March 2026 Financial Pulse

March 09, 2026

IMPORTANT STUDENT LOAN UPDATE FOR PUBLIC EMPLOYEES

On the SAVE plan and pursuing PSLF? Pay attention!

Months in SAVE forbearance are NOT counting toward PSLF.

What You Can Do:

Switch to another IDR plan
Look into PSLF buyback options
Ensure your employment is certified

Do you have questions about your student loans?

Our financial professionals can help guide you through your options. Reach out to us for a review of your situation!

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

THE MONTH IN BRIEF

U.S. Markets

U.S. stocks struggled in February amid fears that artificial intelligence would disrupt a wide swath of industries, unsettling investors. Late in the month, geopolitical concerns weighed on the market amid tensions in the Middle East.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slipped 0.87 percent, while the Nasdaq Composite fell 3.38 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged higher, picking up 0.17 percent. The Toronto Stock Exchange gained 7.57 percent.^1,2

^{1. WSJ.com, February 28, 2026}

^{2. TMX.com, February 27, 2026}

^{Advisory Services offered through Capital Analysts or Lincoln Investment, Registered Investment Advisers. Securities offered through Lincoln Investment, Broker/Dealer Member FINRA/SIPC. www.lincolninvestment.com M3 Investment Services and the above firms are independent and non-affiliated.}

^{S&P 500 Index is an index of 500 of the largest exchange-traded stocks in the US from a broad range of industries whose collective performance mirrors the overall stock market. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a widely watched index of 30 American stocks thought to represent the pulse of the American economy and markets. The NASDAQ is an index that tracks the cumulative results on a market capitalization basis of all stocks trading in the NASDAQ system. Investors cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. 3/26}