Read Time: 2 min 35 sec | Listen to Podcast

BREWING QUESTIONS

WHAT YOU’RE ASKING

What is a stock?

It’s a slice of ownership in a company.

Imagine a fruit company (we’ll call it Apple) needs money to grow. Apple could take out debt, or it could sell stock. If they go the loan route, they have to repay it with interest. If they sell stock, the new stock owner is entitled to a share of future profits.

Example: If there are 100 shares of Apple stock and you own 1, then you own 1% of Apple. That means if Apple distributes $100 in profit (called a dividend) to owners, you’d receive $1.

So what’s the stock market?
It’s a market… but for stocks! At a farmers’ market, you can buy apples and venison; at the stock market, you can buy stock in Apple and John Deere.

When people say “the stock market is up/down,” they’re typically referring to the price of three set bundles of stocks:

• The S&P 500 tracks the 500 largest publicly-traded U.S. companies

• The Dow Jones is the oldest stock index, tracking 30 well-known successful companies (see list)

• The Nasdaq tracks 3,000+ companies, mostly tech companies

So if you invest in the S&P 500, in one transaction, you’re getting ownership in 500 stocks like Apple, Nvidia, Google, Walmart, Exxon, Visa, etc.

What makes the market go up or down?
Investor expectations.

If investors think companies will make more money, they’re willing to pay more to own a slice, and vice versa. If Apple announces they expect to sell waaay more apples next year, stock will rise. News of a war or other major uncertainty will generally cause the stock prices of all companies to go down.

Is the stock market the same as the economy?
No.

The economy refers to actual activity happening right now: jobs, wages, spending, production, etc. The stock market is pricing investor expectations about the future. They’re related, but different.

Still have questions? Today’s TPO Explains on YouTube defines more key terms (IPO, bears/bulls/Battlestar Galactica), explains illegal ways to manipulate the market, and more. Find the link in the Take It To Go section below. 

___

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE
Whether your portfolio is booming, tumbling, or nonexistent, remember: you won’t bring your earthly treasures to heaven. Stewarding money well is important, but keep your focus on the Giver rather than the gifts. 

“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” 
2 Corinthians 8:9 (CSB) (read full passage)

FROM OUR PARTNERS 🤠

Healthy Aging in Plain Sight Open Water

Do you know where the latest aging discovery came from? Nope, not a Silicon Valley lab. It came from the ocean!

Veterinarians caring for aging Navy dolphins noticed something interesting: higher levels of a foundational nutrient C15:0, led to the healthiest dolphins. Cue a decade of research and 100+ peer-reviewed studies, and now researchers know the same is true for humans. 

Fatty15 is a pure C15:0 supplement that strengthens cell membranes against age-related breakdown, delivering 36+ cellular benefits that support metabolic, cognitive, liver, immune, and red blood cell health. Tack on 60+ patents, 6k+ 5-star reviews, and 30+ awards, and, well… Fatty15 speaks for itself. 

Listen to the dolphins. Use code POUROVER to save 15%.

Curious how we choose sponsors?  Learn more  |  Advertise with us

WHAT YOU’LL ENJOY

Solving this week’s mini crossword.

Maybe the coolest pool trick shot ever…

Homegrown, raised, and rendered tallow products. Started by TPO Reader Aimee D., Flower Creek Farm makes small-batch, all-natural, non-toxic skincare from tallow, honey milk, and botanicals from her very own farm and neighboring farms. Treat yourself today!*

*This is a free promo for a TPO-reader-owned small biz. Have your own small business you want us to know about? Fill out this form!

WHAT YOU’VE BEAN CLICKING…

Top News Article: This video of astronaut Christina Koch’s vestibular system re-learning how to gravity.

Top Christian Perspective: A prayer for healing, originally shared after the shooting in Shreveport, Louisiana. Download and save the prayer here. 

Top Whipped Cream: Why is watching this road sign get cleaned so soothing?

WHAT WE’RE RECOMMENDING

How I Start Every Morning
With AG1*

Spring is springing, which means more activity, trips, and eating out. But I’m not missing a bit thanks to how much better I feel when I have my AG1 first thing. It’s a 20-second habit I never regret that starts me off on the right foot and helps me feel better all day. 

AG1 packs 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole-food ingredients into one daily scoop that supports my energy, gut, and immune health, even when everything else is shifting. 

Try for yourself! TPO readers get a FREE AG1 Flavor Sampler and Vitamin D3+K2 added to your first subscription Welcome Kit (while supplies last)!

Emily Hansen | Partnerships Manager

WHAT WE’RE PRAYING

A Prayer of Petition and Thanksgiving

God who Gives, provide for us as we trust Your goodness to supply every need.  Teach us to seek Your kingdom and Your righteousness  when we feel our financial control slipping. Incline our hearts to radical generosity in view of Your mercy, whether our storehouses are overflowing or down to the very last reserves.

Thank You for the unearned, generous, lavish riches we have in Christ. Thank You for gifting us with every spiritual blessing in Him—for adoption into Your family; for forgiveness that makes us clean and whole; for Your indwelling presence; for faith that’s more valuable than gold; for certain hope that suffering and death are a fleeting shadow; for abundant, eternal life. While we—Your children—wait for our inheritance, teach us to walk in Your ways so that our family likeness is unmistakable.

LEARN WITH US

Each week, we do the deep shallow dive so that you don’t have to—not only for this email, but we sit down in the office and talk about it, too. Check out this week’s episode of TPO Explains! Just click on the episode below.

(You’ll still get our M/W/F news)