Archive View (November 2008)

Last week I had the privilege of presenting Michael Phelps with the Male Athlete of the Year award.  Along with former Olympian Don Schollander, I enjoyed reviewing some of the great moments of the Beijing Olympics. Of course, Phelps and his eight gold epic is one of the greatest achievements in the history of sport. There were four candidates for this award, which Don and I covered for the ceremony. For those of you who may not know who Don Schollander is, he was the nation’s most celebrated athlete in 1964. He was on the cover of Life Magazine as the more...

I have been taking notice that many companies in many industries are promoting themselves as “green” or “eco-friendly”.  These are other words that one may associate with being environmentally conscious while using recycled products etc.  I have come to the conclusion that those words are synonymous with greed and profit.  Allow me to explain.  I find that anytime the “green” title is attached to a product, I have to pay more for it.  Why?  If the product is made using recycled materials, doesn’t that mean the company didn’t have to buy new components to manufacture it?  If they are using recycled materials, more...

Since I often emphasize the importance of being aware on a global level, I was reminded by a chapter in my book with Robert Kiyosaki, Why We Want You To Be Rich, which came out in 2006. In this chapter I gave some facts about China and India that illustrate why I stress knowing something about other countries should be a priority. These two facts alone about China were a clear indication of how that country is doing: The first Starbucks opened in China in 2004. There are now more Starbucks in China than in the United States. In the 1970’s, Shanghai had exactly more...

A few months ago, a citizen in Canada sent me a copy of her local newspaper from Kamloops, British Columbia. There was a photograph of a homeless man who was surrounded by his belongings, and he was reading a copy of my first book, The Art of the Deal, which came out in 1987. The reporter who saw him spoke to him, and a photograph was taken. I was very taken with the story and photo and decided to send the man a check for $1,000.00 via the reporter from the Kamloops newspaper.  I was impressed that, despite his situation, he more...

While lenders are fairly well settled into what they will require for a buyer to qualify for a loan in this new credit economy, many real estate investors find themselves disenfranchised from the process because they are no longer eligible. It’s true.  Whether it be for credit, income or a significant enough down payment, only a fraction of those who would have been eligible just 12 months ago, can still make it happen.  So for every action, comes a reaction.  The market has gotten creative and I am seeing a resurgence of unique ways people can still buy and sell real estate.  more...

Once again my very smart friend Tom Barrack of Colony Capital sent me one of his essays that was based on his pondering over a way “to chart a path to lead our team and our investors out of this jungle” in reference to what’s been going on with the economy. He found the answer while talking with one of his friends, Paul Marciano, the CEO of Guess?, Inc. Paul and his brothers are self-made and have built Guess into one of the most well-known fashion brands in the world. He asked Paul what his insights were on the economy, and because more...

This week I was interviewed by Dominic Carter of New York 1, on his program called Inside City Hall.  New York 1 is an all-news program that is popular in New York City, and Dominic Carter is someone I have a great deal of respect for. He should have a national show, but then New York would miss out on his full time and dynamic presence here. He describes me as “a man not known for keeping his opinions to himself” and the interview spanned two consecutive nights. On Tuesday night we covered some interesting topics. Dominic asked about the election more...

The lending landscape is an ever-evolving one.  While banks try to figure out what risks they are willing to accept, there seems to be a need for people to get access to more cash for down payments.  Historically, people were selling stocks, bonds, borrowing against the equity in their homes, or as many of you know, investing with NO MONEY DOWN. In the new economy, one way to get access to cash is by tapping your retirement account.  With the stock market’s volatility and no real rhyme or reason why companies’ values are in the dumps, it makes sense in many cases more...

Last month I was coaching about a hundred or so seasoned real estate agents on how to buy and sell pre-foreclosures.  It occurred to me that for most, it was a mystery that the best deals are found before the bank forecloses rather than after.  The reason this happens is that not only in today’s market but in any market, the bank generally doesn’t want to own the real estate secured by their loans.  They will often take less than what is owed and this is called a short-sale.   Most real estate professionals are unclear as to how a short-sale works more...

It was a few years ago, probably in 2005, that I received a phone call from Coach Mike Leach, calling to say how much he liked my books because they were inspirational. As I follow college football, I knew that he was the coach for Texas Tech, and a great one at that. We had a conversation and I realized we shared a few things in common as far as motivation and focus go, and we’ve stayed in touch. Just last week I appeared on ESPN for his weekend game against the University of Texas (currently #1). Coach Leach invited me more...

On November 12th at 8pm EST, Trump University will feature a FREE time-sensitive webinar, Protect and Grow Your Assets. Wealth expert and attorney J.J. Childers (author of Trump University Asset Protection 101) will discuss wealth creation and wealth protection--must-have information in today's turbulent economy! Space for this webinar is limited, register now for our Asset Protection webinar if you want to reserve a spot. J. J. Childers will teach you how to: Pay the Absolute Least in Taxes Keep Yourself and Your Family Financially Secure Weather the Economic Storm Successfully Start Your Own Business Here are the details for this event: DATE:  November 12, 2008 TIME:   8:00 p.m. EST If you more...

This story started over five years ago, and as of this week, it has a happy ending. I had spent five years reviewing sites throughout Europe, and turned down over 200 possibilities for development.  Then I saw the links land at Menie Estate, which is in northeast Scotland’s Grampian Region. I had never seen such a dramatic unspoiled seaside landscape--it had three miles of spectacular oceanfront and sand dunes of immense proportions. To put it mildly, I was excited. I knew this was the right place for my golf course, and I had two additional reasons for that: My mother was more...

Our current housing markets as a whole being sluggish have brought out a tremendous influx of investors wanting to take advantage.  The competition is fierce for those trying to find properties at bargain basement prices so investors have to be creative in locating them.  One way that is seeming to be catching on is through contract assignment. A contract assignment occurs when an Assignor (middle-man) finds a property and secures it with a contract.  He or she then finds a buyer for this property and assigns said contract to them at a higher price than what he negotiated but usually still at more...

Jones Beach on Long Island has been an important part of many New Yorker’s lives since childhood, including mine. When my venture, to be called Trump on the Ocean, was announced in the spring of 2007, it was met with opposition as well as support. Some people saw it as historic preservation, other people saw it as a blight on the landscape. Whenever I do anything, the scrutiny can border on the ridiculous, but I refuse to give up. Just last Friday it was announced that I’d won a big victory, and here’s the press release: DONALD TRUMP WINS HUGE VICTORY AGAINST NEW more...