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.
The country is a mess right now. Political fanatism has ended friendships, broken families and divided this country more than ever. While we may not all agree on how we got here, most of us agree that the country is in big trouble unless we can reverse this unfortunate trend. Some people deal with the…
By all accounts, the pandemic is far from over, and if you are lucky enough to be employed right now, you probably shouldn’t be too financially complacent. Last quarter, U.S. GDP, dropped 32%, the biggest quarterly decline in American history. While some people think the economy will miraculously bounce back when we have a vaccine…
I believe the COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced what some of us already knew, but maybe didn’t fully appreciate: deep relationships and human connection are what give us the most joy and satisfaction in life. With all of the suffering around the world, it’s hard to say anything good about the period of time we have…
Let’s face it, we all have a burning need to be liked and respected. We want people to think of us as smart and sophisticated. In fact, our need for admiration is so powerful it can drive almost everything we do. We want our kids, co-workers, friends and strangers all to think of us as…
Coming off all of the crazy comments I received over last week’s blog on Goya, I started reading a book titled, Hate, Inc.: Why Today’s Media Makes Us Despise One Another. It’s written by Matt Taibbi, a Rolling Stone journalist who says that the press has mastered the art of monetizing anger, paranoia and distrust.…
Cooking as a family and eating together is a lost tradition that many of us have restarted during the pandemic. I had no idea that my daughter Marisa had become such a great cook; her addition to our kitchen has been a huge positive to the Acosta clan. She loves sashimi and vegan dishes and…
For years, a lot of us have been talking about the disparities in homeownership rates, the lack of Latino representation in the boardrooms and C-suites of America’s largest corporations, the wealth and income gaps, etc. These are real issues that frankly have not seen much progress in the last few decades. On the heels of…
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…
If you haven’t had the privilege of seeing Hamilton, The Musical, you’ll have a chance to see it on Disney+ starting on July 3rd. If you are not a fan of theater, you may not know how rare this sort of thing is. Broadway musicals are almost never shown on television, much less when they…
The first time I looked into the eyes of my newborn child, my life was changed forever. An earthshattering feeling of love, humility and responsibility overwhelmed me and I realized at that moment that I had a new job that would last the rest of my life. Fatherhood has brought me more pleasure than I…
Netflix debuted Dave Chappelle’s most recent comedy special on YouTube. Like a lot of his work, 8:46 is brilliant. The title represents the eight minutes and forty-six seconds that former police officer, Derek Chauvin nonchalantly knelt on George Floyd’s neck until Floyd died. My son, Aaron and I listened to the show while we were…
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…
My son is a star basketball player at Colorado College. He averaged 18 points per game and was an all-conference performer as a sophomore. He was the only Latino on his team and on the all-conference roster. Latino surnames are rare in college basketball and even more rare in the NBA. For decades, Latin America…
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…
For years, I have campaigned against debt. I have always considered it the biggest enemy to wealth and I still do, but with a caveat. There is still no question that paying down credit card and unsecured debt is almost always the best use of extra cash, but with mortgage interest rates hovering around 3%,…
Speaking of reading….I’m a busy person, and while I love to read books, I don’t always have the time. On a recommendation, I purchased an app called Blinklist, and it’s the best app I’ve stumbled on this year. In a nutshell, Blinklist is CliffsNotes in an app. You can read or listen to a 15-minute…
