Spokane’s financial planning industry is showing resilience as firms, educators, and professional organizations develop new strategies to attract and retain new people in the field.

Gesa Credit Union is expanding into Oregon for the first time through an agreement to acquire Salem, Oregon-based Willamette Valley Bank — a move Keven Gray, Gesa Credit Union chief retail officer, says will strengthen service for members while extending the cooperative financial institution's footprint along the Interstate 5 corridor. 

Coeur d'Alene-based Idaho Strategic Resources Inc. is drawing attention from technology and aerospace manufacturers looking for a domestic supply of yttrium, one of the world's most strategically important rare earth elements.

Every time the Federal Reserve meets, I can count on the phone in my office to start ringing. On the other end are clients who saw a headline about the Fed and want to know whether the rate on the house they are buying just went up, down, or sideways. It's one of the most reasonable questions a person can ask, and the answer is almost never what they expect.

Washington has no income tax for now and that single fact gives a lot of people the wrong idea about what happens to their money when they die. 

Coeur d'Alene-based retirement community, Bestland Senior Living, helps people transition from an independent life at home to an independent living community.

The population of adults age 85 and older in the Spokane area is projected to nearly quadruple, rising from 10,700 in 2025 to 40,400 by 2050 — a significantly higher growth rate than any other age group over the next 25 years. As the demographic grows older, the long-term care sector is expected to face higher demand for assisted living, skilled nursing, memory care, and adult family homes, creating new opportunities — and challenges — for providers across the region.

For people who want protection, flexibility, and predictable retirement income, a properly designed cash value life insurance policy — such as an Indexed Universal Life policy — paired with a Roth individual retirement account funded by a guaranteed lifetime income annuity can be a powerful planning combination. 

Spokane County's housing crisis is now at a tipping point that demands bold thinking.

Groundworks LLC, a national foundation repair company, is expanding to Liberty Lake in October, where the company will increase its coverage area to service roughly 360,000 single-family homes across Eastern Washington and North Idaho.