There is now approximately $17 trillion of negative yielding bonds trading across the globe, mostly in Japan and some European markets. A bond’s yield is a single rate that combines a bond’s coupon payments and an amount to compensate the buyer for the time until the...

I attended a college football game with my husband and some friends last weekend.  So as not to get any football fans riled up, let’s call the opposing teams Team A and Team B.  Team A was the clear favorite and was favored to win by over 20 points.  Team B, however,...

Each fall, the CFNLA grants team works hard to intake, process, and review more than one hundred competitive grant applications during our two-stage application process (in 2019, we received 120 grant applications). As grantmaking is one of the key roles of the...

Since inception, the Foundation has granted over $80 million to nonprofit organizations. In 2019, through the two-stage Competitive Grant Process, the Foundation considered 120 grant applications, reviewing audits or financial compilations, and whether programs are...

One of the surprises of the current economic cycle that began in early 2009 has been the lack of inflation. Economists worry about inflation levels because it erodes consumers’ purchasing power. Economic theory has long believed that as unemployment falls, inflation...

Since 2005, the Women’s Philanthropy Network has granted over $1.1 million to effective educational programs in our area. The WPN is a fund of the Community Foundation.  Its members are dedicated to studying the issues that children face in our community and...

I am often asked by younger members of the community how they can get involved in philanthropy without making a substantial financial commitment.  My go-to answers are: 1) educate yourself about your community, and 2) volunteer. One simple and easy way to educate...

In 2016, over 35% of families with children under 5 years of age in Shreveport-Bossier were in poverty. That same year, the percentage of persons ages 25 and over in poverty was 81.2% for those with less than a bachelor’s degree, versus 6% for those with a bachelor’s...