In 2019, The SECURE Act changed the rules concerning distributions from pre-tax Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) inherited through beneficiary designation (a so-called “Beneficiary IRA”). As with many such changes to the tax rules, this new rule took time to dissect and fill in “best guesses” for how the new law...
In prior years, this column’s annual look at health care in the greater Tri-Cities has treated the sector as a business.On the basis of a key indicator in Benton-Franklin Trends that tracks employment by sector, we’ve pointed out that health care and social assistance in the two counties is now...
The new year always tends to usher in change and goalsetting.And it’s no different for us.We announced an ownership change at the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business, bidding farewell and well wishes to longtime Journal owner Melanie Hoefer on Dec. 30.Hoefer, the paper’s founder, sold the paper and stepped away...
The new year begins during a time of uncertainty and anxiety about the state of the economy, both nationally and at the state level.Inflation has been rising at worrying rates for the last year, driving up costs for consumers and employers. The Federal Reserve’s attempts to bring it under control...
In 2023 one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to an “all of the above” strategy to expand our energy options rather than restricting them.That strategy was incorporated in the 2005 Energy Policy Act signed into law by President George W. Bush. It was inclusive and...
Remember, we aren’t calling your plan for 2023 a “New Year’s Resolution.”You have made a bona fide strategic plan for your business or team, and you have established some clearly-defined, compelling objectives and goals to make that plan happen.But have you noticed that as soon as you get started on...
Couples are often wary to bring up the dreaded P word when discussing their nuptials.After all, who wants to ostensibly discuss a divorce and prenuptials when there is an impending marriage to consider.Oftentimes the desire to avoid the topic is rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of the use and benefit...
Recent population leaps in the greater Tri-City region show no signs of abating.That’s the takeaway from the demographers of the Washington Office of Financial Management (OFM). In its Growth Management (GMA) forecast released before Christmas, OFM now puts the likely total headcount of the two counties in 2025 at nearly...
The Tri-Cities is uniquely blessed when it comes to energy, and that makes it uniquely well positioned to become the regional, if not national, capital of clean energy development.It will take the community working together to knit its many assets into a new engine to fuel our economy, from research...
Despite higher prices, inflation and safety concerns, more Christmas shoppers are browsing online but making in-store purchases.The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported this year an estimated 166.3 million people visited stores from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, 8 million more than last year and the highest level since NRF began...
