By Samiha Khanna

Americans' personal financial satisfaction increased steadily throughout 2017, reaching a 24-year peak for the fourth quarter of 2017, according to the AICPA's Personal Financial Satisfaction Index (PFSi).

The PFSi is calculated as the difference between two subindexes: the Personal Financial Pleasure Index, which measures positive factors such as market gains and job opportunities, and the Personal Financial Pain Index, which weighs negative factors such as taxes and inflation. The PFSi has risen steadily for the past seven quarters. More...