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.
Earl Watson was honored with the Roberto Clemente Award by UnidosUS last month at their annual convention. Watson, whose mother is Mexican, is the head coach of the Phoenix Suns and the first Latino head coach in NBA history. The evening he was honored, I tweeted about him and mentioned that my son plays for…
Two years ago, Esai Morales was a speaker at the NAHREP convention in Chicago, courtesy of my friend Raul Espinoza at Bay Equity Home Loans. Esai flew in on a red-eye flight the night before our event because he had also committed to an industry event in LA the evening before. He arrived at the…
The next Latina TV superstar might be from the NAHREP family. NAHREP National Director David Acosta’s talented daughter, Allegra, is starring in a new Marvel Comics series on Hulu this fall. The series is about a group of kids who find out their parents are part of an evil crime organization. Last week the cast…
Freddie Mac recently released a study on Hispanic homeownership titled, “Will the Hispanic Homeownership Gap Persist?”. The study aimed to forecast how Hispanic homeownership rates would fare over time. Currently, about 46 percent of Hispanic households are owner-households as compared to 68 percent for non-Hispanic White households. Freddie Mac looked at age, income, educational data…
OJ Simpson was granted parole last Thursday and will be released from prison as early as October 1st. This is another amazing development in a seminal story that has captivated public interest for more than two decades. OJ was my hero in the seventies. I even wore number 32 for my middle school athletic teams…
CAA, the powerful entertainment agency, released a study last month researching the impact that diverse casting has on the financial performance of films. The results were compelling. “One of the interesting things that the most successful movies share is that they’re broadly appealing to diverse audiences,” said Christy Haubegger, leader of CAA’s multicultural development group,…
The political world was stunned with the revelation that John McCain has brain cancer. McCain’s cancer is the same type that took the life of Senator Ted Kennedy in 2009. Doctors successfully removed the tumor last week, but the prognosis seems harsh with a low survival rate. Regardless of your political preferences, Senator McCain has…
While I don’t always love George Lopez’s comedy, I am definitely looking forward to his next HBO special, “George Lopez: The Wall, Live from Washington D.C.” in August of this year.
The news was dominated this past week by the release of emails that showed Donald Trump, Jr. participated in at least one meeting with people alleging to represent the Russian government and who represented themselves as supporters of Trump’s campaign for President. The news does not help the credibility of the Administration that has denied…
After years of denying that they have any intention of displacing real estate agents, some agent groups and attorneys believe, Instant Offers®, is the smoking gun that shows Zillow’s true intent. Instant Offers essentially gives would-be home sellers the opportunity to solicit offers directly from buyers (mostly investors), thus circumventing agents from at least part…
The National Council of La Raza announced at their annual convention in Arizona that they will now be known as UnidosUS. NCLR, as they were formerly known, is the nation’s largest civil rights organization for Hispanic Americans. In a press release, the organization’s president, Janet Murguia, said that the new name is designed in part…
The rumor is that Jorge Mas, founder and Chairman of MasTec, a publicly traded construction and engineering company out of Coral Gables is the odds-on favorite to purchase the Florida Marlins of MLB. If successful, Mas would be the second Latino owner of a major league baseball team after Mexican- American, Arte Moreno purchased the…
Last week I mentioned that this year’s NBA draft is widely considered one of the most talent rich in years however, many basketball experts say if the 6’11” Marvin Bagley III and 6’8″ Zion Williamson, both rising seniors at Sierra Canyon High School in Los Angeles and Spartanburg Day School in South Carolina were eligible…
Last week, Steph Curry agreed to a 5 year, $201M contract – the richest in NBA history. Lebron James saluted Curry by stating that the two-time MVP and world champion deserved twice as much. He also criticized the NBA salary cap by pointing out how much the Warriors franchise has increased in value during Curry’s…
Last month, the long awaited NBA draft finally took place. Experts say that 2017 is the most talent rich draft in years, and thanks mostly to the entertaining and provocative Lavar Ball, it’s one of most drama-filled as well. As expected the Lakers selected Lonzo Ball. Lonzo’s newly famous dad has been criticized by practically…
Amazon stunned the financial world when it announced that it had agreed to purchase Whole Foods, the high-end grocery store. On the day of the announcement, grocery stock took a dive. The convergence of technology, automation, artificial intelligence and buyer expectations is changing the global economy at a rapid pace. Elon Musk says, “If your…
I am looking forward to self-driving cars. For one, I don’t really enjoy driving or cars for that matter, and one of my biggest peeves are stoplights. Nothing is more annoying or a bigger waste of time, than sitting at a red signal light when there is no traffic in sight. When self-driving cars become…
My friend, Sol Trujillo started the Latino Donor Collaborative a few years ago. He’s the former CEO of US West and one of most successful corporate executives in the country. Sol, a lifelong Republican, has been working to change the narrative about Latino’s in this country by focusing on data and facts. The LDC recently…
Shark Tank, the popular show staring Mark Cuban and Daymond Johns where start-up companies looking for investment capital can pitch a panel of celebrity investors on their business, recently announced that Alex Rodriguez would be their newest and first Latino celebrity investor. His girlfriend, J-Lo, proudly boasted about his new gig on Insta and its significance…
This week Time Magazine had Robert Mueller on its cover, the special prosecutor appointed by the deputy Attorney General of the United States. The word is that President Trump is exploring ways to either remove or neutralize Mueller. Removal would almost certainly send the country into a constitutional crisis, but Trump has reason to be…
