Barran Liebman LLP Electronic Alert 1. IRS Relaxes Safe Harbor 401(k) Plan Restrictions 2. Union Pension Plans May Require Increased Employer Contributions 3. New Details on Obama’s Healthcare Proposal Three important developments require attention by employers sponsoring retirement and health plans for their employees.

Kathy Querin, PMAR Chief Executive Officer:  Portland, Ore. — If you’re thinking about purchasing your first home, have good credit, and can afford a mortgage payment, but have been sitting on the fence, wondering when to make your move, there are 8,000 reasons that may push you right off to […]

Oregon Small Business Association, The push for digital medical records, fueled by $19 billion from the federal stimulus package, would completely change the way doctors prescribe and practice medicine—by digitizing the entire medical record-keeping process.  Backers say such technology will cut costs and save lives.  But a growing body of […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting LLC, Today’s report on consumer confidence lends credence to economic forecasts that call for a recovery soon.

Credit Cards, Asymmetric Information and the Role of Government in Preventing Bad Choices By Patrick Emerson Oregon Economics Blog The new credit card (and guns) bill is about to be signed into law and it begs the question: what is the market failure that this government intervention is suppose to […]

Taxation Update: In an effort to pay for its increased spending the Obama Administration is going after corporate overseas earnings.  This could mean diminished competitiveness for U.S. companies operating overseas. Companies like Intel and Nike would suffer under new rules proposed by the Administration.  “The bottom line is they have […]

By Bill Conerly, Businomics, Conerly Consulting LLC, Take 20 minutes and watch this wonderful Ted Talk by Alex Tabarrok of George Mason University.  He’s a professor but he speaks English.  Much of what he says will be familiar to those of you who have heard my presentation, Freedom and Prosperity: […]

By Alyssa Williams, The Portland Business Alliance (PBA) traveled to China on a trade mission last month in part to hear from Oregon companies in China, investigate sustainability practices and tour the Port of Shanghai, one of the Port of Portland’s important trade partners.Over the nine-day mission, 29 individuals from […]

Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, See Chart here: According to the Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, surveyed April 1-14, small business owners’ optimism for the future rose for the first time since 2007. The “future expectations” (next 12 months) score rose nine points (to 10) while the “present situation” score […]