What does the Georgia Senate race mean for real estate?
As Georgia flipped Democratic, treasury rates jumped to their highest since March. Why? What does this mean for interest rates and in turn real estate in both the short term and long term?
Economy/Politics
Steel deal showcases Pueblo’s solar prowess
The mill will produce the 200-meter ribbons of rail preferred by railroads. That decision wasn’t a given. Other states, especially those with abundant low-priced hydroelectricity, made a hard run. How Pueblo won says much about the evolving nature of the economy of Pueblo and that of Colorado. Prominent is the solar farm, the largest east of the Rocky Mountains when the deal was announced. It will provide about 90% of the electricity for the mill.
Is millet the next quinoa?
Millet thrives on the Eastern Plains. Farmers grew it on 320,000 acres in Colorado – or about 1% of the state's farmland – in 2019, with a harvest of more than 11 million bushels, or $61 million.
It’s time for the Colorado legislature to amend its corporations law
The Colorado General Assembly can remedy this problem by amending Colorado corporations law to allow for administrative dissolution of corporations, rather than continuing to require the attorney general to file a lawsuit for judicial dissolution if an entity obtains its articles of incorporation through fraud.
Colorado stimulus plan to provide relief for small businesses
The passage of the state’s economic stimulus package during this week’s special legislative session includes direct financial assistance for eligible small businesses.
Why unity begins with “Made in USA”
History shows that our strategic resilience and the large segment of Americans who prefer to buy what’s made in the USA. mean that we’ll regain our momentum.
How the election impacted Colorado real estate taxes
It has been quite the election cycle with lots of ups and down. One thing is certain, Colorado voters were in a spending mood which will result in Colorado property owners paying a lot more in taxes on everything, especially in Denver County. What does this mean for Colorado real estate?
Drivers are in demand
The job of commercial driver, with a median advertised annual salary of $70,016, led all job postings in Colorado in the last week of July. Check out the top 10 most-posted job openings and median advertised salaries compiled by EMSI.
Colorado’s low residential property taxes – c’est la vie
Both the Colorado Senate and House voted overwhelmingly in favor of placing Gallagher in front of voters. Democrats are concerned about likely declines in school funding, and Republicans are concerned about decreased funding for local governments, especially fire and hospital districts in rural areas. Will voters respond like their elected representatives given changing Gallagher will likely lead to residential property taxes trending upwards with future home price appreciation?
Going above and beyond PPP loans
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) has provided important and much needed financial support to businesses challenged by the financial impact of COVID-19 but that is not all that businesses need to adapt and recover. In Castle Rock, it became a priority for local leaders to find ways to help sustain the town’s businesses and overall economy.
Will American innovation come in a post-pandemic environment?
Federal investments in R&D have helped companies make our lives better, different, and more fun. In upcoming years, as the pace of innovation increases and dynamic companies sidelined by COVID-19 ramp back up, we will see companies spring forward with a pipeline of innovation.
Many U.S. CEOs remain confident despite challenging environment
Among top executives at companies with more than $500 million in annual revenue, 60 percent were more optimistic now than the start of the year about their three-year prospects. As much as COVID-19 changed how people work and how organizations invest in technology, companies are re-assessing their values and purpose. CEOs also are placing a greater emphasis on employee engagement and corporate culture in this new working reality.
The Potential Household Fiscal Cliff
What happens when the stimulus stops? Clearly, there is a potential for households to see a significant drop in incomes, an increase in delinquencies and reduced job security–all of which leads to a potential household fiscal cliff.
What to do when unemployment benefits expire
The money from the CARES Act has provided a much-needed lifeline to the tens of millions of Americans who have found themselves unemployed due to COVID-19. While new additional aid may come as a result of the executive memorandum signed by the President earlier this month, it won’t be available indefinitely, which begs the question: What do you do when your unemployment benefits are drastically reduced or eliminated?
Learning New Skills for the New Normal
Nobody knows what the job market will look like in the aftermath of the coronavirus, but if you find yourself recently unemployed, now might be a good time to reconsider your education, especially if you have a clear goal in sight and can achieve your goal without incurring too much debt.
The Economist: Holding my breath through protests, riots and looting
As we learn from the history of protesting in the U.S. and in Colorado, we must develop better institutional mechanisms for community engagement. Otherwise, the only alternatives to violence are peaceful protests and political action with broader participation.
Want to work from home? The state can help
The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment kicked off an improvement to the Connecting Colorado jobs platform that turns out to be a hidden gem during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Opinion: The message we should have the courage to carry
This past week, Denver joined cities around the country in protesting police brutality in response to the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. In troubled and divided times, the president and CEO of the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce shares her call to action and message of hope.
How the world could better handle black swan events in the future
Success in the modern world requires a clear and rehearsed national and global plan of action. Unfortunately, despite warnings from people like President G.W. Bush in 2005, Bill Gates in 2015 and many health experts around the world, our response to this black swan has been to bury our collective head in the sand.
It's time to embrace the changing world of economic development
The focus in economic development appears to be shifting. It’s not jobs per se that set off the economic development dynamic. It’s putting more money in peoples’ pockets, especially after taxes and housing costs. In some cases, this may be better-paying jobs, and in other cases, it might be part-time earnings or health benefits.
The rationale for focusing on manufacturing growth in Colorado
Education, infrastructure development, economic incentives and sensible regulation will all play a part in helping manufacturing businesses grow and thrive in Colorado.
The politics of the BLM's relocation to the West
For years, Westerners have struggled with the notion that policy decisions that impact them so squarely is mandated to them from unelected, career bureaucrats in Washington DC, more than 1,500 miles away.
The coronavirus and your investments: What you need to know
There isn’t day that goes by now that you don’t hear about the continuing spread of the coronavirus and the markets, of course, are reacting to this bad news. As an investor, what are you supposed to do? Sell everything and park your cash in treasury bills or ride things out and hope things get better soon?
What you should know about cybersecurity in the upcoming election
If you were feeling confident that the United States government and its states’ governments were prepared for the 2020 presidential elections, then the Iowa caucus on Feb. 3, 2020 might have upset your sense of ease. Their election problems stemmed from the one area we need to focus more on — technology.
