Los Angeles, financial markets, neighborhoods, society and culture, from a Los Angeles native and real estate advisor.
Native Angelino With Tom Levine
From a vantage point within sight of the Hollywood Sign, seated beneath a palm tree, Tom Levine takes you on a twisted, exploratory tour of popular thought, the upside-down theories of classical economics, investments, pop culture, politics and other strange things.
A Los Angeles native, real estate advisor and broker, and founder of Native Angelino Real Estate, he talks with economists, market analysts and writers about the forces shaping how the city lives and moves.
This publication covers the city through three lenses that keep turning out to be one lens. Real estate, which is where most Angelinos hold their wealth. Financial markets, which set the terms whether or not anyone is watching. Culture, which is what the city actually is.
Some of it is written. Some of it is conversation with people who know something I do not. Guests have included technical analysts, economists, clinicians, musicians and writers.
Topics
Real estate, investing, market structure.
Economics, careers, transitions.
Los Angeles, neighborhoods, culture.
Technology, artificial intelligence, what comes next.
Tom talks all things Los Angeles, bright new ideas and complex topics of interest to creative thinkers and discerning skeptics.
L.A. locals state with pride,
You can surf in the morning and ski in the afternoon.
Well, if you get a really early start, it's true.
Sometimes.
About The Author
Tom Levine brings more than 25 years in capital markets to real estate strategy, negotiation, and client advisory.
An alumnus of USC Marshall School of Business and the Claremont Colleges, Pitzer College campus, with a term at the London School of Economics.
He founded Native Angelino Real Estate, an independent boutique brokerage in 2017, holds California broker license DRE 02052698 and the certified Short Sale Specialist designation under the National Association of Realtors.
He consults on complex transactions and deal structures. If you are working through one, he is available to talk.
Why Listen?
Listeners and readers who have interest in a perspective based on a winding life experience, a Wall Street career, a sometimes educator, and student of the encyclopedia.
Who reads this
People who want a view built out of a long and uneven working life rather than out of a content calendar. Angelinos, and people trying to read the city from outside it. Anyone who would rather have the structural explanation than the reassuring one.
Subscribing
New pieces go out by email. The free edition carries new posts and the archive. Sponsors, the paid tier, receive full access along with a monthly conference call and question session.
Why The Connection to 1929?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” — George Santayana, 1905
“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” — Sir Winston Churchill, 1948
“Nothing is eternal, except change.” — Everett Dirksen, 1964
The Roaring ‘20s Once Again
The year 1929 was historic in numerous ways.
I see commonalities, cyclical similarities and historical reflections:
We are again in the Roaring 20’s (2020’s)
The stock and housing markets are booming
Europe is at war
What keeps me up at night:
The end of the Roaring 20’s
The year of The Great Crash and the start of 15 years of hardship
1929 as lead event to World War II
The great expansion post WWII
The Roaring ‘20s, the Great Depression, World War II, followed by 50 years of unparalleled growth and prosperity.
There is hope. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
Life Transitions And New Careers
Over the last 15 years, I have had hundreds of conversations with friends and acquaintances searching for the "next gig," the next phase in the life/job cycle.
Good people searching for the next phase, worried about how to survive the change emotionally and financially. Specific recurring themes appeared.
The conversations follow a similar map:
I've done this job, had this identity for 10, 15, 20 years, and now it's over.
How will I ever support myself and my family and make it to some sort of peaceful retirement?
I'll never replace the income and forget about my former stature, intellectual challenges, and capital earned on Wall Street trading floors.
It's true. The income will almost assuredly not be replaced. That time is over.
If lucky, one will make 1/2 or 1/4 of the previous compensation. The money is just not there in teaching, owning pizza parlors, accounting, management at Lowe's, and for those who do find work in our old industry - you are the lucky ones possibly making fifty percent of peak income.
There is a path to reinvent, to prosper, to find happiness.
Hey Boomer, Now What?
What was lacking was a simple or even complicated solution of transitioning at 45 plus years of age from a very high-paying, prestigious career to something else.
Ageism, sexism, racism probably play a role in the transition difficulties, but it's more than that.
Technology, AI and the Future
The world has changed. Jobs are gone. Skill sets are different. Technology has replaced labor. AI is on the rise.
Yet, we still have to eat. So I have set off on a quest to answer some of the transition questions.
Native Angelino Real Estate | Tom Levine | LinkedIn
