-
1 week ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
Here we are in the middle of June, which means we are more than halfway through the year for producing business that will provide income in this calendar year.
-
3 weeks ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
Interesting stories on CNBC a few days ago about some projections being made about AI and the speed at which it will take hold, and the types of jobs that it will likely replace. A challenging series of projections that can fundamentally change the approach of businesses and possibly the entire job market.
-
1 month ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
Memorial Day weekend has always held special meaning to me. As a young boy it was about parades, ballgames, and barbeques. Times when friends and families would gather and share stories. Mine was a generation of boomers, born in the 50’s, fresh out of the Korean War, WWII, and with plenty of those still around from WWI. As I grew up, the country faced Vietnam and as an adult, a number of conflicts around the globe in which brave men and women risked their all for their country.
-
1 month ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
“Don’t worry about it, they said, don’t get a job while taking your classes, just take another loan. No need to worry about those loans, you don’t have to repay them until after you graduate.
-
1 month ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
For the past few years, I have talked about my frustration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics and how their numbers never seem to reflect what many companies actually are seeing and that they consistently must go back and revise numbers dramatically. The problem is, when the numbers come out, the markets move on that information and then MONTHS later, the numbers get “revised” and the damage is done.
-
1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Michael White
I’m woken early by starlings frantically ferrying food to their squawking chicks in my bedroom wall. To live in an ancient cottage is to be close to the wild, with the weather permeating the daub plaster and creatures coming and going. This morning I have more in common with the starlings than just my home, as I must also head out to forage.
-
1 month ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
The markets often react on emotion and not in fact. Perception often creates and shapes reality, especially in the bond markets. You must be prepared to know what is happening and plan for the reactions, not forecast the outcome. Let’s look at just the past few weeks. Remember when tariffs drove the stock market down to 38,000 and people were rushing to sell to avoid losing more money? A few weeks later, and the markets have recovered and are above 41,000?
-
1 month ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
The transition from one month to the next means a great deal in our industry. We all have seen how closings always tend to migrate toward the end of the month as everyone wants to complete business at the close of the month and look to start the new month with solid momentum. However, in the mortgage industry, we get all kinds of challenges when the end of one month and the beginning of the next month fall in the middle of the week.
-
2 months ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and find yourself lost, jumping from task to task with the feeling of things just slipping away into a giant rabbit hole of being busy! With tax season all but over (some have until May 1st due to the weather to file), Easter, spring break, and March madness all behind us, it’s time to take a minute and evaluate where you are and make your plans for the next 90-day window When you think about it, between what has already closed and the deals you already have in...
-
2 months ago | 
realtytimes.com | Michael White
Many of us have heard the old expression, “If you do what you have always done. You are going to get what you have always gotten. If you aren’t happy with what you are getting, then stop doing what you have been doing!” And while to some extent that remains true, you must put yourself in a position to understand that your business doesn’t live in a vacuum. Outside forces are always in motion.
