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Fundamentals, not Gambling
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment There’s an old saying in economics, a rising tide lifts all boats. Stocks, bonds, homes, commercial real estate – all are way up since the financial crisis. To make money, all you had to do was be invested. But there’s luck and there’s skill, and luck doesn’t last forever. There…
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Make Room for Others to Shine
Development December 6, 2021/Development Successful people are used to being in control and taking care of business. Like the old saying goes, if you want something done right, do it yourself. There’s truth in that. If you care about something, you have the focus to see it through. But it’s also a self-fulfilling prophecy that…
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Alliance Case Study: Good Relationships, Good Business
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment My long-time readers already know that single tenant net-lease medical facilities are our bread-and-butter. Here’s the story of one of my favorite deals. In 2011, we found a specialty medical facility for sale in Austin, Texas. It was owned by a real estate developer who needed cash to fund other deals.…
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The Value of Reconnecting
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other’s gold. We sang that song in kindergarten, and it’s still one of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my life. The breadth and quality of our personal network determines what opportunities we’ll encounter. In business, the…
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What Do Tariffs Mean for America?
Financial December 6, 2021/Financial The business world is buzzing since the White House imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum last week. I’m not sure what this means for America as a whole – I’ve heard many arguments on all sides ranging from a boon for American industry, to they’ll punish consumers with higher prices,…
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The Beauty of March Madness
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle March madness is here, and basketball fans all over America are glued to their televisions. It’s costing us a little productivity at work, but that’s a price I pay happily for the morale boost. I want my team chatting happily over the water cooler, and there’s nothing like sports for creating…
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Privacy in the Digital Age
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle Facebook is under all kinds of fire for their many sins. Exposing personal data without permission and using their mobile app to collect non-Facebook (phone call) data is bad. Some regulation would probably be good for everybody. But I’m also reminded of one of my uncle’s favorite sayings: There’s no…
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College Is About Education, Not Prestige
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle It’s college admissions season, and as the father of a a son in the 12th grade, I empathize with anxious parents all over America. An acceptance letter from an elite school can feel like validation. If Sally got into Northwestern, I must have done a good job. Maybe.. but I…
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The Future of Transportation
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle Technology today is truly amazing. Our lives, from the moment we wake up through the time we go to bed all depend on technologies that our parents’ generation could never have imagined. Sometimes I like to step back and marvel at the bigger picture. Self-driving cars will one day be the…
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Case Study: Reputation Pays
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment Anybody who has worked with me knows how much I care about Alliance’s brand. I’m proud of building a business that earns consistent returns for our investors, treats everybody with respect, and moves more nimbly than our competitors. It’s fun to strive for perfection, but my focus on brand isn’t…
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Case Study: Landing a Whale
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment In the world of net lease real estate, tenant quality can be the difference between mediocre and high-performing investments. Great tenants offer stable occupancy, high credit worthiness, and cash flow for years to come, with little active management required. When it’s time to sell, a brand name tenant boosts property…
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Real Estate’s Elephant in the Room
Investment December 6, 2021/Investment Severe floods are happening more often and real estate investors need to pay attention. The United States has a heck of a lot of heavily populated coastline that is exposed to rising seas. Even away from the coasts, water damage is one of the quickest and surest ways to ruin…
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Rising Rates, New Opportunities
Financial December 6, 2021/Financial We’ve now seen a full decade of very low interest rates, thanks to the financial crisis and the great recession that followed. That inexpensive money has fueled a boom across asset types – stocks, bonds, and real estate have all risen together, buoyed by a flood of cheap cash. But…
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Why I Dislike The NBA Draft Lottery
Lifestyle December 6, 2021/Lifestyle After watching another NBA draft lottery, I can’t help thinking that our sports leagues are kind of un-American. The draft punishes success and rewards failure. Add in forced revenue-sharing and salary caps, and the picture gets even worse. It’s socialism, and that’s not the American way. Championship squads take a lot…
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