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.
Freedom of speech is a bitch…On one hand, it is the cornerstone of the American system and almost everyone praises it – at least in concept. On the other hand, it can also be infuriating. Most of us love the idea of free speech when it serves our interests but hate it when it doesn’t.…
Barring getting a vaccine sooner than expected, it seems like we’re in for a longer haul than expected with this once-in-a-century pandemic. Businesses, schools and sports are probably going to be a shell of themselves until the end of the year. There is no denying the fact that we have managed this situation poorly. Americans…
After America witnessed the murder, or more appropriately, the lynching of George Floyd, conversations about the treatment of Blacks in America have dominated the national dialogue, and for good reason. However, last week, Andres Guardado, an eighteen-year-old Latino student in Los Angeles, moonlighting as a security guard, was shot in the back and killed by police…
I had my annual physical this past week and I am thrilled to report that I am in good health. My vitals, metabolic panel, PSA and lipids were all clear. This is great news for someone of my advanced age…ha-ha. I’ve had the same doctor for about a decade. He’s a dry guy without much…
George Floyd, an African American from Minneapolis was murdered last week in one of the most despicable displays of police brutality ever recorded. The event spurred protests in almost every major city in the country and a few unfortunate riots. Below are a few of my opinions on the matter: Racism is more prevalent in…
In less than ninety-days the Coronavirus has killed 30 times as many Americans as 9-11 and twice as many as the Vietnam War. The fact that it has only killed 100K people is evidence to some that the threat was overblown, and to others it proves that social distancing protocols have saved thousands, if not…
When this is all over, I think I will purchase a second home. Although I have considered it, I’ve never pulled the trigger on a second home mostly because I enjoy hotels and resorts. In years past, Kathy and I have considered buying a second home in New York, Hawaii or even Las Vegas, which…
Everyone is wondering what will happen in the next few months. Will things get back to normal? Will we still be in quarantine? Will there be a second wave of infection? Literally, nobody knows for sure, but I have my own opinion. I think there will be some breakthroughs in the next month or two…
When this is all over, I will have fully replaced vodka martinis for red wine as my drink of choice. Wine is healthier and a lot more sophisticated. I downloaded an app called Vivino that has a feature where you can snap a picture with your phone of the label of a bottle of wine…
Here are some things I have been thinking about that will likely be permanent changes to our way of living. Some will cause business and investment opportunities. Baby Boomers will move online. COVID-19 is forcing Boomers to buy everything online from groceries to prescription medications. America’s wealthiest generation, who has been notoriously slow to transition to…
Photo credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com Restaurant entrepreneur and master chef José Andrés is the kind of human being we should all strive to be. His World Central Kitchen is feeding millions of health workers, victims, and families of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, Oprah Winfrey announced she would donate $1M to his charity. Andrés, who…
A little over a month ago, I was in New Orleans for a conference. I took an Uber to the airport when I was leaving and the driver was a Latino guy. I had not been in New Orleans for many years, and did not recall seeing many Latinos the last time I was there.…
My friend Ruben Navarrette referred me to an inspiring hashtag on Twitter, #WhenThisIsAllOver. People from all over are posting things they think or hope will happen when this pandemic is behind us. Some are funny, like “#WhenThisIsAllOver we will all have bidets”, and some are more heartfelt such as “#WhenThisIsAllOver I will visit my parents…
It’s disconcerting to see how politicized the coronavirus issue has become, though in the highly polarized environment we live in, I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise. Depending on the media source we choose, people are either excessively panicking or posting ignorance that suggests coronavirus is a non-issue or just another flu. Both are wrong.…
There was only one real story in the world news this week – coronavirus. I am not an expert of infectious diseases, but let me say up front that while I think the threat is real, I think the U.S. will avoid the worst of it. While the disease is less dangerous than previous strains…
Under the direction of President Donald Trump, U.S. military forces killed the top military general of Iran. News of this has created a firestorm of speculation about what this means and whether it was the right decision. There is little debate that Qasem Soleimani was an enemy of the United States.
Photo Credit: Antonello Marangi / Shutterstock.com If you believe, like most scientists, that climate change is largely man-made and poses an existential threat to humanity, then you probably feel a pretty strong sense of urgency about doing something about it. Especially if you are a young person. Greta Thunberg embodies that sentiment probably more than…
Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren think billionaires shouldn’t exist. This has caused some well publicized indignation on the part of some famous billionaires like Blackstone’s Stephen A. Schwarzman, who countered by saying “Maybe Bernie Sanders shouldn’t exist”. In fairness to Sanders and Warren, I don’t think they are calling for the elimination of anyone in…
For bribing an official to rig her daughter’s SAT score, the actor, Felicity Huffman, received 14 days in prison, a $30K fine, 250 hours of community service and one-year probation. A lot of people felt outraged by her sentence and believed if she were not a wealthy celebrity, she would have received a much stiffer…
I must admit, the college admission scandal that rocked the airwaves this week didn’t surprise me a whole lot. Any student or parent who has gone through the process knows that college admissions at elite schools has become outrageously competitive in recent years. So, it isn’t a surprise to find out how far some people…
