March, 2026: Fin & Econ 101

Knowing the factors and basics that drive our economy and financial markets can easily make you the smartest person in the room. Understanding that the US Economy and US Markets are very different animals impacted by different factors — which are not always correlated.

An economy consists of all of its transactions in all of its markets — it’s that simple.

The “Stock Market” is just one of the many ecosystems where transactions take place in an economy. We often use broad terms like “the market” to describe the performance of a collection of companies, sectors or exchanges, but it’s important to know what “market” someone is referencing in a conversation so you have a common baseline to discuss.

I was always taught if someone else said it better, then steal shamelessly. I encourage you to take some time away from doom scrolling throughout the day and watch these two videos below, that give an easy-to-understand view of our stock market and economy.