By Kris JohnsonWe hear about skyrocketing home prices in places like Seattle, San Francisco and New York and shake our heads. Modest three-bedroom ramblers going for $1 million or more. Hopeful homebuyers engaging in bidding wars, sometimes buying houses sight-unseen, or skipping inspections to ensure someone else doesn’t close the...
By Kris JohnsonThousands of professional salaried employees in Washington could be converted into hourly workers if a new proposal from the state Department of Labor and Industries goes into effect.For individual workers, thechange may or may not result in a pay cut. In some cases, employees might endup making about...
By Don C. Brunell Whenmy parents graduated from high school in 1936, a college education was tooexpensive for the son of a copper miner and the daughter of a plumber.Eighty years ago, ourcountry was in the middle of the Great Depression and teens took odd jobs tohelp put food on...
By Virginia Thomas / Spokane Journal of BusinessWashington financial institutions and regulators say they’re closely watching several pieces of federal legislation regarding cannabis that could impact how banks and credit unions handle banking for the cannabis industry.Some, however, aren’t optimistic that such legislation willmake it through the legislative process. Washington...
By D. Patrick JonesNearly every reader of this column has a relationship with a bank, credit union, mortgage lender or maybe a combination. The financial system of the U.S. is widely celebrated for contributing to our country’s economic success. What’s true nationally is true locally.D. Patrick Jones, Eastern Washington University’s...
By Beau RuffWe have all been there. We take a vacation to Florida, Hawaii, Arizona or Mexico, and we are presented with the deal of a lifetime: a timeshare. Proponents of thetimeshare declare it is an affordable way to own a slice of a dream property.Furthermore, the owners often can...
By Eileen L. GriffinA recent Wall StreetJournal column attempted to dispel the myth of an impending retirement crisisin the United States. It said most private sector employees are well preparedfor retirement, having saved and invested for many years with bothemployer-sponsored plans and Individual Retirement Accounts. Recent dataindicates 61 percent of...
By Beau RuffProperty owned by aspouse does not automatically transfer to the surviving spouse at death.Instead, something more is needed in the estate plan to accomplish this feat. In all the complexityof the estate plan, the community property agreement is one document inparticular that offers simplicity, and yet still is...
By Kris JohnsonThe 2019 legislative session was a busy one by any measure, with unprecedented challenges for Washington employers, and it led to dramatic growth in the state budget.One of the bright spots was watching thousands of hairstylists and salon owners rally in Olympia like never before to tell lawmakers...
By Mark FountainToday, many people do not know where their food comes from. But Tri-City residents can just look down the road and see some of the country’s largest food and beverage manufacturing facilities. Mark Fountain,Food NorthwestThe Pasco-Kennewick-Richland area and its surrounding counties are a major hub of food processing....
