Jerry Ascencio and I hosted a webinar last week on stock-based investments. It was a well-attended session with great content. Our objective is not to sell people on the stock market, but to help close the knowledge gap about investing in general, and the stock market is an important part of that. Generating income is important, but building wealth is even more important. Wealth is freedom because it gives us the wherewithal to live the life we were destined to live. I’ve said it many times, Latinos have a workers mentality, but have not yet acquired an investor’s mentality. The whole concept behind NAHREP’s Hispanic Wealth Project is to build wealth in our community by acquiring new disciplines. The NAHREP network of real estate professionals are not only in the business of facilitating real estate transactions, they are influencers and trusted advisors in their local communities. If the influencers acquire those new disciplines, the cascading effect can be exponential. In 2021, NAHREP will be organizing investor mastermind groups for our members interested in becoming more sophisticated with real estate and stock-based investing. We have always known that knowledge is power, but I would add, knowledge is wealth.
Capitalism rewards hard work, innovation, and ambition—but when success depends more on political connections than merit, we lose the very foundation that built this country. Crony capitalism erodes trust, fuels corruption, and concentrates power in the hands of a few. In this episode, I talk about why unchecked cronyism threatens the American Dream and how trust and fairness are essential to preserving it.
There’s been a lot of talk lately about socialism, communism, and democratic socialism—especially in New York City. I recorded something this week because I think we’re losing the ability to talk about these ideas with nuance. We throw labels around to scare or silence people, and it keeps us from having real conversations about affordability, ownership, and what it takes to build a society where people can live with dignity. If you have a moment, I’d appreciate you taking a look and letting me know what you think.
Lately, I’ve been hearing from a lot of people who are frustrated — with work, with the economy, with the state of the world. I get it. I’ve felt that too. But here’s something I’ve always believed: there is nothing more powerful than taking that energy and turning it into success. In this week’s episode of The Latino Brand, I talk about why building wealth isn’t just about money — it’s about agency, dignity, and control...