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Game not over for J&J: Johnson & Johnson may still beat rival in fight for Guidant

December 12, 2005

Boston Scientific Corp. earned instant front-runner status in the bidding war for Guidant Corp. when it unveiled a $25 billion offer on Dec. 5 that trumped a Johnson & Johnson proposal by more than $3 billion. However, market watchers say, J&J can regain the lead simply by counterpunching with a comparable offer. They say the immense New Jersey-based conglomerate offers more stability and is the better long-term option for Guidant shareholders who want to hold onto the buyer’s stock after…

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: King for a day on fixing the property-tax system

January 2, 2006

Well, I’ve finally been caught. Despite my best efforts to appear decisive and get straight to the point, one of my readers accused me of being just another equivocating, twoarmed economist in a recent column I wrote on taxes. You know the type. On the one hand this, and on the other hand that, never sticking their necks out and reaching a conclusion. That person will be back in this space this week, doing his best to pretend not to…

2006: Making Indianapolis a family affair:

January 2, 2006

What’s the most pressing issue facing Indianapolis now and in the future? Depending on a pundit’s passion, answers can range from maintaining a professional sports team to supporting the cultural and arts community, from improving the quality of public schools and parks to making affordable housing available, from low taxes to a state-of-the art public mass transit system. Yet each of these areas, while they may reflect an interest group’s unwavering and at times irrational fixation, taken at face value…

From FFA to DNA: Businesses view convention as more than a gathering of corn growers

January 16, 2006

Don’t call it the Future Farmers of America. That went out of style with pastel suits and parachute pants. The organization is now known as the FFA. And it’s no longer just a gathering of crop jockeys. The change in moniker partly illustrates why business leaders are so excited for the first of at least seven annual conventions the organization will stage in the Circle City starting in late October. “FFA is a premier, if not the premier, youth organization…

Standard stock sinks close to crucial mark: As shares hover around $1, company launches effort to raise $25 million

February 20, 2006

Standard Management Corp. shares are sliding into a dangerous price range as the Indianapolis-based company tries to raise $25 million to continue growing its health-services business. The stock price dipped briefly below $1 earlier this month in NASDAQ trading. It rebounded to close at $1.17 Feb. 10 before slipping back to $1 Feb. 15. NASDAQ imposes a $1 minimum bid price for shares to continue trading on its exchange. Market watchers say Standard is in no danger of suddenly being…

Federal farm lending could shrivel under latest budget: Banking associations oppose proposed fee increases

March 13, 2006

Brent Kerns likes to compare the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s lending program to that of the Small Business Administration’s. In short, the USDA helps farmers the way the SBA assists small-business owners. But if a proposal to cut the budget of the farm loan program is approved, it could become as expensive to use as the SBA’s offering. Supporters fear a hike in user fees would hurt those who need the money the most. “That cost goes straight to the…

INVESTING: The rise of derivatives: an innovation to cheer, not fear

March 13, 2006

After I read about a new futures contract at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange that allows traders to place hedges on snowfall amounts in various areas, my first reaction was, that’s cool. I am a geek about my business, and I love the way the industry is constantly innovating. The weather contract is called a derivative, and I can remember not too long ago a lot of people were worried about derivatives. A derivative is a contract whose price is dependent…

Breaking the glass ceiling: Despite gains, commercial real estate field still dominated by men

March 13, 2006

As a business student at IUPUI in the late 1980s, Jill M. Herron worked part-time as a leasing agent for a commercial real estate company to earn extra money. She had no idea that her parttime job would turn into a lifetime career. “I fell into it by accident,” Herron said. “But I found I liked the diversity of the job, the opportunity to meet different types of people and the challenges of meeting a client’s goals.” Now a vice…

Forum Credit Union buys health-care consultant: Financial institution beefing up commercial services

March 13, 2006

Forum Credit Union, central Indiana’s largest credit union, has acquired Indianapolis-based health-care consulting firm Health Care Economics Inc. And banks are piping mad about it. “It’s part of our effort to meet the needs of what our members have been asking us to do,” said Andrew Mattingly, senior vice president of strategy and marketing for Fishers-based Forum. “They want to put all of their finances together [at one institution].” Health Care Economics primarily serves as a business consultant to medical…

You can take it to the bank: Financial experts say state’s economy is rising, merger mania isn’t over and regulatory laws could take a toll

March 13, 2006

On Feb. 24, IBJ Publisher Chris Katterjohn, Managing Editor Greg Andrews and banking reporter Matt Kish sat down with four leaders from Indianapolis’ banking and finance sector: Judith Ripley, director of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions; Kit Stolen, CEO of Union Federal Bank of Indianapolis; Steve Beck, president and CEO of the Indiana Venture Center; and Keith Slifer, senior vice president of LaSalle Bank. Among the topics of conversation: How’s the state’s economy doing? Are more bank mergers on…

COMPEN$ATION CLASH: Complexity boosts not-for-profit pay, but should work be its own reward?

April 10, 2006

At least two large Indianapolis not-for-profits have been investigated-and cleared-as part of an Internal Revenue Service examination of compensation practices at tax-exempt organizations. Preliminary results of the nationwide inquiry aren’t expected until fall, but the scrutiny already has increased the volume in an ongoing debate over how not-for-profit executives should be paid. Some observers have called for setting limits on not-for-profit compensation, citing the charitable nature of the work. Others insist sixor seven-figure pay packages are not out of line…

Paid boards spur not-for-profit debate: Critics: If directors won’t give time, who will?

April 17, 2006

Indianapolis-based USA Funds is a large, complex organization, and members of its governing board are busy people. Same goes for the NCAA, another local not-for-profit with a national reach, a nine-figure budget and directors who are anything but professional volunteers. The two organizations have one key difference, though: USA Funds pays its board members. The NCAA does not. “It’s simply the nature of the world,” said Norm Lefstein, an Indiana University law professor who chairs the compensation committee at student-loan…

Banks enroll to help educators: As Indiana falls behind, financial literacy programs blossom

May 15, 2006

Their answer: a need. As in, one cannot exist without food, shelter and a $175 pair of sneakers. While the marketing folks at Nike would smile at the association, it makes personal finance experts like Avery cringe. They say it’s another example of an alarming level of financial ignorance that has allowed nationwide consumer debt to zoom past $2 trillion. And the pain is especially acute in Indiana. “You don’t have to look far beyond the bankruptcy and foreclosure statistics…

Money manager launches own firm: Former SBK-Brooks exec opens Liger Securities

May 15, 2006

If David B. Girton isn’t already regarded as an innovator in the local investment brokerage community, he should be now. The 45-year-old Indianapolis native is in the process of launching Liger Securities Corp., the only locally owned black investment firm in the city. But 10 years ago, he accomplished a similar first, when he opened the local office of Cleveland-based SBK-Brooks Investment Corp., then the only black-operated brokerage here. Make no mistake, though, Girton’s credentials far outweigh his designation as…

Good banking relationship can help business:

May 29, 2006

Capital is the lifeblood of any business. But fresh infusions of money are particularly important for startup and small businesses, since they often can’t fund new equipment, employees or facilities out of their cash reserves or profits. The top three sources of new capital for small business are owner’s equity (33 percent) bank loans (20 percent) and trade credit (15 percent). Let’s focus on bank loans and simple ways that small-business owners can improve their chances of getting a loan…

Women MD numbers soar: Title IX passage in 1970 credited with spurring educational opportunities

June 12, 2006

When Colleen Brown graduated from the Indiana University School of Medicine in May, she was part of a class making history. For the first time, the medical school was graduating more women physicians than men-131 and 128, respectively. Since 1970, there has been a 10-fold increase in the number of women physicians, according to a February 2006 study by the American Medical Association. In 1970, only 25,404 women graduated in the United States in all medical specialties. By 2004, the…

Knowledge is Power: Women need to be active participants in planning for a secure financial future

July 10, 2006

Women need to be active participants in planning for a secure financial future When Elaine E. Bedel started her practice as a certified financial planner nearly 30 years ago, she and her colleagues spent most of their time educating clients on the basics of developing an overall strategy for their financial future. Up until then, the typical retirement revolved around employer pensions and maybe a few outside investments. And most clients were men. It was typical for the husband to handle…

Mass transit’s catch? Paying for it

July 17, 2006

The idea of rapid transit is popular locally, but there’s no consensus on how to finance it. For construction alone, it would cost at least $546 million for suburban express bus service up to $1.4 billion for an "automated guideway" system similar to a monorail. And that's for only one corridor.

City Securities buys lender in bid to reach new markets

July 24, 2006

City Securities Corp., one of the largest investment firms based in Indiana, has purchased Columbus, Ohio-based ReCasa Financial Group LLC, a specialty lender focused on rehabs of dilapidated houses.

With ‘dark days’ behind it, Conner Prairie gets back to business

July 31, 2006

In the 2-1/2 years following a 2003 overhaul of Conner Prairie management orchestrated by Earlham College, the Hamilton County attraction was mired in uncertainty over its future and an increasingly bleak financial outlook. Now the skies are brightening.

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Articles

Game not over for J&J: Johnson & Johnson may still beat rival in fight for Guidant

ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: King for a day on fixing the property-tax system

2006: Making Indianapolis a family affair:

From FFA to DNA: Businesses view convention as more than a gathering of corn growers

Standard stock sinks close to crucial mark: As shares hover around $1, company launches effort to raise $25 million

Federal farm lending could shrivel under latest budget: Banking associations oppose proposed fee increases

INVESTING: The rise of derivatives: an innovation to cheer, not fear

Breaking the glass ceiling: Despite gains, commercial real estate field still dominated by men

Forum Credit Union buys health-care consultant: Financial institution beefing up commercial services

You can take it to the bank: Financial experts say state’s economy is rising, merger mania isn’t over and regulatory laws could take a toll

COMPEN$ATION CLASH: Complexity boosts not-for-profit pay, but should work be its own reward?

Paid boards spur not-for-profit debate: Critics: If directors won’t give time, who will?

Banks enroll to help educators: As Indiana falls behind, financial literacy programs blossom

Money manager launches own firm: Former SBK-Brooks exec opens Liger Securities

Good banking relationship can help business:

Women MD numbers soar: Title IX passage in 1970 credited with spurring educational opportunities

Knowledge is Power: Women need to be active participants in planning for a secure financial future

Mass transit’s catch? Paying for it

City Securities buys lender in bid to reach new markets

With ‘dark days’ behind it, Conner Prairie gets back to business