Gary Acosta is an entrepreneur, public policy advocate, investor, and thought leader passionate about advancing prosperity for Latinos and other underserved communities. As an industry leader, he protects and improves the business environment required to close the wealth gap, particularly via homeownership. Amongst other endeavors, he is Co-Founder & CEO of NAHREP, the country’s leading Hispanic business organization, and Co-Founder of L’ATTITUDE, the preeminent platform for Latino economic empowerment. Acosta is also a general partner of L’ATTITUDE Ventures, the nation’s largest venture capital fund exclusively focused on Latino-led start-ups. Join Gary as he dives into today’s issues through many creative formats.
In these politically polarized times, electing a Democrat for statewide office in Alabama seemed impossible to say the least, but it happened last Tuesday when Democrat Doug Jones defeated Roy Moore in a special election to fill the vacancy left by Jeff Sessions in the U.S. Senate. Moore is a polarizing figure, aggressively supported by…
In October, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the conservator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced that they were going add a question about language preference to the redesigned Uniform Residential Loan Application (URLA). Beginning in July of 2019, all mortgage applications will be required to ask the applicant what is their preferred language.…
As a Christian, Christmas means something to me beyond Santa Claus and presents. It is a deeply religious occasion. I think it’s great when people say Merry Christmas to me, and I especially appreciate it when people of other faiths say it to me. It shows that they respect me enough to recognize my culture…
It’s not a partisan statement to say that the massive tax reform bill – that will soon become the law of the land – is deeply unpopular. Given that tax cuts are generally a pretty easy thing to sell, it’s quite stunning to hear that according to the most recent Quinnipiac University Poll, only 29%…
While in NYC to see my daughter perform in a student play at Sarah Lawrence College in NYC, I got the chance to see John Leguizamo’s one-man show on Broadway: Latin History for Morons. I liked it, although I am pretty sure I saw John on an off day. He seemed a little low in…
Coco was a masterpiece from beginning to end; a technical phenomenon with a story that will make anyone, especially folks with knowledge of the Dia De Los Muertos theme, choke up with emotion. Coco is also breaking box office records around the globe including in China where it is already the biggest animated film ever.…
I read a very cool story about a young Latina entrepreneur who became motivated to start her own construction business when her father lost his job. Jennifer H. Ramos, the daughter of Salvadoran immigrants, launched Jen Contracting Group, LLC in her hometown of Arlington, Virginia. In addition to her construction business, she owns an online…
Very few politicians care about anything more than themselves. There are few exceptions and it seems as though it’s gotten worse over time. Today’s politicians spend most of their time shamelessly grandstanding, claiming to care about people, while in reality all they want is fame, money, and power. It’s just ego and it’s important to…
Speaking of ugly politics. The race for Governor of Virginia between longtime Republican operative Ed Gillespie and the Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ralph Northam was as hard fought and nasty as everyone anticipated it would be. Gillespie, who for years pressed his Republican colleagues to make the party more welcoming to minorities, took a page out of Donald Trump’s playbook and released an ad linking illegal immigrants and his opponent to the vicious gang MS-13.
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are on the cover of Vanity Fair this week. The article tells a flattering story about their relationship and discusses their astronomical success and formidable challenges over the last two decades. Whether you are a fan of the two of them or not, you can’t help but admire their resilience and work…
Last week, the Ball family received worldwide attention, but not for the reason anyone would have hoped. While in Shanghai, China for a non-conference game between UCLA and Georgia Tech, LaVar’s middle son LiAngelo Ball, along with two of his teammates, were arrested by Chinese police for shoplifting at a high-end shopping mall. The incident…
A growing focus on Hispanic homebuyers on the part of large financial institutions will be the topic of an upcoming feature article in a major financial publication. The writer has recognized that a tipping point has occurred with big banks and small independent lenders placing more emphasis on the burgeoning Hispanic homebuyer segment. One question…
If there is one deliverable at NAHREP that stands out above the rest, it is leadership development. Knowing that every year NAHREP “graduates” 60+ chapter presidents who have managed a board, organized events, and improved their presentation skills, gives me a great sense of pride. During our short tenure, NAHREP has produced some of the…
I haven’t watched a World Series, in the complete sense, in years. I was born in LA and was a Dodgers fan growing up. Over the years I lost interest in baseball as the lack of parity made the game less interesting. Admittedly, after the Cubs won the World Series last year, my interest was…
President Trump and his Republican allies in Congress are close to pushing a tax reform package that would be the legislative victory that his presidency has been seeking. Critics of his tax proposal say it favors the rich at the expense of the poor and middle class, and supporters say it will provide an economic stimulus that would benefit everyone.
Mark Cuban has been floating the idea of running for President. Last week, he clarified that if he decided to run, he would do so as a Republican and challenge President Trump in the primary. The fact that Cuban is being taken seriously is an indication of how much things have changed in Presidential politics.…
This week the Mortgage Bankers Association announced that their CEO, David Stevens, would retire effective September of 2018. NAHREP released a statement about Stevens shortly after the announcement was made public. I am a product of the mortgage industry and was on the board of the MBA when they hired Mr. Stevens directly from his post as…
Last Sunday the Phoenix Suns fired their young head coach, Earl Watson. Three days earlier, my son Aaron and I traveled to Phoenix as invited guests of Earl Watson and the Phoenix Suns to sit in on practice, have dinner with the coaches, and watch the Suns take on the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Watson…
World-renowned Chef José Andrés has spent nearly a month in Puerto Rico coordinating a Herculean effort to feed the victims of Hurricane Maria. Last week, Andrés and his non-profit World Central Kitchen served their one-millionth meal in Puerto Rico in less than thirty days, surpassing the likes of the Red Cross. Andrés was in the…
The recent run-up of Bitcoin has a lot of people thinking about investing in the mysterious digital currency. For lay people, Bitcoin is a digital currency that operates on blockchain technology which is essentially a shared digital database of financial transactions which some are even calling a new type of internet. It cuts out the…
