Articles by Guest Contributor
Newhouse pledges to continue to be voice for ag
Central Washington is one of the most agriculturally rich and diverse regions in the United States. Since coming to Congress, I have had the honor of representing our agricultural producers, advocating for strong trade agreements and market protection measures, and securing the tools and resources our state needs to remain at the cutting edge of…
Winter windstorm is reminder of natural gas’ value
A windstorm swept through Washington last month, causing damage on both sides of the state. More than a half-million people lost power across the Puget Sound region when high winds ripped through after several days of rain, toppling trees in the waterlogged ground. In the Spokane region, at least two people were killed and some…
Don’t forget your dreams when you retire
Most retirees, or those nearing retirement, can count on one hand the number of times they’ve heard a financial advisor say, “Don’t forget to spend your money.” While it makes for a great column hook, it’s not quite what I’m advocating. Our profession is rightly focused on ensuring clients don’t outlive their money in a…
The Tri-Cities’ graying population will grow over next decade
The Tri-Cities have long been a youngster among state metro areas. With an estimated median age of 34.5 in 2019, the two counties sport the youngest population of all, except for Yakima County. Among counties, Franklin County currently claims the title of youngest, with an estimated median age in 2019 at 30.4. But youngsters get…
Spelling out beneficiary designations key to ensuring assets go to right place
One of the biggest areas that is often overlooked in an estate plan are the seemingly innocuous beneficiary designations tied to assets, like retirement accounts and life insurance. The beneficiary designation seems of limited importance – you just put down the names of the people who get the retirement account at death, right? The problem…
Let’s make Tri-City buildings safe for returning employees
With Washington now in another lockdown to reduce Covid-19 cases, I’m hearing questions from landlords and commercial building owners who want to take this time to make the indoor air safe for when they bring employees and customers back inside. Meanwhile health care, biotech, production and manufacturing businesses have remained open during the pandemic and…
Popular Tri-City vacation destination sees demand for high-end homes
By Virginia ThomasSpokane Journal of Business The luxury-home market is especially hot in the Spokane-Coeur d’Alene market due to what some agents say is a convergence of factors. They include a relatively low cost of living in the Inland Northwest, perceived safety from Covid-19 in more rural areas, an increase in remote work due to…
A message to the 2021 Legislature: First, do no harm
Ten months after the arrival of the coronavirus in Washington, the Legislature convened on Jan. 11 for a new session amid a pandemic that will shape every aspect of the session, from the way lawmakers conduct business (over computer screens instead of beneath the Capitol dome) to the issues they debate. There is cause for…
Empty office space hints at changes brought by Covid. Will it be permanent?
Now that vaccines are available, we hope our lives will return to the way they were before the coronavirus pandemic blanketed the globe. That is not likely to occur. Last March our booming economy was clobbered by Covid-19. A worldwide pandemic ensued. There was no vaccine to counter it and even though vaccines were developed…
Talking about death is hard but you can do it
In a pandemic and pretty much in life, people are dealing with grief at some level every single day. Death, divorce, loss of a job, and lately, the death of the life as we once knew it pre-Covid. Recently, I ran into the mom of my son’s elementary school friend who I hadn’t seen in…
