In the 1960s, Dr. Seuss revolutionized the way young readers first learned English. In the 1970s, Carl Sagan and Isaac Asimov helped simplify the vast mysteries of science. Schoolhouse Rock taught us the particulars of the political process. Yet the societal need for fiscal literacy remains largely ignored, despite the mounting deficits and structural imbalances that are percolating under a seemingly calm financial surface.

HOOFY THE Bull and Boo the Bear.

In an effort to meet that need, I created Minyanville, an animated infotainment community where metaphorical critters serve as vehicles of fiscal literacy. I imagined that a measured mix of content, community and creativity would provide fresh flavor in a white-shoe world. With help from a determined team, I designed the characters, built a platform and, with the markets providing a daily script, prepared to lift the veil and tell the Wall Street tale. The result was a cast of fun–but educational–characters with distinct takes on the financial world: Hoofy the Bull, a bank president; Boo the Bear, a retired dot-com millionaire; Daisy the Cow, a practical teacher; Sammy the Snake, a wise bureaucrat; and Snapper the Turtle, the go-to guy.

My personal involvement with Wall Street began with the myopic motivation that the quickest way to make money was to stand near the cash register. I didn’t know much about Wall Street other than the fact that most financial professionals lived the type of lifestyle that we are conditioned to aspire to: expensive suits, fancy rides, snazzy shoes. I remember thinking that one day, that would be me. At whatever the cost and no matter what the sacrifice, that was where I wanted to be.

I got my first taste of the flickering ticks as a college intern at Morgan Stanley in London. I was verbally abused, physically drained, emotionally spent and, by the time I was done, completely sold. After I graduated in 1991, I found myself sitting on Morgan’s vaunted derivatives desk in New York. Over the next 10 years, I did what I had to do on the sell side, found my way to the buy side and became president of a $400 million hedge fund. Life was good, or so I thought, because I had the toys that society bestows on those with money. Forget for a moment all the time that vanished while I sat in front of my screens. There would be many more dinners with friends, plenty of opportunities to find a bride and countless hours to relax.

Fiscal Fitness Franchise
The autumn of 2001 planted seeds that profoundly changed my perception of reality. The 9/11 terrorist attacks shook my core as, from my window down the street, I watched the planes hit and people jump. I cannot say the horror was the genesis of my new beginning, however my perspective clearly shifted. I questioned the difference between having fun and being happy. Maybe I realized that net worth and self-worth are mutually independent. Whatever it was, a powerful energy brewed within, and it needed a home.

I eventually stepped down from my presidential perch to create Minyanville, which became that cyber town populated with those critter characters, striving to make sense of the market and explain it to others.

I have long maintained that a bull market and bear market coexist daily, with the residual grist dripping down to the front pages of tomorrow’s financial press. In a world where reasons are often assigned to the rhymes, a real-time assimilation of competing market forces–filtered through some of the brightest minds in the financial world–seemed like an intuitive framework for shared learning and the foundation for a fiscal fitness franchise.

The first to join the journey included a group of people who shared a vision for what financial information could and should be. They included a cast of creative thinkers such as Casey Cannon, who came out of George Lucas’ Industrial Light and Magic, and John Succo, the former head of derivatives at Lehman Brothers. That was the genesis of a community predicated on honesty, integrity and a common mission: to unveil the world of finance and make it approachable.

At first glance, the notion of serious financial discourse on an animated stage is a peculiar marriage. As the CEO of a large media outfit told me, combining the two is completely unconventional. I would argue that if it were conventional, somebody would have already done it. I would further assert that the need for shared and engaged learning has never been a more acute societal need.

The website, which is the first of several planned media applications, is home to the Minyanville library of archives and definitions, a virtual shopping mall for branded merchandise and a schoolhouse that will soon teach the basic tenets of finance to the decision makers of tomorrow. And, as philanthropy is at the core of our belief system, you will also find information on the Ruby Peck Foundation for Children’s Education, which I founded in memory of my grandfather, who was my best friend.

While our content is now geared to a sophisticated audience, this is merely the first application of a much broader vision. We currently feature Hoofy the Bull and Boo the Bear as informational conduits in a scrolling, real-time forum that we call Buzz & Banter. The next-generation application, currently in development, will bring the characters to life and deliver a more dynamic and engaging message.

Horton Hears a How
In an age when lightening rounds can pass as value-added financial commentary, there is no such thing as a quick fix. Being told what to do with your money without understanding how or why does more harm than good as we struggle to navigate an increasingly complex market.

Also, an abundance of available information, coupled with increasingly persistent disinformation, makes it difficult to maintain poise amid the noise. Our attention-deficit society has been overwhelmed with mixed messages from a media oligopoly that is focused more on advertising revenue and ratings than what is, in many cases, best for their audience. I’ve often opined that in the absence of water, people are so thirsty that they’ll drink the sand.

Imagine Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and Shrek rolled into a cohesive and scalable platform, providing valuable market insight with snarky humor and cunning wit.

Minyanville is designed to act as a filter for existing news flow and as a forum for idea generation and exchange. It has also evolved into a community of human capital, featuring market professionals who are very good at what they do, but even better at who they are.

While the creative texture brands the Minyanville content, the integrity of our message provides roots that have attracted some of the most respected minds on Wall Street. An example is Kevin Wassong, the founder and former CEO of JWT’s digital arm. He was so taken with our mission and the potential of this platform to transcend media channels that he resigned from his position last March to work with us.

By bridging the gap between entertainment and information, the once staid world of Wall Street will emerge with fresh flavor and newfound verve. Imagine Jon Stewart, Bill Maher and Shrek rolled into a cohesive and scalable platform, providing valuable market insight with snarky humor and cunning wit. That charm will allow these critters–and, more importantly, their valuable market insight–to step through the looking glass and appeal to the mainstream demographic, right down to young children.

The markets are far from easy, and the collective frustration will manifest itself in the years ahead as we digest the post-bubble imbalances. The ability to filter and absorb pertinent information while surrounding ourselves with a trusted network will dictate our performance and lay the groundwork for our children’s future. Perhaps Minyanville’s approach is entirely unconventional, but that’s all right. It may be just what we need as we edge through these particularly unconventional times.