Erica Bowers - Financial Advisor

08/20/2026

Market strength is coming on wide breadth- with the "average S&P stock," small caps, banks, transports, and health care all trading at highs.

On the risk side, there are plenty of variables that could disrupt the momentum.

Read the Weekly Market Guide.

amazonaws.com

08/19/2026

🎓 Does your child need to join every club they possibly can to build a strong college application?

Not necessarily.

In Part 1 of this series, we talked about how colleges look at the whole student rather than simply plugging grades and test scores into a formula.

This week, we're taking a closer look at one of those "soft factors": extracurricular activities.

And one of the biggest takeaways from this video? It's not about quantity. It's about depth, passion and impact.

Admissions officers want to see students pursue things that genuinely interest them, grow through those experiences, demonstrate initiative and make a meaningful contribution over time. Leadership doesn't always mean having a title, either—it can look like being the person who steps up, supports the team or helps move a project forward.

I also loved the reminder that extracurriculars don't have to fit into one specific box. Jobs, internships, community projects, research, summer programs and even independent learning can all help tell a student's story when they connect authentically to who that student is.

Part 2 of 3: Extracurriculars — How Many & Which Ones? 🎓

Next Wednesday, we'll wrap up the series by looking at how admissions officers consider a student's application in context.

08/13/2026

Momentum Thrust Pushes S&P 500 to New Highs: The S&P 500 surged more than 5.5% over a five-day period last week, a move exceeding two standard deviations, and strong enough to propel the index to new all-time highs.

Read the Weekly Market Guide.

amazonaws.com

08/06/2026

The S&P 500 finished July flat over the prior 1.5 months, but price action has been very eventful under the surface. Economic resilience and earnings strength continue to be the primary driver of equities.

Read the Weekly Market Guide.

amazonaws.com

08/03/2026

Sector rotation helped the markets hold steady in July, with performance in sectors like health care, financials and energy making up for a slowing tech sector. Get the details in the July market recap:

raymondjames.com

07/30/2026

While the market has continued to trade largely sideways over the past week—a continuation of the trend in place since early June—we view this as a healthy consolidation following the strong advance from March through June.

Read the Weekly Market Guide.

amazonaws.com

07/23/2026

Market Backdrop: Healthy Consolidation as the Market Remains Rotational: Equity markets continue to digest the powerful advance that began in March, with major indices largely moving sideways since early June.

Read more in the Weekly Market Guide.

amazonaws.com

07/17/2026

For a long time, the message was simple: graduate high school, go to college, get a degree.

Today, the path to a successful future can look a little different.

Whether it's a four-year university, trade school, private school, apprenticeships, or professional certifications, familieds have more options than ever before. That's one reason it's helpful to understand how education savings tools, like 529 plans, have evolved to support changing educational paths.

This video shares an overview of how education is changing and highlights some of the flexibility now available through 529 plans.
https://www.raymondjamesconnect.com/OTYdl

07/16/2026

The S&P 500 is essentially trading near the same price it was in late May, but plenty is transpiring beneath the surface.

Read more in the Weekly Market Guide.