Beginning on January 1, 2024, business entities will be required to comply with the Corporate Transparency Act (“CTA”). The CTA, which will be enforced by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), is designed to limit money laundering and other fraudulent…
Read MoreOn November 10, 2023, voters in Bellingham passed Initiative 2023-02 (“Initiative 2”) with 61.98% of tallied votes. Initiative 2 requires landlords to cover relocation expenses for tenants if they raise rent by eight percent or more in a 12-month period.…
Read MoreThe IRS just issued Revenue Procedure 2023-34 announcing the 2024 increases to the federal estate and gift tax exemption and the gift tax annual exclusion. The 2024 federal estate and gift tax exemption has been increased to $13,610,000, up from…
Read MoreMany people use 529 accounts as part of their estate and financial plan to support their children’s education. However, it is not always certain whether children will use those funds or not (for example, the funds may not be used…
Read MoreIn an ideal world, we would all die amongst our loved ones with well-formed estate plans in place and all of our finances squarely in order. Unfortunately, the reality is that the end often approaches faster than we hope or…
Read MoreWith property taxes on the rise in Washington state, many property owners are looking for creative ways to plan and utilize their land to reduce their tax burden. Washington’s Open Space Taxation Act, Chapter 84.34 RCW (the “Act”), enacted in…
Read MoreWe’ve all heard people say, “You need to have a Will,” or, “You should set up an estate plan,” but what does that actually mean? A typical estate plan goes beyond just making a Will and usually includes several other…
Read MoreOn June 29, 2023, in Groff v. DeJoy, the Supreme Court of the United States clarified for the first time in nearly fifty years the burden an employer must demonstrate to deny an accommodation for an employee’s religious beliefs in…
Read MoreIn 2020, Washington became the first state to pass a law allowing for more environmentally friendly methods to dispose of human remains. Since then, a method known as “human composting” has gained in popularity here and in other states. Alternative…
Read MoreRecent federal court interpretations of Washington’s Noncompetition Covenants Act, Chapter 49.62 RCW, (“Act”) may give employers new confidence in using properly drafted nonsolicitation agreements with their independent contractors, regardless of how much the independent contractors are paid. Some degree of…
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