Nobody likes thinking about bad scenarios. Illness, death, property destroyed by flooding — these are uncomfortable subjects. Many avoid planning for trouble..
Negotiation is at the heart of the real estate investing. Doing it well requires sound analysis and and an understanding of your counterparty’s motivations.
We live in a time of great uncertainty, and smart people are wondering where they should put their money to weather any coming storms. More on that later.
Business today is more demanding than ever. Information is king, and everybody wants quick responses. Long hours, instant responsiveness, and lots of coffee can..
There’s an old saying that says trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets. In life and in business, every single encounter or transaction is an opportunity to put..
I love the saying no risk, no reward. It’s equally true for investing and for a life well lived. If you’re not in the game, you can’t win anything, and taking too little risk is
When you’re ready to make a real estate investment, there are a lot of bases you need to cover, but none is more important than financing.
College is supposed to educate our kids and make them ready for a competitive world, but is the system working? I’m shocked by the lack of basic skills in..
When I hear friends talking up the wonders of index funds, I have conflicted feelings. On one hand, it’s great that they want to invest. On the other hand, index..
Everybody knows the old saying in real estate: location location location. In my deal-making part of the industry, there’s another version: reputation
Recently, I’ve received messages from our readers asking for more details on how our ideas translate into real returns for investors. To illustrate how Alliance..
Thank you to all the readers who wrote in last week after we published our story about the hospital investment that turned into a big win.
Leadership If there is a secret to business, this is it: Put energy into creating value, in addition to capturing value...
Success has many parents but failure is an orphan. Anyone who’s spent time working a bureaucracy has seen how this…
Nothing is more important to the success of a growing business than building a great team. But finding the right people…
Thoughtful, sincere praise might be the most underutilized gift leaders can give. Everybody wants to feel that they are valued,…
I heard a quote recently that really resonated with me. “Creativity starts with an empty calendar and ends with a full…
Media has been filled with stories about “quiet quitting”. These stories often have a tone of indignation: what is wrong…
What’s the secret to your success? You hear questions like this all the time these days… at networking events, podcast…
Business leaders have earned their stripes. We’ve honed our business judgment through years of experience and wins. But exercising good…
For years, I built Alliance incrementally. Deal by deal. Of course, that’s the only way to do it… but at…
I’m always looking to grow as a person. Sometimes life throws you challenges to overcome… and other times an idea…
“Attention is the cash value of your time” – Sam Harris I love this line. I believe it carries a…
These last few years, I have been extremely focused on taking Alliance to the next level. It’s been quite a journey,…
A few times recently, I came across this saying called the serenity prayer. It goes “grant me the serenity to accept…
One of my favorite parts of the December holiday season is that it’s a perfect time to reflect on the progress…c
You can tell a lot about companies by watching how they make decisions. Clear, decisive, accountable leadership nearly always leads…
Some people say that “culture” is a made up idea. Or that it’s ambiguous and subjective. I disagree. Anyone…
It’s been more than two months since the hot war between Ukraine and Russia began. The outcome to date has…
Businesses across the country are seeing surges of demand. America is increasingly open for business, and businesses are hiring. Today’s tight…
Life is short, and best lived when enjoyed. For me, the pandemic was a reminder of this fact. There are no…
Is an engineering degree the right degree? What is the best job out of college? These kinds of questions have come…
The last few years have been turbulent. Even beyond the pandemic, our politics, culture, and economy are changing fast. While some…
Business leaders have earned their stripes. We’ve honed our business judgement through years of experience and wins. But exercising good judgement…
As many companies officially return-to-work, organizations are finally rethinking stale conventional wisdom about how things get done. Should everybody return to…
Politics are very polarized these days, and unfortunately that is bleeding into the workplace. This can be a challenge, but it’s…
These days, I hear a lot of pessimism about the future. There are always valid reasons to worry, but I…
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.
There’s no reward for perusing social media. No score keeping for “likes” or “shares”. And no real value in seeing what your old high school fling looks like now and how..
If you own your own home, you know all about maintenance. Some house projects require a skilled professional, others are simple do-it-yourself tasks, but most fall..
Everybody wants to know the secret of success. These days, our social media-driven culture gives us a high definition picture of what success looks like, who’s..
More than half the calendar year is gone, but that doesn’t mean that it’s time to coast to the finish. Quite the opposite. For me, the time between summer break and..
I’ve been thinking about workplace efficiency recently. Businesses have to adapt or face extinction. The last real estate investment firm to incorporate satellite and..
Tragedy in the news recently has me thinking about what really matters. Life is short, our time is precious, and I want to make sure I’m living right. How do we know..
Across the corporate world and beyond, mindfulness is all the rage. Consultants and gurus are selling books, lectures, retreats, and meditation classes that promise..
Holidays are supposed to have a point. Holy days celebrate things of spiritual significance, and even secular holidays honor people, values and events worthy of..
I love holiday season and Thanksgiving is my favorite. In my view, a good holiday has a purpose and gives us a chance to step outside our personal dramas remember..
Now that we’re into the final month of 2017, it’s time to think about how to close out the year. To many people, December is a time for shopping, vacations, and relaxing..
Winter holiday season is upon us. No matter what your religion, this is a great time to reflect on the year gone by and hopes for the future. It’s a time for warmth..
I always look forward to gathering with relatives at the end of the year and it saddens me that so many people feel anxious about family time. Even the tightest-knit..
It’s the season of temptation. Cold weather encourages us to stay indoors just as family plies us with hearty meals, endless sweets, and booze. We’re all at risk..
New Year’s resolutions might seem corny to some people, but I take them seriously. The turn of the year is a special opportunity to reflect on what matters and focus..
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.
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..
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.
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..
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..
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.
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..
Commercial real estate is a term that covers a broad spectrum of asset types, classes, locations, and markets. It is an industry that institutional..
America has an aging population, and that translates into continued rising demand for all types of medical services and medical service real..
Nearly all commercial real estate deals are financed using some combination of debt and equity. The nature of that debt can take many forms – ranging..
It is no secret that housing is prohibitively expensive in California, but perhaps less known is the disease of exorbitant rents and mortgages..
From an early age, most people are taught that taking on too much debt is irresponsible and can result in financial ruin. Therefore, many people..
Never before in world history has such a large—and wealthy and entitled—population moved into their golden years, as presently in the United States.
The commercial real estate market has been generating strong returns for investors. For property owners in the right sectors, the rent checks are rolling..