This too shall end.
The number nerds at the American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) note that market volatility has taken a bite out of Americans’ personal financial satisfaction.
For the first time in seven quarters, its Personal Financial Satisfaction Index (PFSi), a gauge of individual’s overall market confidence, declined. It also ends a five-quarter run of consecutive record highs.
“The unfavorable fourth quarter wiped out 24 percent of the index’s gains from the three prior 2018 quarters,” AICPA said. “This is only the fourth time the index has decreased since climbing from an all-time low of -42.0, set in Q3 2011. Even with the decline, the PFSi is still very solidly in positive territory, and relatively close to recent record highs.”
How it’s calculated
The PFSi is calculated as the Personal Financial Pleasure Index (Pleasure Index) minus the Personal Financial Pain Index (Pain Index), with positive readings signaling that Americans are feeling more financial pleasure than pain.
“The recent stock market decline is a good reminder to focus on the long-term goals of your financial plan, and don’t let yourself be influenced by the prevailing financial winds,” Dave Stolz, CPA/PFS and member of the American Institute of CPAs’ PFS Credential Committee, said in a statement. “Even with the recent market turbulence, economic conditions overall in the US remain strong.”
The Q4 2018 PFSi measured 30.9, a 1.4-point (4.4 percent) decrease from the prior quarter, the second largest quarterly decrease to the PFSi in seven years (behind only the 2.1-point drop in Q1 2017). The decrease was due to a 4.1-point decline in the Pleasure Index outweighing a slight boost from a 2.6-point decrease in the Pain Index (a decline in the Pain Index improves the PFSi overall).
Job openings are now the largest contributor to financial pleasure for the first time in more than eight years, according to the organization.
With more than 20 years serving financial markets, John Sullivan is the former editor-in-chief of Investment Advisor magazine and retirement editor of ThinkAdvisor.com. Sullivan is also the former editor of Boomer Market Advisor and Bank Advisor magazines, and has a background in the insurance and investment industries in addition to his journalism roots.