Diversity comes in many forms and many related ways of accommodating different needs. When parents are planning for the needs of children with disabilities, a product that should be considered in the parent’s will is the so-called special needs trust.What kind of disability?A disability can be defined in different ways...

Washington’s housing affordability crisis hurts every corner of the state. We’ve all heard stories. Nurses and grocery store employees can’t afford to live where they work. Young people are priced out of their hometowns. First-time homebuyers can’t afford a down payment. Seniors struggle to downsize in retirement.We need solutions at...

There is no substitute for person-to-person connections – people talking with, listening to and understanding one another. It is called “customer service,” and it is the best way to resolve problems and retain customers.Those employed and embedded in business are more likely to be located on-site, frequently see fellow workers...

Transferring wealth to children will become a touch easier in 2024.Buried in the estimated 4,000-page Consolidated Appropriation Act of 2023 that passed at the end of 2022 was the Secure 2.0 Act of 2022.It heralded many changes for the retirement system in the United States.One provision dealing with 529 accounts...

You don’t need to be a numbers geek to know that the pandemic wreaked havoc on the hospitality industry, here and elsewhere. Travel stopped, dining in became a dare and the workforce disappeared. None of the 19 large groupings, or sectors, of the local economy took so much of the...

A few weeks ago, I had a chance to meet Michael Landry, head of LIGO Hanford Observatory. He was part of the discovery team that detected gravitational waves that were created when two black holes collided 1.3 billion light years from earth. No one had ever “heard” the sound of...

I have a drink coaster in my office that I look at every day that features a quote from author Anais Nin: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”One of America’s top coaches and influencers Brendon Burchard has researched in his book “High Performance Habits” that “underlying all...

By Karina EliasSpokane Journal of BusinessAgWest Farm Credit, the newly formed agricultural lending association, plans to focus its resources to enhancing its agricultural customer-owners’ access to technology.This will enable it to modernize its growing methods and deliver efficient and sustainable products, said Mark Littlefield, president and chief executive officer.Spokane-based Northwest...

SECURE Act 2.0, an update to the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019, was recently passed by the Senate. This new bill contains a variety of provisions that could positively affect the retirement savings for millions of Americans. Big changes to RMDsOne of the most significant aspects...

As talk of a potential economic recession gathers steam, keep in mind that much of the widely forecasted economic weakness in 2023 is already priced into markets.Instead of attempting to determine market direction over the next six months to a year, investors would be wise to ensure that their asset...