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PORTFOLIO DIVERSIFICATION – DOES IT STILL WORK? If you have over five years’ experience as an investor, you probably embrace the premise that portfolio diversification is important to long-term investment success. This premise is based on the historical experience that markets move in cycles, and certain asset classes will outperform others in different cycles. Given this … [Read more...] about Portfolio Diversification: Does It Still Work?

Results of a recent study ranking state and federal government Web sites by services provided led one Silver State newspaper to comment that Nevada is "part of the information dirt road." The state of Nevada did indeed perform poorly in this particular report, earning an overall ranking of 48th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia for Web services offered. Our state … [Read more...] about Growth Demands Improved Technology in State Government

The high-speed growth of Nevada’s economy has lasted so long that it has become a way of life. We’ve all nearly grown numb to the superlatives: the "fastest growing" this and the "biggest" that. However, there is a whole new segment of our economy that is emerging and setting its own records - the burgeoning community of Internet and information technology companies. The … [Read more...] about Nevada’s High-Tech Sector: Building a New Nevada

Venture capitalists are investors who provide capital in exchange for equity in a company, usually (but not always) a start-up firm. Venture capitalists are betting that their stake in the business will bring extraordinary returns within five to seven years, but since these are considered high-risk investments, they also require a large enough chunk of the company to make their … [Read more...] about Betting on Business: Venture Capital in Nevada

HealthSouth Corporation is the nation’s largest provider of ambulatory surgery, diagnostic imaging and rehabilitation healthcare services, with more than 2,000 locations in all 50 states, the United Kingdom, Australia and Puerto Rico. HealthSouth, which already operates 20 healthcare facilities in Southern Nevada, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for a rehabilitation … [Read more...] about HealthSouth Expands Nevada Presence

One effect of all the mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry during the past decade has been the proliferation of community banks, both in Nevada and across the country. According to congressional testimony given by former FDIC Acting Chairman Andrew C. Hove Jr., in 1998, 90 percent of the banks in the United States were community banks and they were being chartered … [Read more...] about Survival of the Fittest: Mergers and Acquisitions Build a Tough New Breed of Community Bank

What political issues really irritate you? Are you disgusted that people with money seem to win elections instead of people with principles? What issues do you think are being ignored by the government – fiscal responsibility, environmental threats, health issues, Social Security problems, or any number of other worthy causes? Do you wish the government would listen to what you … [Read more...] about Whining or Winning: The Choice is Yours

Employee benefits packages with a simple medical plan are becoming a thing of the past. These days, getting top-notch people to sign on and stay with a company takes a little wooing and a lot of creativity. Some companies use cash bonuses to attract talented people. Other organizations tout fringe benefits such as wellness programs, flex time and on-site day care. The Nevada … [Read more...] about Show Me the Money…and the Benefits: Strategies for Hiring and Keeping Employees

HMOs (Health Maintenance Organizations) have been around for decades. During the 1920s, physicians worked with the railroads and with farmers' cooperatives. Over time, more HMO-type organizations cropped up, usually organized by businesses and community groups trying to make health care available to their workers and members at lower costs. In 1954, Individual Practice … [Read more...] about Finding Their Niche: The State of HMOs in Nevada

Apathy - it’s a disease that affects voters around election time. There’s not a lot of research as to the cause, but the results are evident: a very tiny percentage of the population ends up making choices for everyone else. Voter apathy is something that politicians and those who run elections have dealt with for years. In fact, often it is something they count on. These … [Read more...] about Voter Apathy: Who Pays the Price?

Few would mistake Nevada for Hawaii. Yet, a vision of homes dotting the hillsides of Las Vegas, similar to the way homes nestle into the lush hillside mountains in Hawaii, led the way to what would become MacDonald Highlands, a new luxury golf course community in the hills overlooking Green Valley Ranch. Although from Nevada, "Mac" and Frances MacDonald lived in Hawaii for … [Read more...] about MacDonald Ranch: Family’s Vision Becomes Reality in Hillside Community

Manufacturing runs the economy, in Nevada and around the developed world. If it isn't grown or mined, it has to be manufactured. If it's grown, it was grown with manufactured products. If it was mined, it was mined with manufactured products and the results were put into more manufactured products. Just look around you - that phone didn't grow from a beanstalk; your desk was … [Read more...] about Making It In Nevada: Growing Industrial Segment Contributes to Nevada Economy

What can baby boomers who haven't saved enough -- or anything at all -- do to prepare for retirement? If you count yourself among the baby boomers who need to play catch up with their retirement savings, the Nevada Society of CPAs provides the following advice to get you started: Review the estimate of your projected social security benefits The Social Security … [Read more...] about Retiring Minds Want To Know: Quick-Start Retirement Tips for Baby Boomers

Experience has taught us that auto injury cases must be tried with the assumption that all jurors view themselves as experts because they all drive vehicles. The public (and professional) response to United States v. Microsoft Corp. D.D.C. No. 98-1232 (TPK) reflects a similar attitude. Because almost everyone uses Microsoft products, everyone seems to have an opinion on the … [Read more...] about U.S. versus Microsoft: Bill Gates Faces Judgment Day

The Business: MVP Sports, a store that sells sports memorabilia and collectibles and does custom framing. It is located at 2580 S. Decatur Blvd. in the Sahara Pavilion South shopping center. The Players: Bill and Joyce Cheverino, a couple who grew up in Las Vegas and worked in the resort industry before deciding to start their own business. The Background: Joyce Cheverino … [Read more...] about Perseverance and Positive Attitude: Spell Success for MVP Sports