I’m always watching demographic and economic trends. It’s one way we unearth high value deals from across the US.A very interesting trend that continues to pick up..
Nobody wins in a trade war.For the last few years, I’ve been keeping my eye on the trade situation, looking for signs of how it might affect the economy. While the US has..
Is real estate a simple fixed asset, or can it be something more like a service? That is the fundamental question WeWork is asking with their upcoming IPO.
Social engineering in housing is a failure. America’s top tier cities are increasingly unaffordable for middle class renters. Ironically, the problem seems to be..
Oversight is supposed to be the primary purpose of a board of directors, but I don’t know if that’s really what they’re doing. From Boeing’s terrible blunder..
Berkshire Hathaway is taking a multibillion dollar write-down on Kraft Heinz, a recent major acquisition. This is surprising for fans of Berkshire’s legendary..
Long term investing is all about risk assessment. Many companies, particularly public ones, are overlooking something important. Risks of a changing climate may be..
Alliance recently closed out another great deal: $2 million profit and 25% IRR for our investors. This deal highlights some of our team’s great strengths, and I am..
America remains the most productive, innovative, and wealthy country on Earth. We’re home to world leading industries, with global talent and capital. What’s our..
As a parent with one kid in college and two more approaching college-age, the quality of their education is always on my mind. As an investor, I also see that..
In today’s world, we’re bombarded with information from every direction. With more books, articles, studies, and datasets that ever, we should be getting..
Amazon is hunting for a new headquarters site and offering a huge boost to their eventual host. Wherever they go, Amazon would immediately become one..
There are so many ways business leaders can try to boost performance. Among all the compensation schemes, training programs, consultants, frameworks,…
Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of fads come and go in business. Recently I’ve seen a particularly bizarre one:…
How much work do you put into hiring a new team member at work? A typical company might review stacks of…
The recent college admissions scandal has clearly touched a nerve. But the story of elites using fraud to give their kids…
Like business owners everywhere, I’m always thinking about how to get great performance out of my team. Over the years, I’ve…
The great economist Milton Friedman once said: the business of business is business. It’s a zany one-liner that gets at something deeper, in particular on government regulation.
These days, it can feel like everybody is trying to sell something. Usually that’s no problem, but a magnetic salesman can tempt people into making bad decisions.
I know I’m not the only one who has choked on my coffee when I opened a lawyer’s invoice. Simple services should not be so damn expensive. Of course, we..
I’m excited that some environmental deregulation seems to be on the way. Lighter regulation means easier development, greater deal flow, and higher profit.
Summer travel plans have been upended, but that doesn’t mean you should stay home.I believe that in these stressful times, it’s more important than ever to get away.
In this time of hardships, America needs sports.Sports have a special place in our society. They offer us compelling drama, role models, novelty, and bring a community together.
Warren Buffet wisely said that price is what you pay, value is what you get. Are traditional MBA programs really delivering value? The marketplace is finally..
I love sports, and not for the usual reasons. While I played as a kid and I still have a few favorite teams, what really keeps me interested is the way athletics highlight..
All of today’s amazing technology was supposed to make us all smarter, healthier, and more productive. What happened?Compared to what I grew up..
Tesla is at risk of going out of business. This electric car pioneer has raised new capital every year since its 2010 IPO, and they’re still posting massive losses.
The College Board’s plan to add Adversity Scoring to the SATs is questionable. It means scoring people on the circumstances of their birth, rather than the content..
Technology has recently started to overlap with personal health in powerful ways. These new innovations could offer new avenues for self-improvement and productivity boosts.
I’m concerned about kids and video games.I see friends worrying about what their teenage kids do when they are not at home. In my opinion, a bigger..
There’s a recent business trend where companies are making big statements that seem designed to go viral. In today’s highly polarized environment, diving..
Recent news reports tell us that smartphone sales are slowing. This is terrible news for Apple, but it might be good for the rest of us. Life still happens in the..
There are a variety of ways to get ahead in life. While nothing beats getting lucky, most of us have to work for it. We can work hard, or we can work smart.
Success comes from actively shaping your own destiny. Even downtime is an opportunity to engage in your life and invest in your future. The demands of..
The value of data is rising, and so are major hacking incidents. We’ve seen a steady parade of data breaches, from Anthem to Yahoo and JP Morgan Chase to Target.
It’s crazy how fast time flies by. My eldest son recently left to start college at the University of Southern California. I’m excited for him as he starts this new chapter of life.
My grandfather used to say that opinions are like ***holes, everybody’s got one. Thanks to social media, anybody can broadcast their opinions wide and far..
In recent years, I’ve seen a troubling trend toward protecting kids from unfairness and anything that might make them feel bad. I applaud the sentiment — we all..
For cutting through all the digital noise, there’s still nothing like face-to-face interaction. Some people might call it wasteful to travel by for a conversation when..
World Cup fever is here. While Team USA failed to qualify this time, we’ve just been selected to host (along with Mexico and Canada) the 2026 tournament.
The internet is powerful because it connects us to each other. By the same power, it also connects different parts of our lives together. Everything we do..
It drives me crazy that the word diet is so loaded with baggage. “Diet” commonly means self-denial, crappy food, ridiculous promises of miracle results, crank science..
It’s been two and a half months since many of us made New Year’s resolutions and I’d bet that most of us are continuing right where we left off last year.
Everybody wants to know the secret to success in life. I won’t pretend to have all the answers, but I do have a worldview that has helped me get where I’ve always..
The ideal vacation is more than just a rest, it’s an opportunity to continue growing. I want my holidays to complement the rest of my life and fill in the gaps that I’m missing..
Some might call this heresy, but I think watching sports on TV is largely a waste of time. TV viewing, including sports, is a passive activity. When we’re looking at a TV..
The healthcare industry is under pressure to be more cost efficient – a key trend that Alliance is tracking. An aging baby boomer population is moving..
Commercial real estate services company CBRE recently released their report on the state of the real estate market in 1Q23: here The report largely confirmed things..
As many news readers know, there is a significant shortage of nurses. What is going on? There are multiple reasons why demand..
A recent study highlights that there are more large MOBs under development than ever before. This study was conducted by 42floors (here). The study is interesting..
Commercial real estate services company CBRE conducted a survey of industry professionals in 2H 2022. This CBRE report focuses on one..
It’s no secret that commercial real estate transactions have slowed recently. Inflation, higher interest rates, and other macro factors are slowing down the market.
Medical facilities often cluster together near hospitals. This is still the case… but there is an interesting sub-trend that Alliance is dialed in on.
If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there. This line from the childrens’ book Alice in Wonderland contains an essential truth.
An important real estate trend that I have followed closely is the national residential housing shortage.This shortage has been driving up home..
Disruptive events like the pandemic always create their own winners and losers. The difference between commercial real estate portfolios that..
Property insurance is priced according to the underlying risk, right? That’s the idea, but many would be surprised at the distortions that can occur in some markets.
Some places care a lot about getting things done, other places are tied up in knots of red tape. Since Alliance invests in commercial real estate across..
Culture is super important for building high performing teams. It’s also widely misunderstood.Most organizations try to shape culture through policy.
Alliance focuses on investing in properties with strong fundamentals and then adding value to the properties we manage. But it’s impossible to eliminate..
To succeed in business, strong teams are essential. There is no recipe for building a common culture and shared sense of purpose. Companies try all..
Years in business have taught me that few things are as critical to success as building a great team. High performing organizations have some common traits.
The subject of high performance is a frequent topic in my world. Why? Well, when you accomplish your goals in any given year this requires a tremendous..
It is time again for our monthly Q & A Q: Ben, I respect what you do and admire you as a principal. I had a bad partnership experience in the past.
One of the fundamental errors in real estate investing is to ignore the risk of long term vacancy. Everybody knows to look at zoning, property prices..
There are many paths to a great investment. The key is finding a place where you understand the upside and risks better than your competition.
This New Year, I’m thinking about how to lead a more mindful and intentional life… including wasting less time on mindless activities, and on goals that aren’t true priorities.
I often hear people say: data is the new oil. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is moving into more and more areas of the economy, and the fuel for AI is data - and lots of it.
Technology is changing the world incredibly quickly. I’m excited to see where it takes us in the coming years.One fact that illustrates just how quickly technology..
Over the last year, a shortage in computer chips has hobbled production of a wide variety of popular products like cars, phones, and gaming consoles.
Over the last few months, I’ve noticed a lot of stories about cybersecurity breaches. In technology and beyond, change creates opportunities for some and risks for others.
Many people in the media and politics are pushing to punish Big Tech for their various “crimes” and transgressions. There’s a lot of anger in the air, and with so much..
I’m always on the lookout for new risks to Alliance’s business. Usually, they’re deal-specific, but recently I’ve been looking at something bigger. An important piece..
Real estate has long been considered a great way for investors to diversify their portfolios and mitigate against the risk of stocks, bonds, and more traditional equities.
The senior housing industry was already facing several changes ahead of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of these challenges would go on to become even
Cap rates may be compressing among certain real estate product types, but that has not kept investors on the sidelines. Instead, more investors
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a heightened awareness of the importance of America's healthcare system. In turn, many investors are paying closer
In real estate, it is not uncommon to see two developers offer to pay two wildly different sums for the same exact property. How can one justify the price
With cap rates compressing among other property types, a growing number of real estate investors are turning to medical office in search of yield. Indeed, there..
Yield-seeking investors, or those otherwise looking to diversify their real estate holdings, will certainly want to consider opportunities in the medical office space.
The past year and a half have been enlightening for several reasons. One lesson learned: there’s no better time to own medical office real estate than during..
It is hard to turn on the TV or scroll through your social media feed and not see something about real estate. Whether it is flipping houses, being a landlord..
Medical office building investments are similar to the purchase and sale of most other income producing commercial properties. What differentiates medical..
With the stock market at or near all-time highs, more investors are looking to mitigate risk by diversifying their portfolios through some combination..
Every investment class is prone to experience some levels of volatility, and real estate is certainly no different. Volatility refers to a given investment’s..
Medical office properties, once considered a commercial real estate industry niche, have moved into the spotlight in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the most important aspects of finding success in any investment class is knowing when to strike. Market trends, projections, and forecasts..
There’s no doubt that COVID has left its mark on the healthcare industry. There were significant disruptions to service delivery early in the pandemic..
The healthcare real estate market continues to prove its resiliency, most recently, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a brief pause..
The healthcare industry is one of the nation’s fastest-growing industries and today compromises an estimated 20% of the national GDP. This isn’t lost..
The healthcare industry is rapidly evolving, and in turn, demand for certain types of medical properties is changing. As a result, Healthcare real estate..
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That famous line about subjectivity applies not just at the art auction and on the dating scene but also to buyers..
Investors looking for an alternative to stocks often turn their attention to bonds or real estate. Both asset classes are important pieces of a diversified..
There are many flavors of lease agreements in commercial real estate. For investors who operate commercial space for rent, the lease is a basic building..
We won’t tell you that investing in commercial real estate is a guaranteed path to wealth. But we can say that property ownership is a proven and..
Medical office buildings are an often overlooked asset because most real estate investors simply do not understand the nuances of this property type.
Real estate investors looking to diversify their portfolios are increasingly considering medical office properties. Once considered a relatively niche sector..
Real estate has long been considered a great way for investors to diversify their portfolios and mitigate against the risk of stocks, bonds, and more..