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The federal government requires the use of certain published interest rates to value various items used in estate planning, such as an income, annuity, or remainder interest in a trust. The government also specifies interest rates that a taxpayer may be deemed to use in connection with certain installment sales or intra-family loans. These rates…
September has historically been the worst month for stocks. Since 1896, the Dow Jones Industrial Average has lost 1.1% on average in September. No one really knows why, but some blame it on the mutual funds that close out their fiscal year this month. Others blame it on the Fed’s interest rate policies prior to…
On October 14, 2016, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will begin enforcing regulations adopted to help reduce the risk of investor “runs” on money market mutual funds. Vulnerabilities in the $3.8 trillion market came to light during the 2008 financial crisis.1 You may hardly notice when the new rules take effect. That’s because…
The central bank’s official dual mandate is to achieve full employment while maintaining price stability. These days it seems the Fed has an unspoken third mandate of not upsetting weak global economies. The European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of Japan (BOJ) are facing stagnating economies and the Fed has decided not to upset the…
The American version of Brexit hit Tuesday November 8th 2016 as voters confounded pollsters and pundits by electing the brash, celebrity billion Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. Although Trump lost the popular vote, he was able to secure the necessary 270 Electoral votes by winning key swing states like Florida,…
In October 2016, the IRS issued a reminder to employers and small-business owners of a new January 31 deadline for submitting Forms W-2 and certain Forms 1099-MISC to the Social Security Administration (SSA). The accelerated deadline, which was enacted as part of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act passed in late 2015, is designed…
The stock market kicked off March 1st with a new high in the Dow, S&P 500 and NASDAQ but has been losing steam the rest of the month. Since the presidential election, investor optimism has been driving stocks higher. In fact, a recent analysis by Bloomberg found that mom and pop investors have been a…
If your goal is to grow your Portland, Oregon company fast, you need a positive cash flow cycle or the ability to raise money at a feverish pace. Anything less and you will quickly grow yourself out of business. A positive cash flow cycle simply means you get paid before you have to pay others….
If you’re wondering what your business might be worth to an acquirer in Portland, there is a simple calculation you can use. Let’s call it “The Build vs. Buy Equation”. At some point, every acquirer does the math and calculates how much it would cost to re-create what you’ve built. If an acquirer figures they…
