Markets Rise Modestly in the Third Quarter of 2019 as the Fed Cuts Rates and China Saga Continues U.S. stock market indices increased modestly in the third quarter, propelling the S&P 500 and the DJIA to their best three-quarter starts to the year since 1997 – all while further extending what is the longest of all bull markets on record. The broader S&P 500 enters the final three months of the year with a gain of 20.55% – its best
Read More
We’re all busy and tend to procrastinate in seemingly less busy areas of our lives. There is always some new item on our constantly growing to-do lists. Some tasks are fun to take on. Others are tedious, boring, long or all the above. But some of the most important to-do’s in our lives often get overlooked because — well, let’s face it — they’re not all that fun. Here are three we see often. See if you are dragging your
Read More
September is the time of year that our kids pack the U-Haul and head to college. And while they’re excited about a brand-new semester, it can be frightening to see the cost – and rising college debt – that comes with the college experience. What can our college students do to ease the price tag? Last school year, in-state tuition at a public university averaged $9,970 for residents and $34,740 at a private college, according to data from the College
Read More
FaceApp is a cool photo-morphing application that uses artificial intelligence and neural face transformations to show how you’d look when you’re older or as the other gender. The results are sometimes fascinating, often kind of creepy, and usually really funny. However, it does invite the conversation about what we might look like decades from now. And that is a good thing – especially when you start thinking about forecasting your financial plan. Retirement Calculators and Models The Web has loads
Read More
Patriot Investment Management Group is pleased to announce that we have been named in the 2019 edition of the Financial Times 300 Top Registered Investment Advisers. The list recognizes the top 300 independent Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) firms in the nation. The criteria for selection include: assets under management (AUM), AUM growth rate, years in existence, industry certifications of key employees, SEC compliance record, and online accessibility. We are honored to be selected and want to especially thank our team and
Read More
Markets Continue to Set Records in the Second Quarter of 2019 Stock markets in the U.S. and mostly around the globe turned in a good second quarter, which when combined with a good first quarter, created fantastic YTD returns for investors. In fact, the returns were historic, especially for the last month of the second quarter. Consider this: The 30-stock DJIA and broad-based S&P 500 posted their best June in 81 and 64 years, respectively The DJIA delivered its best
Read More
Whether you’re a millennial, baby boomer, Gen X or Gen Z, you face financial questions besides just getting through to next payday. Here’s a simple two-step checklist to help you start planning with your money. Plan Critical for long-term success, your financial plan doesn’t need to be complicated. It DOES need to provide a starting point and create a baseline for measuring your goals. Sure, you can get complicated and incorporate programs and apps into your initial planning so that
Read More
We all have different goals in our lives. It can be as simple as “financial independence,” or more specific goals, like traveling as much as possible or starting your own business. For those who have children, a major goal is often helping them with the growing cost of education. In fact, the CollegeBoard’s Trends in College Pricing 2016 gives us some data on that growing cost. Between 2006-07 and 2016-17, published in-state tuition and fees at public four-year institutions increased at an
Read More
Q: Why do I need a will? A: A will is a formal legal document directing the settlement of your estate. It provides for the distribution of your assets according to your wishes. Without a will, the laws of your state will determine estate distribution. You should always seek qualified legal assistance and proper witnessing. Only through a will can you designate your own executor, guardians for minor children, and other fiduciaries. Q: What is the first step my spouse and
Read More Stocks Turn in Best Quarter in 10 Years Global markets ended the first quarter of 2019 with very positive returns and domestically, the DJIA, S&P 500, Russell 2000, and NASDAQ all rewarded investors with double digit gains. The S&P 500 recorded its strongest quarterly performance in a decade, rising over 13% and leaving the index 3% off its all-time high. NASDAQ did not perform as well as the DJIA or S&P 500 on the final week of the quarter, but
Read More