I’ve been around real estate since I was in high school and my mother first worked at the Montebello MLS. Over the years, I have seen several cycles in this industry. I’ve seen my Realtor® friends go from living in mansions to sleeping in their cars and vice versa. Today, we are experiencing one of the strongest real estate booms I have ever seen. While a large percentage of the country is struggling financially, many of us in real estate and financial services are making more money than ever. Most experts believe the market will remain strong through 2021, and while I don’t want to be a downer, now is a great time to start preparing for the future by diversifying your investments.
People who work in real estate generally invest their money in what they know, real estate. That makes perfect sense, but investing some money in the stock market might be a good way to hedge your money. If the real estate market slows, your commission income will probably go down, and if all of your savings is invested in real estate, you might get hit double hard. Between 2008 and 2012, Latinos lost 2/3 of their household wealth. This is what inspired us at NAHREP, to create the Hispanic Wealth Project. We learned from the last recession that the main reason Latinos got hit harder than anyone else is that we weren’t very diversified. Most Latinos who had money prior to 2008 had most of their money in their homes and their businesses. We all know that you don’t want to sell your home or investment property in a down market, and when the real estate market started to crash n 2008, Latinos had very few liquid assets to carry them through recession.
If you have been following the GameStop story, it is a lesson on how easily individual stocks can be manipulated. Hedge funds and investment banks have been artificially moving short term stock prices for years. Now, investment clubs who discuss stock picks on Reddit have demonstrated that they can do the same. It’s a reminder that trying to time the market and investing in individual stocks is risky. Even the most sophisticated experts sometimes get it wrong, but investing in index funds, value stocks (stocks that have paid dividends for decades), or a diversified strategy managed by a professional manager from a reputable firm, can help provide you with a safe and profitable long-term investment strategy.
I saw a cartoon a few years ago, of a real estate agent on his knees praying. The caption to the cartoon was “Please God give me just one more real estate boom. I promise not to blow it this time”. Like most good jokes, it’s funny because it’s true. Give that some thought this week.
There are qualities in our community that no data point can fully capture, but this episode is about one of the biggest: grit. I talk about why perseverance, resilience, family, and purpose have always been among the greatest strengths of Hispanics and Latinos, and why those strengths can be a powerful advantage in a world being reshaped by technology, wealth, and access. But grit alone is not enough. If we want to translate all of that talent and determination into lasting economic and political power, we also need stronger networks, better platforms, and more intentional leadership. The opportunity is real. The question is whether we are ready to organize around it.
For years, we’ve been told that mass deportations would mean more jobs and higher wages for U.S.-born workers. But this episode looks at why the opposite may actually be happening. I break down new research showing how immigrant and U.S.-born workers often play complementary roles in the labor market, why removing one group can hurt the other, and how these policies may be making labor shortages, housing challenges, and economic instability even worse. This is a conversation about jobs, economics, and the unintended consequences too many people still refuse to confront.
Something important is shifting, and this episode is about why it matters. For a young and fast-growing community like ours, the rise of AI may be opening doors that were previously harder to reach — not by eliminating every barrier, but by expanding access to knowledge, tools, and opportunity at a scale we’ve never seen before. But access alone won’t determine who wins. This moment calls for strategy, community, and a serious commitment to turning potential into power. The opening is real. What happens next depends on what we do with it.