The Richland Ruritans met on Oct. 9 at Calvary Methodist Church and heard an informative presentation from fellow Ruritan, James P. Tate, on the current economic situation. Tate also outlined potential pitfalls that may be on the financial horizon based on the fiscal and monetary environment we face. Tate is a Personal Financial Advisor and Registered Representative with Investors Financial Advisors in Roanoke, VA. He said the US economy has been recovering from the financial crisis of 2008. Stocks have rebounded enough to erase the losses of that recession. Yet investors are nervous about the state of the national and the international economies. The presentation and following discussion covered the Federal Reserve actions, the fiscal policies resulting from the stalemate in Congress and the recession in Europe. The slide presentation showed the slow improvement in the labor market and the surprising improvement in American manufacturing over the past four years. However, the slowdown in the Chinese economy and the recession in Europe have had a negative impact on the American economy. Of particular interest was the effect on the stock and bond markets from the remarks made by Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke in May. The Richlands Ruritan club meets on the second Wednesday of each month for a dinner meeting at the Calvary Methodist Church on Route 60W. The Ruritan Civic organization is a national network of clubs working together for a stronger America. The Ruritan focus is to support community services in small towns and rural communities across America. The Ruritans were founded in 1928 in Holland, VA, and celebrated their 85th year this May.
