September 3, 2019 – Stocks Rally as August Ends
The Week on Wall Street Fears of an impasse in the U.S.-China trade dispute lessened last week. While additional U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports were scheduled to take effect on September 1, China’s government communicated that it would refrain from taking retaliatory measures for the moment. U.S. stock benchmarks advanced during the week. The S&P […]
September 30, 2019 – Benchmarks End Week Lower
The Week on Wall Street Stocks retreated last week. Traders worried that the formal impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump might distract White House officials from their pursuit of a trade deal with China, and shift the focus of Congress away from consideration of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Also, news broke Friday that the […]
September 9, 2019 – Dow, Nasdaq, S&P 500 Advance
The Week on Wall Street Stocks rose last week, with help from two developments: the announcement of further U.S.-China trade talks as well as August hiring and manufacturing numbers that seemed to bolster the argument for a rate cut by the Federal Reserve. The broad U.S. equity market, as represented by the S&P 500, added […]
Staying the Course
The S&P 500 lost 3.3% in the third quarter after sliding nearly 5% in September. Putting this into perspective, nothing really qualifies as out of the ordinary. Since 1950, the S&P 500 has historically declined in September 55% of the time, posting an average decline of 3.8%. September has certainly lived up to its reputation […]
Stratos Day at the Zoo
Huge thank you to everyone who came to our event at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium on Sunday! We had a great time with our families and hope that you did too. Our next event is already scheduled: an Open House, welcoming you to our new home at 2200 Georgetown Drive, Suite 200! You will […]
Stratos Named to Barron’s 2022 Top 100 RIA Firms
Student Loan Webinar with GradFin
We hosted a webinar last month addressing student loans and repayment strategies. If you were not able to sign on and watch it, we took care of recording it and have posted the recording below. As always, please contact our office if you have any questions about the recording or would like to discuss student […]
The Best and Worst of Times
In the last several weeks, we have continued to face elevated uncertainty in financial markets due to high inflation and rising interest rates, and we thought it was an important time to take stock with the final quarter of 2022 just ahead. It has been a difficult year, not only for investors but also for […]
The Biggest COLA Increase Since 1981
How well do you remember 1981? Harrison Ford had his first bow as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Frogger and Donkey Kong were all the rage at video arcades. Bob Ross left the Air Force and took up painting. On top of that, we had the largest Social Security cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) […]
The Role of Financial Planning and Life Insurance
Financial planning and life insurance are essential for both ourselves and our families. Financial plans enable us to manage our finances effectively, working towards both short-term and long-term goals, such as purchasing a home or retiring comfortably. Life insurance provides us with peace of mind by ensuring that our dependents or loved ones will have […]