Portland's Real Estate Market Increases in December of 2016 Portland Real Estate ended on a high note in 2016 according to fresh dataThe Index The Case-Shiller Index is the product of researchers Karl Case and Robert Shiller. The data in the index is maintained by Standard and Poor's (aka "S&P"), calculated from are repeat-sales house prices [...]
Benchmark Annualized Market Returns 2017 Investment Annuity presents 2016's market returns for stocks, bonds, Real Estate, and International marketsThe Data We've taken a look at market return totals for the last year, and we want to share them here today. We wanted to make this information available to our long-term annuity investors, as our work [...]
Oregon Economy Grows in Latter Half of 2016 New BEA data shows Oregon growing slightly faster than the national average into Q3 of 2016 The Data The U.S. Bureau of Economics (BEA) tracks and reports the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of each state quarterly. Investors and economists are probably more concerned with the percentage that [...]
Is Art an Investment? We take a look at a frequently asked question from an investor's perspectiveThe Idea "So, is art really an investment?" It's a question we get all of the time. As a financial planning firm with roots in Bohemian leaning Portland, Oregon, it makes sense that local investors would have this in mind. [...]
Student & Car Loans Expand Again in 2016 Car and student debt have expanded since 2010, continuing their growth trend into 2017The Index Car and student loans are interesting because they represent substantial family balance sheet debts that aside from mortgages and credit card debt. A home mortgage can actually be a leveraged investment in [...]
Our Top Imports from Our Largest Trade Partners With talks of "tariffs" and trade deals, we look at the top imports from our largest trade partnersThe Data Discussions of policy have ramped up in economic and finance circles as a new administration has begun in the United States. While taxes and regulatory regime are often [...]
Portland, Oregon Real Estate Continues Expansion Portland Real Estate outperformed National Real Estate once again in November of 2016 according to the latest data from Standard & Poor'sThe Index The Case-Shiller Index is the product of researchers Karl Case and Robert Shiller. The data in the index is maintained by Standard and Poor's (aka "S&P"), [...]
United States Economic Growth Lower than Expected in Late 2016 The reported 1.9% increase was a modest increase, falling short of consensus expectations in the 4th Quarter of 2016.The Index The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reports the crucial Gross Domestic Product (GDP) quarterly. The term "economic growth" often refers directly to this number. The [...]
Baltic Dry Index has Increased Substantially since January of 2016The Baltic Dry Shows Impressive Growth This time last year, investors were concerned about the health of the Baltic Dry Index. This year, it's showing strength.The Index The Baltic Dry Index is maintained by the Baltic Exchange. It measures the costs of shipping various raw materials [...]
South Dakota Surpasses Oregon in Moving StudyOregon No Longer Number 1 In Moving Study According to newly released data from United Van Lines, Oregon has slipped behind South Dakota & Vermont in inbound movesThe Study United Van Lines' annual study tracks customers’ state-to-state migration patterns over the past year. Oregon has been high on the [...]