Gary Acosta’s Weekly Blog

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…

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 Latino Donor Collaborative, the nation’s leading advocacy group for the new mainstream economy, is working on a major PR campaign to insert factual data and information into the national dialogue as it relates to Latinos and the economy. The campaign will highlight data points such as the Latino GDP, homeownership trends and educational attainment.…

Last week, Zillow released a study that examined the wealth of Hispanics and African-Americans as compared to Whites. It took a deeper look at the role homeownership plays in those comparisons and referenced data that was recently released by the Federal Reserve’s Board’s Survey of Consumer Finances. The highlights of the study were not surprising.…

A Reuters study on consumer spending indicates that Latino spending for non-essential goods and services is in a sharp decline. A recent surge in deportations is causing Latinos, even those who are U.S. citizens, to curtail their shopping out of fear of deportation or harassment. The CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, says that Latinos are staying home…

Actress Zoë Saldaña (Guardians of the Galaxy) has launched a media company called BeSe. The company will focus on “cultural storytelling” targeting millennial and Gen Z audiences. A lot has been said about the lack of diversity in Hollywood, but I always say people will resist change until not changing affects their livelihood. The emergence of…

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…

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…

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…