1st Security Bank of Washington
www.1stsecurityofwa.com
(800) 683-0973

• Poulsbo — 21650 NW Market Pl. — (360) 779-4488

Alaska USA Federal Credit Union
www.alaskausa.org
(360) 876-0119

• Port Orchard — 3355 Bethel Rd SE
  
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Not long ago, the Federal Reserve announced that it plans to keep short-term interest rates near zero until late 2014. The Fed initially pushed rates to that level in 2008, in an effort to stimulate economic growth. Clearly, low interest rates have a wide-ranging impact — but what effect will they have on you, as an individual investor?

If you need income from your investments, then the continuation of ultra-low interest rates may be a matter of some concern, particularly if you own certain types of fixed-income investments, such as certificates of deposit. While CDs are insured, offer return of principal at maturity and provide regular interest payments, they are not risk-free. read more »

The Western Union Co. recently launched WU Pay, a new electronic payments platform that the company said will significantly improve the customer experience and safety for millions of people seeking to make online payments or transfer money.

The new WU Pay platform allows online shoppers in the United States to pay for purchases from their existing bank accounts or in cash at Western Union agent locations. WU Pay is based on the eBillme platform, which Western Union acquired in October 2011. read more »

A bill changing credit union lending limits was expected to come to the U.S. Senate floor in April. The Small Business Lending Enhancement Act (S. 2231) would increase the business lending cap for credit unions from 12.25 percent of their total assets to 27.5 percent.

The bill is opposed by bankers, who say the change would mean a major loss of revenue-generating loans for tax-paying community banks. Supporters say the cap increase could bring billions of dollars in new capital for small businesses and create as many as 140,000 jobs in the first year. read more »

At Easter dinner, we were talking about how much things cost, namely healthcare. My good friend and mentor, Dean, had recently told me he purchased his first home for $12,000. Then my father-in-law chimed in and said their next door neighbor recently purchased a new sewing machine for $10,000. We all kind of chuckled and made comments like, “I wonder if you can drive that sewing machine to work?”

Isn’t it crazy to think how the purchasing power of the dollar has lost ground in the last 40 years? The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has an inflation calculator, and when I ran the calculator it said $10,000 in 1970 had the same purchasing power as $58,676 in 2012. read more »

In a typical week, Soks Martz spends as many as 20 hours on community service work, in addition to working full time and running a farm with her husband — a self-sustaining farm with about 130 animals from pigs to cows.

Her main activity outside of work is running the Christmas in the Country annual self-guided arts and crafts tour on Bainbridge Island, and she’s also involved with Relay for Life, Kitsap Arts and Crafts and other organizations.

“I allocate time (to volunteering) every day after work,” said Martz, who is a branch office administrator for Edward Jones Investments in Kingston. “I go home and my day is just starting. I also commit my weekends to community work.” read more »

Declan Krafsky is only 11 years old, but he already understands the ups and downs of the stock market. The sixth-grader, who is homeschooled, saved up $80 from birthdays and odd jobs and a year ago invested it into Intel stock. He has reinvested the money continuously, and figured he probably made a few dollars. Now, he’s considering whether to invest another $100 he has saved up.

“I don’t like spending money that much,” he said. “If I save enough, maybe I can get through college, start doing something and then retire early.”

Declan was partially inspired to invest money by his grandmother, who purchased $50 worth of stock when she was young and by the time she remembered about it, the stocks were worth $10,000, he said. read more »

Small business owners rely on many forms of financing to assist with opening their businesses and to fund ongoing growth. Typical financing requirements include: working capital, equipment and other short-term fixed asset needs, as well as major capital expenditures like buildings and tenant improvements.

While the majority of new businesses are self-financed, there are a variety of other funding methods. Primarily, these funding sources come either in the form of debt (loans) or equity (stock). Numerous financing sources exist including: relatives, friends, hard money lenders, capital finance intermediaries, angel investors, and banks. The most popular of these are relatives and friends. However, taking money from people you know can come with many strings attached. Therefore, quite often, other alternatives are sought. read more »

Craig and Wendy Gurney have been in business for five years, providing tile installation service. Their Poulsbo business, Gurney’s Tile Work, has done well despite being a startup in a downturn — so well, in fact, that the couple decided last year to expand by opening a showroom.

“The timing was good. We felt like if we didn’t do it, somebody else was going to capitalize on it,” Craig Gurney said. read more »