Seattle Boat Show at Shilshole Bay Marina returns

August 6-9, 2009

Show Hours
Weekdays:
Noon - 8 pm
Saturday:
10 am - 8 pm
Sunday:
10 am - 6 pm

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Financial Report: Adding style to your Stock Investment Strategy

If you’re just getting your feet wet in the world of investing, stocks may seem to be the best way to get started. While Financial Advisors will likely suggest that a certain portion of your portfolio contain stocks, it is important to realize that there are two primary styles of stock investing — value and growth.

At any given time, one style or the other may be the best bet for you. Oddly enough, at times you may even be better off employing both styles. Even if you start off with one style, changes in your lifestyle or the market may lead you to make a switch to the other or use both styles at once.

Value Investing
Value investing involves choosing stocks that may have an unappreciated potential — those that may not be the most popular in the market at the moment but that have sound fundamentals and might be poised for a turnaround. Value investing involves searching for a company that appears to have a good financial future, but that the market either doubts or has not yet noticed. It includes buying stock in these companies before the market fully recognizes them, and then waiting for the market to see their true value.

To help identify a value stock, look for some of these characteristics:

• Value stocks generally trade below their intrinsic value (private market value per-share). In other words, their stock price does not reflect what the company actually would be worth if all its assets were sold.
• Value stocks often have higher dividend yields. These companies can be more oriented toward paying a dividend rather than reinvesting for growth.
• Value stocks may have hidden value such as land, assets, property, patents or other investments that investors may overlook.
• Value stocks often have a lower growth rate than growth stocks.
• Value stocks may be more sensitive to the economy than growth stocks. An improving economy may spur higher earnings and drive up a value stock’s price. Thus, value stocks often outperform growth stocks early in an economic cycle.

Growth Investing
Growth investing focuses on stocks that experience faster-than-average growth and are expected to continue such positive trends. Past performance, however, is no indication of future results.

When deciding whether a certain stock is a growth stock, you may want to look for the following characteristics:

• A growth stock usually shows higher revenue and earnings growth potential relative to its industry.
• Growth stocks are often industry leaders in sales and profits and often have the highest price-to-earnings ratios.
• Growth stocks usually have low or non-existent dividend yields because the profits are generally reinvested back into the company as opposed to being paid out as dividends.
• Growth stocks’ earnings often compare best when the overall economy’s growth begins to slow. Thus, growth stocks have tended to outperform value stocks later in the economic cycle.

Before deciding on what style is best suited for you, and to avoid some of the volatility any particular investment may offer, you may want to use a more defensive technique by combining both these types of investments. This strategy would allow you to capture blended returns with blended risk. Your Financial Advisor will also be able to help you decide the best investment style for your needs.

The accuracy and completeness of this article are not guaranteed. The opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Wells Fargo Advisors / Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network or its affiliates. The material is distributed solely for information purposes and is not a solicitation or an offer to buy any security or instrument or to participate in any trading strategy.

This article was written by Wells Fargo Advisors and provided courtesy of David Fitch, Associate Vice President - Investments, in Seattle at (425) 451-4905.

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State raises license fees

Washington fishers and hunters will soon see several changes in recreational license fees, approved by the 2009 Legislature to help maintain state fishing and hunting opportunities.

Those changes, which include a temporary surcharge on fishing and hunting licenses, will help offset a $30 million cutback in state funding for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said Joe Stohr, the department’s deputy director.

“While looking for ways to balance the budget, state lawmakers recognized that maintaining fishing and hunting opportunities costs money,” Stohr said. “They also recognize that those activities are an important part of our state’s economy.”

In all, the new fees approved by the Legislature are expected to raise $11 million for fish and wildlife management over the next two years, Stohr said. Those revenues will help WDFW meet key management responsibilities, such as monitoring fish and wildlife populations, collecting harvest data and enforcing fish and wildlife laws.

Changes in license fees include:

Two-year surcharge: A temporary, 10 percent surcharge on sales of recreational licenses, permits, tags, stamps and raffle tickets. The surcharge takes effect July 26, and will be in place until June 30, 2011. Authorized by House Bill 1778, it is the first across-the-board recreational license fee increase in more than a decade.

Two-pole option: A new license option allowing anglers to use two fishing poles in specific waters for an additional, annual fee of $20 ($5 for resident seniors). The two-pole option, authorized by House Bill 1778, will generate revenue for hatchery fish production. The two-pole option will be available after state rules are adopted designating waters where two fishing poles will be allowed.

Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead endorsement pilot program: A new $7.50 annual fee for adult anglers who fish the Columbia River and its tributaries for salmon and steelhead. Authorized by Senate Bill 5421, the fee will take effect next year and be in place through 2014. The Columbia River Recreational Salmon and Steelhead Pilot Program, which is exempt from the new two-year surcharge, will provide funding to maintain and improve salmon and steelhead fishing opportunities in the Columbia River. The funds will support fishery data collection and evaluation, as well as enforcement and related activities. WDFW is convening a citizen advisory board to help guide the pilot program.

Pheasant permits: A fee increase for western Washington pheasant hunting permits, beginning July 26. Adopted under House Bill 1778 to maintain pheasant production for westside release sites, the increase will raise permit fees to $35 for youth, $75 for resident adults and $150 for non-resident adults. A separate small game license will no longer be required to hunt pheasants in Western Washington, but it will still be required to hunt other small game species such as waterfowl and quail. License requirements and permits for hunting pheasants in eastern Washington are not affected by this initiative.

Stohr noted that none of the new fees are reflected in this year’s fishing or big-game hunting pamphlets, which were printed before the Legislature took action. All of the licenses and permits will also be subject to existing dealers’ fees and transaction fees, which help offset the cost of the permitting process.

In addition to legislative initiatives, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission approved a measure at its July 10-11 meeting in Olympia that authorizes license dealers to begin charging a 50-cent handling fee for each migratory-bird permit they issue. WDFW currently mails out those permits, but plans to move to point-of-sale distribution by license dealers starting Sept. 1.

The new process is expected to save WDFW $20,000 per year in staff time and mailing costs, while also expediting the receipt of hunter reports used in managing the harvest of brant, snow geese and other migratory birds.

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Private boat sales grow, dealer sales continue to lag

New boat sales in Washington State continued to fall, while boats sold privately rebounded in the first sign of significant growth in more than a year, according to 2nd Quarter data recently released by the University of Washington Sea Grant program and the Department of Licensing (DOL).

New boats sold by dealers dropped 33 precent during the quarter after 640 fewer units were sold during the period. The decline represents a drop of more than $26M in sales for dealers in the state compared to the 2nd quarter in 2008. This follows a 1st quarter drop of 57 percent fewer units sold.

Dealers in Washington have not seen an increase in new boat sales since the 2nd Quarter of 2007.

Used boats sold privately saw a dramatic rise during the quarter with an uptick of 20 percent or 1,648 more boats. The used/private sales category is by far the largest source of sales in the state in any quarter. It represents 62 percent of all boats sold during the second quarter.

Overall, combined new and used boat sales were up 10 percent for the quarter compared to 2008. Despite the increase in units, the dollar value of the total boat sales was down 15 percent or $27M.

For complete sales information, including quarterly and annual comparisons, visit the Members Only section of www.NMTA.net.

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NMTA announces ABYC Training Calendar

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ADVERTISING SPACE AVAILABLE...
Want to advertise to 850 NMTA members?
Want to increase your exposure in the marine industry?

The Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA) is the oldest and largest regional boating trade organization in the nation, representing the interests of approximately 850 member companies.

Water Life is the monthly member newsletter with a circulation of 1,000. The newsletter contains timely information for NMTA members on association news and events, industry data and reports. Target professionals in the Pacific Northwest’s boating industry through advertising in Water Life.

SPECIFICATIONS
All ads must be delivered electronically by the 15th of each month in the following format: PDF, JPG or TIF. There is a $20 design fee if your ad needs to be created or altered by NMTA staff. All ad space is black & white.

Inserts: Delivery of 1,100 copies of any insert must be delivered on the 15th of each month. We do not accept digital copies. Color paper is accepted. Inserted fliers should be created on a laser printer or professionally printed. Ink jet is not accepted. Postal regulation require that no mailing permits are allowed on your insert.

To reserve your Ad Space or for questions, Contact John Thorburn at (206) 634-0911 or john@nmta.net.

ADVERTISING RATES:

Insert page, 8.5” x 11” MEMBER RATE: $350 NON-MEMBER RATE: $400
Full Page, 7.5” x 9.5” MEMBER RATE: $250 NON-MEMBER RATE: $300
1/2 Vertical Page, 3.65” x 9.5” MEMBER RATE: $140 NON-MEMBER RATE: $190
1/2 Horizontal Page, 7.5” x 4.75” MEMBER RATE: $140 NON-MEMBER RATE: $190
1/4 Vertical Page, 3.65 x 4.75” MEMBER RATE: $75 NON-MEMBER RATE: $125
1/4 Horizontal Page, 7.5” x 2.38” MEMBER RATE: $75 NON-MEMBER RATE: $125
1/8 Page, 3.65” x 2.38” MEMBER RATE: $40 NON-MEMBER RATE: $90
E-newsletter Banner, 170 pxl x 350 pxl MEMBER RATE: $200 NON-MEMBER RATE: $250

NOTE: Receive a 10% discount when you reserve ad space for 3 months or more!

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