POCATELLO - Following the election, and with recent economic problems many people are wondering what's going to happen to the financial world. In Pocatello today they got some answers.

The goal of the economic forecast meeting is to help financial experts, and community leaders get a better idea of what has caused all of the recent problems and how Southeast Idaho is doing. Jerry Wright, CEO United Potato Growers said, "There's a real reason for optimism here."

One main reason to be happy is that Idaho's economy is doing well compared to the rest of the country.

Financial experts attribute that to Idahoan values. Dr. Kenneth Mayland, President of ClearView Economics, LLC said, "As a result of that [Idaho] avoided the extremes that are associated with foreclosures that you did in fact see in places like California and Florida."

One area that has seen a decline is agriculture, but farmers growing staple items like potatos should be just fine. Wright said, "I think they're in a really good position from inventories, and from a pricing standpoint to fare well in this economy."

Speakers reminded everyone that recessions do eventually come to an end.

They recommend looking for things like stocks becoming more stable, and fewer unemployment claims to know things are improving. Bruce McCain, Ph.D., KeyBank Investment Strategist said, "Invest when the time is right, because there won't be a bell, the headlines won't be good. You need to invest when it's time to invest."

They're also looking for people to put less money into savings accounts. Mayland said, "The only reason people would lower their personal savings rate is because they feel confident enough about the economy to consume a little bit more out of their current income."

While it may be a good sign for the economy, people spending extra money may not be something that happens overnight. Wright said, "I think we all look at ourselves and we're just being cautious about what we spend."

KeyBank decided to hold the conference today to help people in the area get an in-depth look at the state of economy and where things will be heading next year.