Covidnomics Causes S&P 500's FAANGM Anomaly
(Wednesday, September 2, 2020) Your clients need to know why the stock market seems so different from the real-world economy. Fritz Meyer and Craig Israelsen are tracking the FAANGM phenomenon and their findings are summarized in this two-minute video.

Fritz and Craig analyze the stock market's top-heavy performance from very different perspectives and this video combines the key points from each of them to concisely explain "Covidnomics," which is a phrase we're coining to describe the anomalous financial economics of the Covid pandemic. 

To be sure, Covidnomics is characterized by anomalies in the savings rate, PCED, and retail sales, as well as in the S&P 500. 

It will be interesting to see if the term, Covidnomics" catches on, and this financial news analysis receives wider coverage.  A search of the term "Covidnomics," returns 18,800 results on Google at this moment, and it's not found on any major U.S. media outlets.  You heard it here first!           

Fritz Meyer: A Tale Of Two Economies
(Sunday, August 23, 2020)  Fritz Meyer draws a distinction between the S&P 500 and what's happening in the broad economy. It's a tale of two economies: coronavirus is crushing small businesses while the tech giants that dominate the S&P 500 are immune. That's just one of a long list of important points packed into this 10-minute market commentary for advisors, which also covers:

- Housing starts snap back in July
- LEI, GDP growth decelerating
- Tesla stock bubble
- Watershed in U.S. debt-to-GDP
- Why a full recovery is several years away
- Future of unemployment 
- U.S. is like Japan with better demographics
- Retail sales in July
- Stock market’s not the real economy!
- Small biz devasted amid FAANGM boom 

Covid Estate Planning For Advisor Clients

A class taught by estate planning expert Gideon Rothschild, a lawyer and CPA, inspired this two-minute video about the documents parents and grandparents need to know about now.

The pandemic is forcing people to contemplate mortality and this content is an example of a professional can diplomatically communicate sensitive personal financial topics using cartoons.

The use of video to communicate financial complexities has been our focus for over 20 years but this crisis has crystallized our use of cartoons.  

Behavioral Finance And Advisors 

The first class in a new series of instructional behavioral finance (BeFi) webinars on A4A inspired this video.

For investment fiduciaries, BeFi is perhaps the most important new development in the past decade for giving advice personalized to individuals. It's as important to the average American as it is to UHWNIs.

Since goal-based planning nearly 20 years ago changed the requirement for detailed up-front data-collection, which is needed to create cash-flow personal financial plans, the most important new contrtibution to financial planning and private wealth management has come from BeFi.        

Answers To Latest Financial Economics Questions From Advisors
Below are questions from advisors who attended Fritz Meyer's financial ecnomics CE class on August 11. The 29-minute video on the right contains Friit'z answers. We are grateful to A4A members for your attention and thoughtful questions.  

• (Kevin Brosious) Emerging markets have been on a tear last 3 months, +19%,. What do you attribute that to?
• (Kevin Brosious) Is the Dem vs Republican chart a bit misleading?  For example, the market pop after Trump was elected in November was credited to Obama.
• (Guy Cumbie) Energy outlook?
• (John Day) If there is no second stimulus, what will happen with the economy?
• (Ruth Delaney) Fritz, the stock market will probably chug along under any administration, but as an economist, what do you think a Biden administration would do for the economy (ie, GDP)?
• (Edward Fulbright) What do you think Trump's pulling out of World Health Organization will do?
• (Daniel Hawley) 32 MM unemployed, whole industries like hospitality, airlines and retail essentially are dead. And the recession is over? 
• (Michael McCall) I'm wondering causation or correlation when I see President returns. Also, returns happen because of or in spite of policy  changes.
• (William Pitney) Slide 21 US vs Foreign: Is this also market cap vs equal-weighted?
• (William Pitney) Slide 23:  Value stocks are in which sectors?

Class description: Investment Economics In The Covid Crisis