Knight Kiplinger, a Nationally Recognized Business Forecaster, Provided Washington, DC Business Leaders a Look of What's Ahead for the U.S. and Local Economies

Kiplinger's Speech is Available for Viewing via Archived Webcast

VIENNA, VA, February 22, 2005 – ExecutiveBiz, the only e-magazine that covers the Greater Washington DC business community, today announced the availability of a Webcast of the Potomac Officers Club's February 17th event. The event's headline speaker was Knight Kiplinger, a nationally recognized economic forecaster and editor in chief of The Kiplinger Letter and Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine.

The Potomac Officers Club, a leading CXO business organization, hosts monthly luncheons for its members that feature headline speakers. Past headliners include Bob Dole, Charles Schwab, Jim Kimsey, Governor Warner, and Craig McCaw. At the February luncheon, which was sponsored by Russell Reynolds Associates, Kiplinger discussed both the U.S. and local economic outlook for 2005 and the upcoming trends affecting business costs and personal investments.

"Knight Kiplinger was an impressive and dynamic speaker, who captivated the audience by providing the right mix of valuable insight and humor," said Jim Garrettson, founder and president of the Potomac Officers Club. "During his speech, Knight Kiplinger showcased his knowledge of and foresight into a variety of economic topics and issues, validating his reputation as a leading economic forecaster."

Excerpts from Kiplinger's speech include:

• On the U.S. economy – "I used to describe the U.S. economy as the Timex watch of the world economy. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking."
• On interest rates -- "On the bad news side, interest rates have been rising and will continue to rise. The Fed will continue to jack up short-term rates."
• On taxes -- "Taxes are a very mixed bet. The President would like to cut taxes further. That's not in the cards. The President would like to make permanent all of the 2003 tax cuts. There is enough nervousness on Capitol Hill about the budget deficit that Congress is not going to give him permanency on those provisions of the 2003 bill."
• More on taxes -- "We are going to see a certain clarifying, and in effect raising, of certain taxes on telephone bills."
• On the President's promise to cut the budget deficit in half over the next four years -- "Forget it. It can't be done."
• On personal investing --"Bonds are going to have a lackluster year or two as interest rates gradually rise. I think over a long period of time, stocks are the place you should be."

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ExecutiveBiz was launched in 2002 as the official newsletter of the Potomac Officers Club (www.potomacofficersclub.com) the fastest-growing CXO organization in the Greater Washington Area. Today, ExecutiveBiz is a weekly digital magazine that covers the Greater Washington DC business community. ExecutiveBiz is widely recognized for its insightful content and inside access to well-known business leaders. ExecutiveBiz goes to close to 30,000 business executives, estimated at 76 percent director/VP level or above; and 57 percent are C-level executives.