As of March 31, 2021, the average nationwide salary for an independent financial advisor is $133,750. There is a big difference between the highest- and lowest-earning financial advisors by city and state.

• ► National average household income: $66,039
• ► Rank of New York with the most financial advisors (26,150): 1
• ► Number of registered investment advisors (RIAs) in the U.S. in 2019: 12,993
• ► Change from number in 2012: +10,511
• ► Age of average RIA: 51–55 years
• ► Percentage of RIAs who are women: 31
• ► Percentage who are Black: 5
• ► Number of RIAs who have earned Certified Financial Planner certification: 88,614

The COVID-19 lockdown accelerated the remote working trend, as social distancing made commuting and working in an office unworkable. 

• ► Percentage of U.S. employers with remote workers who report that productivity has remained the same or improved: 94
• ► Portion of U.S. remote employees who say they have been working harder than ever: 7/10
• ► Year-over-year increase in monthly in-home data usage March 1–17, 2020: 18%
• ► Increase in education app downloads March 2–16, 2020: 1,087%
• ► Percentage of jobs that require close contact and cannot be done remotely that are done by women: 77
• ► Percentage increase in the use of the phrase “technical difficulties” during corporate earnings calls: 310
• ► Percentage increase in the use of the phrase “You’re on mute”: 1,000

Starbucks celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2021. By any measure, it has become a sprawling coffee empire.   

• ► Date of the first store of what would become Starbucks: March 30, 1971
• ► Number of retail outlets Starbucks had on June 26, 1992, the day it was listed: 165
• ► Number of outlets it has today worldwide: 32,938
• ► Percentage of stores that are company-operated: 51
• ► IPO price in 1992: $17
• ► Current stock price: about $110 per share
• ► Approximate value today of $10,000 invested in Starbucks at its IPO price of $17: $4 million
• ► Total annual dividends paid based on Starbucks’ current quarterly dividend of 45 cents per share: $67,000

The world’s largest retailer is taking aggressive steps toward becoming a bank—starting with poaching two top consumer banking finance experts from Goldman Sachs.  

• ► Number of employees: 2.2 million
• ► Year founded: 1962
• ► Year Walmart went public: 1970
• ► Percentage of U.S. population with a Walmart store within 10 miles:  90
• ► Average number of annual visits to Walmart per person: 30
• ► Approximate value today of $10,000 invested in Walmart shares at its IPO price of $16.50 per share, after eleven 2-for-1 stock splits: over $176.5 million
• ► Total annual dividends paid at Walmart’s current dividend rate of 53 cents per share: $2.6 million

In 2001, Warren Buffett said the ratio of stock market capitalization-to-GDP is the best single measure of market valuations. The Buffett Indicator compares the size of the stock market to that of the economy. A high ratio indicates an overvalued market.

• ► Aggregate U.S. market value: $48.6 trillion
• ► Current quarter annualized GDP (estimate): $21.7 trillion
• ► The Buffett Indicator as of March 25, 2021: 223%
• ► Rank of this percentage among the highest ratios since the inception of the Buffett Indicator: 1
• ► Percentage of this ratio relative to historical averages: +88

Tesla has surpassed Toyota to become the most valuable automaker in the world by market capitalization.

• ► Multiple by which Tesla’s stock price increased in value over the past 12 months: 9.5
• ► Tesla’s valuation as a ratio of its revenue for the trailing 12 months: 17
• ► For Toyota: 0.6
• ► For Apple: 8
• ► Number of cars Tesla delivered in the 12 months ending March 31, 2021: 400,000
• ► For Toyota: 10.5 million

The COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the world’s ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) population, right?  Not even a little bit.

• ► Number of global UHNW individuals (defined as having a net worth of at least $30 million): 521,653
• ► Percentage change since a year ago: +2.4
• ► Number of UHNW individuals in the U.S.: 180,060
• ► Percentage increase in number of UHNW people in the U.S., 2015–2020: 16
• ► Percentage increase in China over same period: 137
• ► Percentage change in the United Kingdom: –8

The pandemic has accelerated changes that were happening before the lockdown. It sped up trends that were already increasing and slowed down trends that were slowing down.  

• ► Percentage of nonretired adults ages 50 and older who say they have delayed or might have to delay their retirement because of the coronavirus outbreak: 24
• ► Among nonretired adults, percentage who say that the economic impact of the pandemic will make it harder for them to achieve their financial goals: 51
• ► Percentage of upper-income adults who say their family’s financial situation improved in 2020: 30
• ► Number of the 50 largest U.S. companies that have turned a profit since the onset of the pandemic: 45
• ► Percentage of Americans aged 18 to 29 who live with one or both of their parents: 52
• ► Rank of this percentage among the highest recorded in the U.S.: 1
• ► Number of years by which U.S. life expectancy declined in 2020: 2
• ► Percentage of Americans who believe that 2021 will be better than 2020 for them personally: 44

The U.S. stock market, the largest in the world, amounts to almost $40 trillion. Who owns all these equities?