When you receive a serious diagnosis, you may feel like you have an impossible decision to make. Do I seek treatment and deal with the symptoms that will make me miserable, or do I choose to leave this life and my loved ones with dignity through hospice care?Thankfully, there is...
One of the biggest challenges facing Washington employers today continues to be a lack of qualified workers. Even with rising inflation and growing concern about a potential recession, workforce issues remain paramount.At the same time, one of the biggest challenges facing parents today is finding high-quality, affordable child care. Like...
It’s past time for an energy reality check. If we are to meet our soaring demand for electricity and produce it without coal and natural gas, we must double down on nuclear power. Today, U.S. nuclear plants generate enough electricity to power more than 70 million homes. It’s the most reliable source...
Depending on your age, you may have lived through a few different economic cycles in your lifetime – you know they ebb and flow. If you’re younger, you might have only experienced an economy that has gone north. Regardless of age, the strength of the economy over the last decade...
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 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...
