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.
There is a saying that goes “when the tide rolls back, you can see who is swimming naked”. When the market is strong, it covers a lot of weaknesses. With interest rates moving up, inflation on the rise, and the economy heading towards a possible recession, we’ll find out soon how solid the foundation of the real estate market has been, and more importantly, which companies and agents have built a strong, recession-proof business.
How would you like it if the person sitting next to your child on an airplane is openly watching pornography on their iPad? What if a co-worker posted on a company group chat that you once molested a kid? What if banks, targeting the elderly, promised 1000% returns on an investment. In a completely free society, these things would be permissible, yet I doubt most people want America to be THAT free.
The conversation all week has been about the Will Smith meltdown at the Academy Awards. Everyone has an opinion on whose fault it was. Some believe Chris Rock was at fault and admire Smith’s valor in defending his wife. Others like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar say that Smith not only debased himself, he validated some of the worst stereotypes that some people have of Black Americans.
There is a mindset theory that states when things are going well, people tend to think they will always go well. When we are in that state of mind, we tend to ignore bad news… even deny bad news. The reverse is also true. When things are not going well, we tend to think they will always go badly, and we ignore and deny good news.
Some of you may have heard the phrase “A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep”. I am sure this is true both literally and figuratively. Another way to put this is: Confident people don’t concern themselves with criticism that comes from small-minded people.
As I write this blog, the Russian army is invading the bordering country of Ukraine. War is hell, and my heart goes out to the people of Ukraine. Americans who were born in the United States have no idea what it feels like to have their country invaded militarily by another nation. Ukraine was a…
NFL teams have 53 players and twice as many coaches, trainers, and support staff, but to win a Super Bowl you must have two things: an elite quarterback and a superlative coach. The Rams won the Super Bowl last week, with veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford at the helm. This past season was the first year…
Despite a decade of lawsuits and scandals, the NFL is bigger than ever. I enjoy football as much as anyone. While basketball and soccer have gone global, and baseball fades to second-tier status, football stands alone as the quintessential American sport. The latest NFL imbroglio is the lawsuit by Brian Flores. Flores claims he has…
Almost everyone is familiar with the Tom Brady story. Growing up in San Mateo, California, Brady was a lightly-recruited quarterback who didn’t show up on any major scouting publications. Even after a successful senior season at the University of Michigan, almost nobody thought he would make the NFL. Brady himself had a resume ready for…
Twenty-two years ago, when Ernie Reyes and I first launched NAHREP, I was told all the reasons why it wouldn’t work. “Latinos aren’t monolithic” … “Cubans are totally different from Mexicans” … “Jealousy, gossip, and infighting will bring you down” … “Not every Latino has the same political views” … However, fast forward to today,…
There has been a ton of research and debate about the subject of leadership. Thousands of books have been written and millions of dollars are spent each year on leadership training, and there is good reason for it. Leadership mastery is probably the most valuable skill set anyone in sports, business, or politics can possess.…
As business people, we are taught to find someone who is doing what we want to do and copy them. If our goal is to have a business that makes money, this is excellent advice. Why would you want to reinvent the wheel? However, if your goal is bigger than that, you have to think…
I write a lot about wealth. Over the years, I have acquired a deeper understanding of the topic and the implications it has not only for Latinos but for the country overall. I have come to believe that the ethnic wealth gap is the single biggest threat to American prosperity. I don’t think that is…
When we were kids, our daydreams were about grandiosity. I dreamed about being the world’s greatest athlete. Others dreamed about being famous singers, entrepreneurs, or movie stars. As we get older, our aspirations change, but for many of us, our desire to be special remains strong. That desire to be special is a positive in…
Latinos in film and television continue to face two problems: an astonishing lack of visibility and the negative and/or stereotypical manner that Latino characters are commonly portrayed. Both of these issues have implications that go beyond the industry itself. Studies have shown Americans spend 15.5 hours a week consuming traditional and digital media. The number…
You know the story…Guy lives in a mansion with five luxury cars and a wife who looks like a swimsuit model. He posts videos on Insta where he talks about the lavish lifestyle he enjoys while driving in a car with the Ferrari logo strategically in focus. He speaks about the time when he lived…
Many of us know that Latinos were hit harder than any other demographic during the great recession of 2008 to 2012, but not everyone knows why. Those of us in the real estate business were taught that we should invest in real estate, because it is what we know. That makes a lot of sense.…
I have been a fan of Dave Chappelle for years. His stand-up comedy is among the smartest and most provocative in a generation. Last year, I blogged about the brilliance of 8:46, the show he created during the pandemic about the George Floyd murder. One of the memorable parts of that routine was when he told…
Some CEOs say great companies only hire the best talent. I say “bullshit”. The Los Angeles Lakers opened the 2021-2022 basketball season with two surprising losses after going 0-6 in the preseason. While it is way too early to draw any conclusions, it does raise some questions about their personnel decisions and team chemistry. During…
Saying those words out loud is pretty surreal, but last week, my wife Kathy and I became grandparents for the first time. Amelia Claire Smeraski was born on October 15th to our daughter Jaimie and her husband A.J. I can already tell that Amelia is a beauty, like her mom and grandma, with a calm…
