Crazy Market (continued)

4. Tell yourself that this too shall pass
The financial markets are historically cyclical. Even if you wishyou had sold at what turned out to be a market peak, or regrethaving sat out a buying opportunity, you may well get another
chance at some point. Even if you're considering changes, a volatile market can be an inopportune time to turn your portfolio inside out. A well-thought-out asset allocation is still the basis of good investment planning.

5. Be willing to learn from your mistakes
Anyone can look good during bull markets; smart investors are produced by the inevitable rough patches. Even the best aren't right all the time. If an earlier choice now seems rash, sometimes
the best strategy is to take a tax loss, learn from the experience, and apply the lesson to future decisions. Expert help can prepare you and your portfolio to both weather and take advantage of the market's ups and downs.

6. Consider playing defense
During volatile periods in the stock market, many investors reexamine their allocation to such defensive sectors as consumer staples or utilities (though like all stocks, those sectors involve their own risks, and are not necessarily immune from overall market movements). Dividends also can help cushion the impact of price swings. According to Standard and Poor's, dividend income has represented roughly one-third of themonthly total return on the S&P 500 since 1926, ranging from a high of 53% during the 1940s to a low of 14% in the 1990s, when investors focused on growth.

7. Stay on course by continuing to save
Even if the value of your holdings fluctuates, regularly adding to an account designed for a long-term goal may cushion the emotional impact of market swings. If losses are offset even in part by new savings, your bottom-line number might not be quite so discouraging. If you're using dollar-cost averaging-- investing a specific amount regularly regardless of fluctuating price levels-- you may be getting a bargain by buying when prices are down. However, dollarcost averaging can't guarantee a profit or protect against a loss. Also, consider your ability to continue purchases through market slumps; systematic investing doesn't work if you stop when prices are down.

We'll save the last four ways to keep yourself from making hasty decisions until next week. If you feel you need to make changes to your portfolio there are ways to make small changes rather than a total makeover of your portfolio. Our Raymond James agents can help set up the right portfolio for your needs. Contact Dustin, Sharon or Travis today at 882-4280

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, an independent broker/dealer, and are not insured by FDIC, NCUA or any other financial institution insurance, are not deposits or obligations of Reliabank, are not guaranteed by Reliabank, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal.

Staying Sane in a Crazy Market

Keeping your cool can be hard to do when the market goes on one of its periodic roller-coaster rides. It's useful to have strategies in place that prepare you both financially and psychologically to handle market volatility. Over the next few days we will share 11 ways to help keep yourself from making hasty decisions that could have a long-term impact on your ability to achieve your financial goals.

1. Have a game plan
Having predetermined guidelines that recognize the potential for turbulent times can help prevent emotion from dictating your decisions. For example, you might take a core-and-satellite approach, combining the use of buy-and-hold principles for the bulk of your portfolio with tactical investing based on a shorter-term market outlook. You also can use diversification to try to offset the risks of certain holdings with those of others. Diversification may not ensure a profit or guarantee against a loss, but it can help you understand and balance your risk in advance. And if you're an active investor, a trading discipline can help you stick to a long-term strategy. For example, you might determine in advance that you will take profits when a security or index rises by a certain percentage, and buy when it has fallen by a set percentage.

2. Know what you own and why you own it
When the market goes off the tracks, knowing why you originally made a specific investment can help you evaluate whether your reasons still hold, regardless of what the overall market is doing. Understanding how a specific holding fits in your portfolio also can help you consider whether a lower price might actually represent a buying opportunity. And if you don't understand why a security is in your portfolio, find out. That knowledge can be important, especially if you're considering replacing your current holding with another investment.

3. Remember that everything's relative
Most of the variance in the returns of different portfolios can generally be attributed to their asset allocations. If you've got a well-diversified portfolio that includes multiple asset classes, it
could be useful to compare its overall performance to relevant benchmarks. If you find that your investments are performing in line with those benchmarks, that realization might help you
feel better about your overall strategy. Even a diversified portfolio is no guarantee that you won't suffer losses, of course. But diversification means that just because the S&P 500 might have dropped 10% or 20% doesn't necessarily mean your overall portfolio is down by the same amount.

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC, an independent broker/dealer, and are not insured by FDIC, NCUA or any other financial institution insurance, are not deposits or obligations of Reliabank, are not guaranteed by Reliabank, and are subject to risks, including the possible loss of principal.

Watertown Winter Farm Show

Reliabank is gearing up for the 2009 Watertown Winter Farm Show Feb 10th-14th!

We will again have a booth at the show, and we invite you to stop by to see what we have to offer. We will be holding a drawing for $100 beef bundle and a drawing for a kids bike. Lots of fun giveaways too!!

On Friday the 13th, Reliabank will be participating in the 9th annual ice cream contest so if you are at the show that day, make sure to stop at our booth around 3pm to sample our winning ice cream. (Last year we placed 2nd - this year we're shooting for 1st place!)

Hope to see you there!

Phishing Phacts...

Quick Facts
Phishing is a scam where Internet fraudsters send spam or pop-up messages to lure personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. All too often people are trusting and give out their personal information. To avoid getting hooked:

Don't reply to email or pop-up messages that ask for personal or financial information, and don't click on links in the message. Don't cut and paste a link from the message into your Web browser — phishers can make links look like they go one place, but that actually send you to a different site.

Some scammers send an email that appears to be from a legitimate business and ask you to call a phone number to update your account or access a "refund." Because they use voice over Internet Protocol technology, the area code you call does not reflect where the scammers really are. If you need to reach an organization you do business with, call the number on your financial statements or on the back of your credit card.

Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software, as well as a firewall, and update them all regularly.

Don't email personal or financial information.

Review credit card and bank account statements as soon as you receive them to check for unauthorized charges.

Be cautious about opening any attachment or downloading any files from emails you receive, regardless of who sent them.

Always remember that a bank will NEVER ask you for personal information via email

Forward phishing emails to spam@uce.gov – and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. You also may report phishing email to reportphishing@antiphishing.org. The Anti-Phishing Working Group, a consortium of ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, uses these reports to fight phishing.

If you've been scammed, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Identity Theft website at ftc.gov/idtheft.