Python Automation Services USA | Enterprise RPA and Workflow Automation

Big0 delivers comprehensive Python automation and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) services specifically designed for the USA enterprise market. With deep expertise in American business systems, regulatory compliance automation, and integration with popular US software platforms, we build custom automation solutions that eliminate manual work, reduce errors, improve compliance, and free your employees to focus on high-value strategic activities. Our USA-focused automation spans business process automation, data processing and ETL, web scraping and API integration, report generation, compliance automation, and intelligent document processing serving companies from coast to coast.

Whether you're a San Francisco technology company automating DevOps workflows, a New York financial services firm automating regulatory reporting, an Austin startup eliminating manual data entry, or a Chicago manufacturer optimizing supply chain processes, our Python automation services deliver rapid ROI through intelligent automation of repetitive, rule-based work.

Why USA Companies Choose Big0 for Python Automation

American Business System Integration Expertise

QuickBooks and USA Accounting Software Automation Our Python automation integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop, Xero, FreshBooks, and other accounting platforms popular among US small and mid-sized businesses. Automation capabilities include invoice generation and sending, expense tracking and categorization, bank reconciliation automation, financial statement generation, sales tax calculation and reporting across multiple states, accounts payable/receivable automation, and integration with e-commerce platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento) for automatic transaction import and revenue recognition.

US Banking and Payment Processing Integration We automate financial workflows through integration with US banking institutions via APIs (Plaid, Finicity, Yodlee), ACH payment processing (Stripe, Dwolla), credit card processing (Stripe, Square, Authorize.net), and bank-specific APIs (Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi). Automation includes payment reconciliation, fraud detection, payment retry logic, automated payment reminder sequences, and real-time cash flow monitoring providing financial transparency and control.

Salesforce Automation and CRM Integration Salesforce dominates US CRM market share creating extensive automation opportunities. Our Python automation connects to Salesforce through REST API, Bulk API, and Streaming API enabling lead enrichment automation, opportunity stage progression, automated task creation and assignment, email campaign triggers, reporting and dashboard automation, CPQ (Configure-Price-Quote) workflow automation, and bi-directional synchronization with external systems ensuring Salesforce data accuracy without manual data entry.

US Government Systems Integration Government contractors and regulated businesses require integration with federal systems including SAM.gov (System for Award Management) for contractor registration, FPDS (Federal Procurement Data System) for contract data, IRS e-filing systems, state unemployment insurance systems, workers' compensation reporting portals, and regulatory compliance platforms. Our automation navigates complex authentication, data formats, and compliance requirements specific to government systems.

Compliance Automation for USA Regulations

SOX Compliance Automation (Sarbanes-Oxley) Public companies and pre-IPO companies preparing for SOX compliance face significant audit and control requirements. Our Python automation supports SOX compliance through automated evidence collection for IT general controls (ITGC), access review automation documenting user permissions and changes, segregation of duties monitoring detecting incompatible access combinations, change management tracking, automated control testing, and audit trail generation creating immutable logs for auditor review.

HIPAA Compliance Automation Healthcare organizations leverage our Python automation for HIPAA compliance including automated PHI discovery and classification, access logging and monitoring, breach detection and notification automation, risk assessment automation, consent management, patient communication automation maintaining privacy, and compliance reporting for HHS audits. All automation maintains strict HIPAA compliance with encryption, access controls, and audit trails protecting patient data.

PCI DSS Compliance Automation Organizations handling payment card data utilize our Python automation for PCI DSS compliance including cardholder data discovery, access monitoring and alerting, vulnerability scanning automation, log aggregation and analysis, file integrity monitoring, compliance reporting for QSA assessments, and tokenization workflows reducing PCI scope. Automation reduces compliance burden while improving security posture.

IRS and Tax Compliance Automation US tax complexity creates automation opportunities including Form 1099 generation and filing (1099-NEC, 1099-K, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT), W-2 preparation and filing, multi-state sales tax calculation and filing across 45+ sales tax jurisdictions, nexus determination automation, tax exemption certificate management, estimated tax calculation and payment scheduling, and tax provision automation for financial statement preparation.

Multi-State Payroll Compliance Payroll processing across multiple states requires navigating varying regulations. Our Python automation handles state income tax withholding calculations, state unemployment insurance (SUI) rate tracking and filing, new hire reporting to state agencies, wage garnishment processing with state-specific rules, paid sick leave accrual (CA, WA, OR, NYC and other jurisdictions), minimum wage compliance across federal, state, and local levels, and overtime calculation considering state-specific rules (California's daily overtime, for example).

SOC 2 Compliance and Data Security

SOC 2 Type II Control Automation Our automation solutions support SOC 2 compliance across Trust Services Criteria including security (automated access reviews, encryption verification, penetration testing scheduling), availability (uptime monitoring, incident detection and response, backup verification), processing integrity (data validation automation, transaction monitoring, reconciliation), confidentiality (data classification automation, DLP rule enforcement), and privacy (consent management, data subject rights fulfillment, retention policy enforcement).

Audit Evidence Collection Manual audit evidence collection consumes significant time during SOC 2 audits. Our Python automation continuously collects and organizes evidence including access logs, change logs, backup verification reports, security scan results, training completion records, incident response documentation, and vendor management records providing auditors with organized, complete evidence packages reducing audit duration and cost.

Continuous Compliance Monitoring Rather than point-in-time compliance verification, our automation enables continuous monitoring detecting compliance drift immediately. Real-time monitoring includes configuration drift detection, policy violation alerts, unauthorized access attempts, data exfiltration indicators, control effectiveness measurement, and automated remediation for certain violations reducing compliance risk between formal audits.

Comprehensive Python Automation Services

Business Process Automation

Invoice and Billing Automation Eliminate manual invoice processing through intelligent automation including invoice data extraction from PDFs and emails using OCR and natural language processing, data validation against purchase orders and contracts, three-way matching (PO, invoice, receipt), exception routing for manual review when necessary, approval workflow automation, payment scheduling and execution, and reconciliation automation ensuring accurate financial records without manual data entry.

Order Processing Automation E-commerce and B2B order processing automation includes order intake from multiple channels (website, email, EDI, phone), inventory availability checking across warehouses, pricing calculation including volume discounts and promotional pricing, credit limit verification for B2B customers, order routing to fulfillment centers based on inventory and geography, shipping label generation and carrier selection, tracking number communication to customers, and exception handling for out-of-stock scenarios.

Customer Onboarding Automation Automate new customer onboarding through workflow automation including application form processing, identity verification through ID.me, Socure, or similar services, credit check automation, contract generation with e-signature collection (DocuSign, Adobe Sign), account provisioning in CRM and billing systems, welcome email sequences, and onboarding task assignment ensuring consistent customer experiences and faster time-to-value.

HR and Employee Management Automation Human resources automation reduces administrative burden including new hire paperwork automation, I-9 verification workflow, background check integration, benefits enrollment automation, PTO accrual and tracking, performance review scheduling and reminders, employee data synchronization across HRIS, payroll, and benefits platforms, offboarding automation, and compliance reporting (EEO-1, VETS-4212, ACA 1094/1095).

Report Generation and Distribution Automated reporting eliminates manual report creation including data extraction from multiple sources, calculations and analytics, chart and graph generation, formatted report creation (PDF, Excel, PowerPoint), scheduled report distribution via email or portal, interactive dashboard updates, and exception reporting highlighting items requiring attention. Common automated reports include financial statements, sales reports, inventory reports, compliance reports, and executive dashboards.

Data Processing and ETL Automation

Data Integration and Synchronization Keep systems synchronized automatically through bidirectional data flows including Salesforce to ERP synchronization, e-commerce to accounting integration, marketing automation to CRM data flow, customer data platform (CDP) integration, master data management (MDM) synchronization, and real-time vs. batch integration patterns based on business requirements ensuring single source of truth across enterprise systems.

Data Cleansing and Enrichment Improve data quality through automated cleansing including duplicate detection and merging, address standardization and USPS validation, phone number formatting and validation, email validation and correction, data completeness verification, enrichment through third-party data sources (Clearbit, ZoomInfo, Data Axle), and ongoing data quality monitoring preventing data decay.

ETL Pipeline Development Custom ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) pipelines for data warehousing and analytics including data extraction from databases, SaaS applications, files, and APIs, transformation logic including cleaning, aggregation, calculations, and business rule application, loading to data warehouses (Snowflake, Redshift, BigQuery, Synapse), incremental update logic for efficiency, error handling and retry mechanisms, and monitoring and alerting ensuring reliable data pipelines.

File Processing Automation Automate file-based workflows including incoming file monitoring from SFTP, email, cloud storage, or APIs, file format conversion (CSV to Excel, PDF to text, XML to JSON), data validation against business rules, transformation and standardization, loading to destination systems, archive management, and processing confirmations reducing manual file handling.

Web Scraping and Data Collection

Competitive Intelligence Automation Monitor competitors automatically through web scraping including pricing monitoring for price matching or competitive analysis, product catalog tracking, review and rating monitoring, social media sentiment analysis, news and press release monitoring, job posting tracking indicating competitor expansion or technology adoption, and SEO ranking tracking providing competitive intelligence without manual monitoring.

Lead Generation Automation Automated lead research and enrichment including prospect identification from industry directories, company information gathering (revenue, employee count, technology stack, funding), contact information discovery and validation, CRM record creation or enrichment, lead scoring based on attributes and behaviors, and sales team notification for qualified leads accelerating sales pipeline development.

Real Estate and Property Data Real estate companies leverage web scraping for automated data collection including MLS listing aggregation, property value estimation through comparable analysis, rental rate tracking, foreclosure and auction monitoring, permit data collection indicating development activity, and market trend analysis informing investment decisions.

Regulatory and Legal Monitoring Automate regulatory compliance monitoring including federal register monitoring for proposed rules, state legislative tracking, court case monitoring, enforcement action tracking, industry publication monitoring, and automated notification when relevant developments occur enabling proactive compliance management.

API Integration and Middleware Development

REST API Integration Connect disparate systems through API integration including authentication handling (OAuth, API keys, JWT tokens), request/response mapping, error handling and retry logic, rate limiting compliance, pagination handling for large data sets, webhook implementation for real-time updates, and API performance monitoring ensuring reliable integrations.

Legacy System Integration Many US businesses rely on legacy systems lacking modern APIs. Our Python automation enables integration through screen scraping for mainframe and terminal-based systems, file-based integration using CSV, fixed-width, or EDI formats, database direct access when APIs unavailable, SOAP web service integration for older enterprise systems, and message queue integration (IBM MQ, RabbitMQ) providing legacy system connectivity.

iPaaS and Integration Platform Development For organizations with extensive integration needs, we develop custom integration platforms or implement iPaaS solutions including centralized integration management, reusable integration components, data transformation engine, orchestration and workflow capabilities, monitoring and logging infrastructure, and error handling and retry mechanisms creating scalable integration architecture.

Intelligent Document Processing

OCR and Data Extraction Extract data from scanned documents and images using optical character recognition including invoice processing extracting vendor, amount, date, line items, receipt digitization for expense management, contract data extraction, form processing for applications and surveys, medical records processing (HIPAA-compliant), and handwriting recognition for forms and checks providing structured data from unstructured documents.

Natural Language Processing for Documents Advanced document processing using NLP techniques including document classification routing documents to appropriate workflows, entity extraction identifying people, companies, dates, amounts, sentiment analysis for customer feedback or reviews, summarization generating executive summaries of lengthy documents, and clause detection in contracts identifying specific terms and conditions.

Automated Document Generation Generate documents programmatically including contract generation with dynamic terms based on business rules, proposal and quote creation, regulatory filings and reports, employee offer letters and agreements, customer communications personalized at scale, and PDF generation with complex formatting ensuring consistent, accurate documents without manual creation.

Industry-Specific Automation Solutions

Financial Services Automation

Regulatory Reporting Automation Banks, investment advisors, and financial institutions automate compliance reporting including FINRA reporting, SEC filing automation (13F, ADV, PF forms), OCC reporting for national banks, state regulatory reporting, AML/KYC monitoring and reporting, OFAC screening automation, and regulatory change tracking enabling compliance teams to focus on analysis rather than data compilation.

Loan Processing Automation Mortgage lenders and commercial lenders automate workflows including application intake and validation, credit report pulling and analysis, income verification through tax return analysis, property appraisal coordination, underwriting decision support, document generation, closing coordination, and loan servicing automation reducing processing times and improving borrower experience.

Trading and Investment Operations Investment firms leverage automation for trade reconciliation, performance calculation and attribution, risk reporting, fund accounting automation, K-1 tax form generation for partners, investor portal updates, and regulatory filing automation supporting efficient investment operations.

Healthcare Automation

Medical Billing and Revenue Cycle Healthcare providers automate revenue cycle including insurance eligibility verification, prior authorization request automation, claim scrubbing before submission, claim submission to payers, payment posting and reconciliation, denial management and appeals, patient statement generation, and A/R follow-up reducing days in A/R and improving collections.

Clinical Documentation Clinical operations automation includes appointment reminder automation reducing no-shows, lab result delivery to patient portals, prescription refill automation, care gap identification for preventive care, HEDIS reporting for quality measures, and population health management workflows improving clinical outcomes and quality scores.

HIPAA Compliance Automation Healthcare-specific compliance automation includes breach risk assessment, minimum necessary access enforcement, audit logging for PHI access, business associate agreement tracking, patient consent management, and rights fulfillment (access, amendment, restriction requests) ensuring HIPAA compliance.

Manufacturing and Supply Chain Automation

Inventory Management Automation Manufacturers automate inventory processes including demand forecasting based on historical patterns, reorder point calculations, purchase order generation, supplier performance tracking, inventory level monitoring and alerts, cycle count scheduling, and obsolescence identification optimizing working capital and preventing stockouts.

Production Planning and Scheduling Manufacturing operations leverage automation for production scheduling optimization, capacity planning, material requirements planning (MRP), work order generation and routing, quality control data collection and analysis, equipment maintenance scheduling, and production reporting providing operational visibility.

Supply Chain Integration Supply chain automation includes EDI integration with suppliers and customers, advance ship notice (ASN) processing, 3PL integration for fulfillment, freight audit and payment automation, supplier portal automation, and supply chain event monitoring improving supply chain efficiency and responsiveness.

E-Commerce Automation

Multi-Channel Inventory Synchronization E-commerce sellers synchronize inventory across channels including Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Walmart Marketplace, Etsy, and others preventing overselling, automating pricing updates, managing product catalogs, synchronizing order status, and centralizing reporting across channels eliminating manual channel management.

Fulfillment Automation Order fulfillment automation includes order routing to warehouses or dropshippers, picking list generation, packing slip creation, shipping label generation and carrier selection based on cost and delivery time, tracking number updates to customers, inventory adjustment automation, and returns processing reducing fulfillment costs and improving delivery times.

Customer Service Automation E-commerce customer service automation includes order status inquiry automation, return and refund processing, product recommendation engines, abandoned cart recovery sequences, review request automation, customer segmentation for targeted marketing, and chatbot integration providing 24/7 customer support.

Python Automation Technology Stack

Core Python Technologies

Python Libraries and Frameworks Our automation leverages comprehensive Python ecosystem including Pandas for data manipulation and analysis, NumPy for numerical computing, Requests for HTTP requests and API integration, Beautiful Soup and Scrapy for web scraping, SQLAlchemy for database access, Celery for asynchronous task processing, FastAPI/Flask for API development, Airflow for workflow orchestration, and PyPDF2/ReportLab for PDF processing.

RPA Frameworks Robotic Process Automation frameworks extend Python automation including UiPath Python integration, Automation Anywhere Python SDK, Blue Prism Python integration, and open-source alternatives like Robot Framework and TagUI enabling both code-based and visual automation development.

Data Science and ML Integration Advanced automation incorporates machine learning using scikit-learn for predictive models, TensorFlow/PyTorch for deep learning, spaCy and NLTK for natural language processing, OpenCV for computer vision and image processing, and Prophet/statsmodels for time series forecasting adding intelligence to automation workflows.

Cloud Platform Integration

AWS Automation Services AWS-based automation leverages Lambda for serverless execution, Step Functions for workflow orchestration, EventBridge for event-driven automation, SQS/SNS for message-based workflows, S3 for file storage and processing triggers, RDS for database automation, and Comprehend/Textract for document processing creating scalable, cloud-native automation.

Azure Automation Microsoft Azure automation uses Azure Functions for serverless Python code, Logic Apps for workflow orchestration, Event Grid for event-driven patterns, Storage Accounts for file triggers, Azure SQL for database automation, and Cognitive Services for AI-powered document processing integrating seamlessly with Microsoft technology ecosystems.

Google Cloud Automation Google Cloud automation leverages Cloud Functions for serverless execution, Cloud Scheduler for scheduling, Pub/Sub for messaging, Cloud Storage for file processing, BigQuery for data warehouse automation, and Document AI for intelligent document processing supporting data-intensive automation scenarios.

Database and Data Storage

Relational Databases Python automation connects to enterprise databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, and cloud databases (AWS RDS, Azure SQL, Cloud SQL) using SQLAlchemy ORM or direct database drivers enabling complex data operations, transaction management, and bulk operations.

NoSQL Databases NoSQL database integration includes MongoDB for document storage, Redis for caching and session management, DynamoDB for serverless key-value storage, and Elasticsearch for search and log aggregation supporting diverse data models and scalability requirements.

Data Warehouses Analytics automation integrates with cloud data warehouses including Snowflake, Amazon Redshift, Google BigQuery, and Azure Synapse Analytics enabling large-scale data transformation, reporting automation, and business intelligence workflows.

Security and Compliance

Secrets Management Production automation requires secure credential management using AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, Google Secret Manager, HashiCorp Vault, or encrypted environment variables ensuring credentials never appear in code or logs maintaining security best practices.

Encryption and Data Protection Data security measures include encryption at rest using industry-standard algorithms, encryption in transit through HTTPS/TLS, data masking for sensitive information in logs, secure file transfer (SFTP, FTPS), and data retention policies supporting compliance requirements.

Audit Logging and Monitoring Comprehensive logging captures automation activity including execution logs, error logs, data change logs, access logs, and performance metrics. Integration with SIEM systems (Splunk, LogRhythm, QRadar) or cloud monitoring (CloudWatch, Application Insights, Cloud Logging) provides security visibility.

Pricing Models for Python Automation Projects

Fixed-Price Project Development

Simple Automation Projects Straightforward automation with clear requirements including single-system integration, basic data transformation, simple report generation, or standard web scraping. Typical price range: $3,000-$8,000 per automation. Timeline: 1-3 weeks.

Medium Complexity Projects Multi-system integration, moderate business logic, error handling, and monitoring including order processing automation, invoice processing, CRM integration, or compliance reporting. Typical price range: $8,000-$25,000 per project. Timeline: 3-8 weeks.

Complex Automation Solutions Enterprise-scale automation with multiple integrations, complex business rules, machine learning components, or extensive error handling including end-to-end process automation, intelligent document processing, or supply chain optimization. Typical price range: $25,000-$100,000+ per solution. Timeline: 8-20 weeks.

Hourly Development

Flexible Hourly Engagement For projects with evolving requirements, ongoing enhancement, or exploratory development, hourly billing provides flexibility.

Hourly Rate Ranges: - Junior Python Developer: $75-$125/hour - Mid-Level Python Developer: $100-$165/hour - Senior Python Developer: $140-$220/hour - Python Automation Architect: $175-$275/hour

Minimum engagement typically 20-40 hours for meaningful progress.

Retainer Models

Ongoing Automation Support Monthly retainer provides dedicated automation capacity for continuous improvement, maintenance, and new automation development.

Monthly Retainer Options: - Small Business Package: 20-40 hours/month, $4,000-$9,000/month - Mid-Market Package: 40-80 hours/month, $8,500-$17,000/month - Enterprise Package: 80-160 hours/month, $16,000-$32,000/month

Retainers provide cost savings (typically 10-20% vs. hourly rates) and priority support.

Revenue Share / Performance-Based Pricing

Risk-Sharing Arrangements For automation delivering measurable cost savings or revenue increases, performance-based pricing aligns incentives.

Common Models: - Cost Savings Share: 20-30% of documented cost savings over 12-24 months - Revenue Share: 5-15% of incremental revenue generated through automation - Hybrid: Reduced fixed fee plus performance bonuses

Performance-based pricing requires clear baselines, measurement methodologies, and contractual definitions of success metrics.

Implementation Process and Timeline

Discovery and Requirements (Week 1-2)

Initial discovery documents current manual processes through workflow observation, stakeholder interviews, pain point identification, volume analysis, system inventory, integration requirements assessment, and compliance requirements definition. Output includes detailed requirements document, process flow diagrams, integration architecture, and project proposal.

Design and Architecture (Week 2-3)

Architecture design phase includes solution design documentation, integration approach definition, error handling strategy, monitoring and logging design, security architecture, scalability planning, and development environment setup. Design review with stakeholders ensures alignment before development.

Development and Testing (Week 3-8+)

Development follows agile methodology with 1-2 week sprints including code development following best practices, unit testing for component validation, integration testing with actual systems, user acceptance testing with business stakeholders, performance testing for production loads, security testing, and documentation creation.

Deployment and Training (Week 8-10+)

Production deployment includes environment setup, data migration if necessary, production cutover, user training for any manual components, administrator training for monitoring and support, documentation delivery, and hypercare support during initial production period.

Support and Optimization (Ongoing)

Post-deployment support includes monitoring automation execution, issue resolution, performance optimization, enhancement implementation, and regular business reviews assessing ROI and identifying additional automation opportunities.

Success Stories from USA Companies

E-Commerce Company - Multi-Channel Automation

A rapidly growing e-commerce seller managing 15,000+ SKUs across Shopify, Amazon, Walmart, and eBay struggled with manual inventory management leading to overselling, stockouts, and 40+ hours weekly inventory reconciliation.

Automation Solution: Python automation synchronizing inventory levels across all channels in real-time, automated pricing updates based on competitor monitoring and margin rules, order consolidation, automated shipping label generation, and inventory forecasting.

Results Achieved: - 40 hours/week eliminated from manual inventory management ($80,000 annual savings) - Overselling incidents reduced 97% (from 45/month to 1-2/month) - Stockouts reduced 62% through better forecasting - Revenue increased 23% from better inventory availability - 6-week project timeline, $35,000 investment, ROI achieved in 5.5 months

Professional Services Firm - Billing Automation

A 150-person consulting firm spent 60+ hours monthly on timesheet collection, invoice generation, payment application, and client reporting creating billing delays and cash flow challenges.

Automation Solution: Integration between time tracking system (Harvest), project management (Asana), accounting (QuickBooks), and CRM (Salesforce) automating timesheet reminders, invoice generation with detailed project breakdowns, automated invoice delivery, payment tracking and receipt application, client reporting, and revenue recognition.

Results Achieved: - 60 hours/month administrative time savings ($42,000 annually) - Billing cycle reduced from 8 days to 2 days improving cash flow - Invoice errors reduced 89% improving client satisfaction - Days sales outstanding (DSO) reduced from 47 to 34 days - 8-week implementation, $28,000 investment, 8-month payback

Healthcare Provider - Claims Processing Automation

A medical practice group with 25 providers and 150,000 annual patient encounters faced claims processing backlog, high denial rates, and extended A/R days consuming significant staff time on manual rework.

Automation Solution: HIPAA-compliant automation including insurance eligibility verification before appointments, automated claim scrubbing against payer rules before submission, electronic claim submission, payment posting automation, denial categorization and routing, appeals automation for common denials, and A/R reporting.

Results Achieved: - Claim submission time reduced from 5 days to same-day - Clean claim rate improved from 78% to 94% - Denial rate reduced from 18% to 7% - Days in A/R reduced from 52 to 36 days (significant cash flow improvement) - 3 FTE staff reassigned from manual processing to patient care - 12-week implementation, $65,000 investment

Manufacturing Company - Production Reporting Automation

A manufacturer with 4 facilities produced 150+ daily production reports through manual data extraction from various systems, Excel manipulation, and email distribution consuming 25 staff hours daily while reports arrived hours after shift completion.

Automation Solution: Python automation extracting real-time production data from MES, ERP, and quality systems; calculating KPIs (OEE, yield, downtime categories); generating formatted Excel and PDF reports; automatic distribution to stakeholders; exception alerting; and interactive dashboards.

Results Achieved: - 25 staff hours daily eliminated (6,500 hours annually, $195,000 savings) - Reports delivered in real-time vs. 4-8 hour delay - Reporting errors eliminated improving decision-making confidence - Exception alerts enabling rapid issue response reducing downtime 12% - 10-week implementation across 4 facilities, $52,000 investment