
Conferences that Count
4 rules for ensuring people keep coming back
Look, no one has time for a bad conference. I personally attend many and miss even more. On most occasions, I’m coming off a busy day in the office during which I only accomplished about half of my to-do list, and I find myself watching with increasing anxiety as the number in that little red dot hovering angrily over my mail app climbs higher.

What’s for Dinner?
Ann Evans, a founder of the Davis Farmers Market, updates her cookbook
The Davis Farmers Market was founded in 1976 by a group of residents that included Ann Evans, local author, publisher and consultant. She’s still involved with the market today and wants to inspire more people to shop and cook seasonally.

Keeping the Doors Open
Wind Youth Center is able to continue their mission in the homeless teen community thanks to local donors
It was as close to a miracle as you can get. Just when all hope seemed lost for Wind Youth Services, the only homeless teen shelter in Sacramento, a financially-solvent fairy godmother swooped in to save the day.

Lasting Vessel
Jeff Pettigrew prepares the inside padding of a casket at Pettigrew & Sons Casket Co., a family-run business in Sacramento founded by the late Fay Pettigrew, who is Jeff’s grandfather.

California Finds Wells Fargo Absence Doesn’t Dent Demand
California Treasurer John Chiang’s decision to ban Wells Fargo & Co. from underwriting state debt isn’t interfering with demand for the securities of the municipal market’s biggest issuer.

In Whom We Trust
A new federal rule is about to shake up the business of retirement financial advice
For a sense of how fungible the label “financial adviser” has become, talk to Mike Chamberlain of Chamberlain Financial Planning & Wealth Management, which has an office in Sacramento. “’Financial services industry’ is a very broad term,” he says, “and I don’t like being included in it.

It Takes a Village
California’s education foundations connect communities to their schools
With California’s public school finance system undergoing dramatic changes in recent years, some public school districts now rely more on education foundations to supplement the districts’ budgets for traditionally school-funded resources and enrichment programs.

CalPERS Braces for Lower Returns in ‘Most Challenging Market’
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the largest U.S. public pension fund, is ratcheting down expected investment gains over the next decade as low interest rates and a gloomier stock market depress returns.

Balancing the Stage
The Roseville Theatre Arts Academy balances artistic license with financial ability
“Balancing the stage” is a common theater term. It refers to the arranging of the actors and set in a strategic way to produce a desired effect. A director can create a feeling of order or of chaos with the choices they make. For the audience, balance is crucial — a stage that lacks balance will pull focus and distract from the story the company needs to tell.