Readers Speak Out
Author: Irv Rothenberg, CPA/PFS
Dec, 2008 Issue
There’s an old Chinese curse that says, “May your children live in interesting times.” Is it panic time? Has the world changed? Is this a new paradigm? I won’t pretend I can predict how this economic downturn will stack up against ones we’ve seen before. But I do have a few observations.
First, markets are, certainly, erratic—but they’re working. I believe they’re always moving toward equilibrium. For that to occur, prices have to be set, securities must be bought and sold, and trades clear. All that is happening pretty smoothly around the world, despite the anguish sellers are suffering with sharply lower prices. Markets often don’t get pricing right in the short run. That’s the nature of measurable risk. A few statistics might help.
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Columnist: Duane De Witt
Nov, 2008 Issue
As some North Bay counties and communities begin to feel a strong fiscal slowdown, there could actually be a silver “green” lining to the gray clouds on the economic horizon. Many cities in Sonoma County, for example, are facing financial turmoil, while land within their city limits may not be producing as much tax revenue as it could. For example, many areas where inner-city land uses have changed to less lucrative activities for the tax base there, now could be the chance to get that land up to a higher value—back “into play” as a realtor might say.
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Author: Ronit Rubinoff
Oct, 2008 Issue
Sonoma County nonprofits provide vital, life-saving, safety net services to low-income residents. As government funding for basic needs services like shelter, safety and food have diminished over the years, nonprofits have increasingly stepped in to fill this gap. Health and human service nonprofits run shelters for homeless families and battered women; and supply food to the hungry, counseling to the mentally ill, job training to the unemployed, and crisis legal services for victims of abuse.
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Author: Alicia Gousis
Sep, 2008 Issue
Human resources (HR) outsourcing has become one of the most popular administrative trends of the past decade. From payroll processing and health care benefits to retirement services and recruiting, there are many reasons to consider taking your HR function to an outside source—but not all HR outsourcing is the same, because when it comes to outsourcing various elements of HR on a piecemeal basis, there are a variety of choices.
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