While there are still peaks and valleys in the overall economic picture, today some good news abounds stateside. The US economy added 103,000 jobs in December 2010, dropping the overall unemployment rate to 9.4 percent. While that fell short of some forecasts, it’s still the lowest jobless rate in 19 months. Private employers actually added a net total of 113,000 jobs last month, but that was offset slightly by the government eliminating 10,000. Read More +

Well 2010 is officially in the books and 2011 underway, so what do we have to look forward to in the upcoming year and beyond? With the recent economic woes and alternating reports every single week saying we’re either on our way to a full recovery or that we should prepare to be mired in recession for years to come, the economy has to be front of mind for everyone. With that in mind, the Oregonian recently talked to four distinctly different people in the local financial industry: a socially conscientious investor (Leslie E. Christian of Portfolio 21), a financial planner (Shawn Koch, Koch Financial Partners), a bond expert (Keen Satchwell, Becker Capital Management), a community banker (Robert J. Rockwell, CCB Financial Services; Clackamas County Bank), and a fund manager (Jeff Auxier, Auxier Focus Fund). Each used their unique perspective to forecast the investing environment and 2011 in general, with the result being a rather interesting (and not too long) read. Read More +

It looks like Bend’s largest locally based bank, Cascade Bancorp, will survive the recent economic woes plaguing much of Oregon’s financial industry, and in fact it may be a harbinger of good things to come. Cascade Bancorp has suffered from a shortage of capital in light of the recent housing market collapse, but the sale of more than 87% of its common stock, which will raise about $177 million, now makes it one of the nation’s most well-financed community banks. Read More +