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Raising a birth community

Organization builds resources as women explore options in choosing maternity care

July 19, 2012

Bloom Spokane, a three-year-old nonprofit that provides childbirth resources, is blossoming itself with more than 3,300 visits a month to its website and almost 90 health care providers listed as members.The group grew from founder and executive

Milk bank backers work on awareness

Portland facility planners, breast pump maker to put on film screening series

July 19, 2012

The Northwest Mothers Milk Bank and McHenry, Ill.-based breast pump provider Medela Inc. earlier this month announced a partnership with King West Pictures to increase awareness of human milk banks and the value of breast milk feeding, especially a

Movement specialist touts deep breathing to beat stress

Larkin Barnett teaches techniques to women to help them stay well

July 19, 2012

Chey Scott

Spokane-based movement specialist and Pilates instructor Larkin Barnett say she wants to share with as many people as she can her beliefs about the health benefits that can be attained just by paying more attention to one's breathing.Barnett, on

Retirees feel more secure financially

Outlook is more optimistic, but many aren't figuring how long assets will last

December 1, 2011

PR Newswire

American retirees are feeling more financially secure than they did in 2009, but fewer have estimated how long their assets will last into retirement, a new study indicates.The study, titled "The Financial Recovery for Retirees Continues," was a

For two years, it may be good to give

High-net-worth individuals potentially can benefit from unprecedented exemption

December 1, 2011

Linn Parish

Despite talk at the national level of taxing the richest 1 percent of Americans more aggressively, current federal gift-tax and estate-tax laws are favorable to high-net-worth individuals, Spokane-area estate planning professionals say. At the a

Wells Fargo survey: 80 is new retirement age for many

Middle-class Americans say having enough money trumps quitting by set age

December 1, 2011

The concept of a retirement age is going the way of the typewriter, another 20th century relic that has been made irrelevant by changing circumstances. Many middle-class Americans now expect to work until they have saved enough to afford to to the

Trust is big issue when passing on wealth, survey finds

Inheritance preservation focus can be two-edged sword for families, research shows

December 1, 2011

When it comes to passing on wealth, nearly one-quarter of U.S.-based high- net-worth individuals don't trust their children or stepchildren to protect their inheritance, according to the latest report in the Barclays Wealth Insights series. more of

Some small-business owners setting up pensions

Consultants report rise in niche-group interest in defined-benefit plans as many business owners near retirement age

December 1, 2011

Mike McLean

Despite the trend among medium-sized and large companies to halt their defined-benefit pension plans, certain small businesses are finding advantages in setting them up, some retirement-plan consultants here say.Mike Furrer, an independent to of

Residential architects see slight improvements

First-quarter billing index for house-design firms is strongest since mid-2007

July 28, 2011

h few extras persist in home-design trends, but they are becoming less dominant as the housing market indicates the beginning of a thaw, according to a recent survey by the American Institute of Architects.There are indications that the falling

Survey finds much of U.S. isn't prepared for floods

Civil engineering group gives a D-minus grade to nation's levee system

July 28, 2011

Even as the nation experiences a rash of record-breaking storms and floods, a new America THINKS survey from HNTB Corp. shows the public remains unprepared for either, the Kansas City, Mo.-based company says."Historically, we do a lot better job