Inflation is the most destructive disease known to modern societies —Milton Friedman
Here’s how.
1 Shoe leather
The resources and energy people use to convert deteriorating currency into stable assets are costly. Economists call this shoe leather costs, alluding to how people destroy their shoes in the metaphorical...
Paying the fox to watch the chickens: The war on private housing
Despite the rise in homelessness, the federal government continues to raise the barrier to creating shelter for those without permanent housing. Infusing bad actors with HUD money is another layer.
In September the Biden admin....
Bad loans will cost taxpayers $65.2B in 2025
GAAP stands for “generally accepted accounting principles,” and are a set of rules/standards for preparing and reporting financial statements in the U.S. (unless you’re a federal agency).
RULES = U.S. private businesses + Federal agencies
Federal agencies set...
America’s spending problem
This will slim you down six ways from Sunday.
The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples’ money. —Margaret Thatcher
$2.4 billion—federal losses under specially-created accounting rules by the federal government
Creating...
Results matter
Snapshots and soundbites are used to describe politics. Makes sense. The subconscious mind constantly scans the landscape for the most important thing: The path to prosperity, stability and opportunity. And of course, a single...
Candidates move focus to housing
In the 2024 race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump for the U.S. presidency, housing is a major issue for the first time since the 1990s.
One thing is certain, the...
The price of disorder
I was once pitched a deal in the heart of the Amazon—Manaus, Brazil. What was I buying? Firstly, a commercial asset. But I couldn’t shake my concern around governance. The sanctity of a contract...
INFOGRAPHIC: A luxury vibe
High-income millennials and Gen Zers are choosing Class A apartments over home ownership. Is it a lifestyle choice or the economy?
National Class A rents average $660 to $2,000 below the average monthly mortgage
Hospitality-focused apartments
Class...
New metrics make Midwest investment attractive
Recently, the Midwest has shown surprising growth and economic resilience, making this region an attractive candidate for multifamily development, investment and general interest.
Often considered the slowest growing region in the U.S., the Midwest has...
Labor Department quietly cuts employment growth in half
The labor market increasingly resembles the imposing visage of the Wizard of Oz, with disappointment behind the curtain. Just look at the latest job numbers.
Recent data indicate the economy added about half as many...
Millennials rising
Millennials are now wealthier than previous generations were at their age. They can’t believe it either.
The median household net worth of older millennials, born in the 1980s, rose to $130,000 in 2022 from $60,000...
Categories hit hardest by inflation
Despite inflation cooling to the lowest level in more than three years in July, there’s no way around the fact that consumer prices in the United States have risen sharply over the past three...
Has capitalism come at the expense of the poor?
Perhaps the most amazing fact in all economic history is the unprecedented rise in wealth per person that has taken place in the last two centuries, following the Industrial Revolution. But it remains a...
Market set for recovery
The multifamily housing market is showing promising signs of recovery, with recent data from CoStar Group revealing a significant increase in demand and stabilization of vacancy rates.
Absorption rates have notably risen from 118,000 units...
The housing theory of childless cat ladies
Would a YIMBY building boom rejuvenate urban family life or produce sterile, megacity hellscapes?
Housing Boom = Baby Bust?
America’s low birth rate is in the news again, thanks largely to Vice Presidential candidate Sen. J.D....
