COLUMNISTS

Another victim of economic dip: commercial real estate finance

by Ken Griggs @ 11/20/08 04:00 AM PST

Column by Ken Griggs
In recent months, the economy has been at the forefront of Americans’ minds. Stock market volatility, the residential sub-prime mortgage crisis, job losses, and lowered consumer spending have all received considerable attention.
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Broker’s brain isn’t hooked up right

by Malcom Berko @ 11/19/08 04:00 AM PST

Taking Stock by Malcom Berko
Dear Mr. Berko: My broker has recommended that I buy 1,500 shares of 99 Cents Only Stores and 300 shares of Portfolio Recovery Associates and that I sell 100 shares of Ralcorp Holdings, 100 shares of Johnson & Johnson and 300 shares of General Electric to pay for the purchase. Please advise.
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Putting target-date retirement funds to work

by Linda Stern @ 11/19/08 04:00 AM PST

Personal Finance by Linda Stern
During the last few years, financial firms have developed mutual funds aimed at retirement savers who want to put their plans on autopilot. These target-date retirement funds are funds of funds.
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Competitions attract tomorrow’s tech leaders

by Deb Mumm-Hill @ 11/18/08 04:00 AM PST

Commentary by Deb Mumm-Hill
Big-time arenas, high-energy rock ’n roll, fever-pitch competition. Carefully planned strategies, screaming fans, frazzled nerves. What’s going on? Why, we’re building tomorrow’s technology workforce, of course!
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Marquam Hill bridge opens in 1992

by Theresa McKinlay @ 11/18/08 04:00 AM PST

DJC Archives by Theresa McKinlay
This month we look back at events of November 1992, when a 660-foot-long pedestrian bridge opened and Portland City Council formally approved development agreements for a new arena for the Portland Trail Blazers.
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Can you hear me now? Verizon is a better call

by Malcolm Berko @ 11/17/08 04:00 AM PST

Taking Stock by Malcolm Berko
Dear Mr. Berko: I'm considering the purchase of either 200 shares of MetroPCS Communications Inc. or 100 shares of Verizon Communications Inc. I'm 45 and this investment will be in my Roth independent retirement account, which you advised me to set up several years ago because the money won't be taxed when it comes out. Anyhow, I need your help on making this selection. MetroPCS seems to be a more aggressive company but Verizon seems to be a more stable company. I want to choose the best issue. I'm also thinking about buying 200 shares of Sprint in our joint account as a gamble because, at $3.50 a share, I think it might be under-priced. What do you think of this idea?
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Technology is architecture's worst enemy

by Arrol Gellner @ 11/17/08 04:00 AM PST

Architext by Arrol Gellner
In the days of laborious handcrafting, before the Industrial Revolution, a personal touch such as carving or engraving was a hallmark of extraordinary quality. Yet with the advent of mass production in the mid-19th century, automated machinery could replicate the most elaborate decoration at nominal cost, whether for a piece of furniture or an entire house.
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Not all municipal bonds are built the same

by Malcolm Berko @ 11/14/08 04:00 AM PST

Taking Stock by Malcolm Berko
Dear Mr. Berko: I'm thinking about building a municipal bond portfolio. I'll be retiring next year and probably have more current income and money than I'll ever need. I'm not bragging. I just had more luck than any man is supposed to have and I'm thankful for it. So I contribute a lot of money each year to various charities and do it quietly. Now I want to invest a lot of money in tax-free bonds because I'm certain that my personal taxes will increase significantly in the next few years. While I can afford to pay much more, common sense asks: "Why should I, if I can legitimately avoid doing so?" I'd much rather reduce the amount I pay every year and make up for it by donating more money to charities I choose than contribute to the government's coffers only to see the money doled out for things I don't approve and to people who have been given opportunity but eschew responsibility. I've never been in the stock market and it's probably a good time to do so, but I'm neither greedy nor a gambler. So I have decided to build a portfolio of municipals to give me a solid, tax-free income. My daughter, who lives in Delray Beach, Fla., sent me an advertisement for a Miami-Dade County, Fla., Special Obligation Convertible Compounded Accreted Bond, which is insured. The bond will cost $600 per $1,000. Please tell me about this bond and what you think. I would invest in 100 of them for $40,000 profit at maturity in 22 years.
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Potential traps for construction lien claimants

by Laurie Hager @ 11/14/08 04:00 AM PST

Law by Laurie Hager
Anyone familiar with Oregon's construction lien statutes knows that there are many deadlines and hoops to jump through in order to protect a claimant's construction lien rights. There are two statutory deadlines that may be unfamiliar to many lien claimants, because they are not invoked often. If you work in the construction industry and must protect lien rights on occasion, you should be aware of these rules.
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Do Oregon's land-use policies work?

by Edward Sullivan and Carrie Richter @ 11/13/08 04:00 AM PST

Oregon Land Use by Edward Sullivan and Carrie Richter
The legislature established, funded and evaluated the Oregon Land Use Program's Big Look Task Force. It also engaged the Oregon University System to review the effectiveness of selected statewide planning goals to determine whether they have achieved expectations. The task force was already halfway through its four-year term, so all that could be accomplished, given the time constraints, was for OUS to review academic literature on the Oregon program. The results were somewhat surprising.
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