Past Event, 30 April 2009

The current economic crisis makes it extremely important to take precautions when doing investments; but there are opportunities, even in a down market. That was the message at a DACC hosted investment seminar with Union Bank of California in downtown Los Angeles.

Topic of the evening was how to navigate with investments in the current economic crisis. UnionBanc Investment Services and Nationwide Financial guided the audience through investment opportunities in the current climate. John Loder, Senior Financial Advisor at UnionBanc Investment Services, started by giving a market overview to point out what has happened so far and what to expect next.

Keep portfolio well-diversified

”Now what?” is the question that must be asked, according to John Loder.  2008 was a year for the record books, so he emphasized the importance of wariness and to play safe in the market, but also to keep the portfolio well-diversified. Even though the market is highly volatile, there are different ways to protect assets and grow investments at the same time. John Loder shared his investment ideas, including a description of fixed income investments and market linked CD’s.

On the agenda were also retirement investments presented by Jill Ravitz, Regional Vice President at Nationwide Financial. Deciding on the right strategy could be affected by a longevity risk, so make sure not to run out of money, she said.

John Loder and Jill Ravits reminded the audience of the good idea to seek counsel before making investment decisions.

Scandinavian American Cultural and Historical Foundation presents:

Scandinavian Festival 2009

Time: April 18-19, 2009

Location: California Lutheran University, 60 W Olsen Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91360

Come spend the day with your family and friends.  Both days of the Festival are filled with music, dancing, food, lectures, demonstration, vendors and activities for the young and old alike. The Viking Encampment will once again be present.

For more information: www.scandinaviancenter.org/scandinavian_festival/

Past Event, 30 March 2009

The economic crisis upon us calls for action, but what to do, how, and when, that were the major questions during a DACC hosted company presentation with PA Consulting in downtown Los Angeles. Topic of the evening was “Surviving and Thriving in the Economic Crisis”.

DACC members and guests met to analyze and discuss challenges and opportunities in the economy of today. The session opened with a presentation by Karl Peter Vilandt, Head of ERP Business Line in the US.

Karl Peter Vilandt made it clear that this is not business, or even recession as usual, the recession tends to be of a magnitude never seen before. The current economic crisis has already reached global proportions and is affecting corporate business and individual careers in an unprecedented manner.

Ahead of competition

“What can we do,” was the key question from Karl Peter Vilandt to the audience.  He stated that everyone needs to be proactive, assess and secure liquidity, even at some cost. Then look for opportunities, which will be huge for the liquid and bold. Karl Peter Vilandt highlighted that enterprises and entrepreneurs are forced to be innovative and to think in new ways to survive the constantly changing and worsening market conditions. Even in a crisis there are opportunities to be explored. According to Karl Peter Vilandt it is possible to gain market shares, and a crisis is a unique chance of getting ahead of the competition.

During a management workshop session Karl Peter Vilandt guided participants through a recession readiness assessment, with the aim of pin-pointing potential focus areas to secure liquidity and explore new market opportunities. The outcome was a good round table discussion about what makes winners and losers in a recession, but also how to act when being a Danish business leader in the U.S. Everyone seems to agree that being modest is not the right way to survive in a hard struggling business environment, yet Danish team values are still seen as an asset to bring along in business.

The workshop was followed by snacks and drinks for all participants and an opportunity for social networking.

If you would like to hear more about the topic “Surviving and Thriving in the Economic Crisis” please contact PA Consulting, Karl Peter Vilandt at karlpeter.vilandt@paconsulting.com.

International visitors to the U.S. from Visa Waiver Program countries are now required to apply for travel authorization online. Denmark is one of these countries. More information is available here:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/

On the 19th. of February the Danish government are dicussing and voting for a proposal on allowing Danes living abroad to be granted dual citizenship. On this webpage you can get more information about this very interesting proposal:
http://www.statsborger.dk/