Fridays with Manny

CHANGE YOUR PLACE,
CHANGE YOUR LUCK

In Hebrew, there is a beautiful expression: “Meshaneh Makom, Meshaneh Mazal” — change your place, change your luck. I’m feeling this very strongly right now.

We just moved into a new office last Monday . A month earlier, we made what I call a “rightsizing” decision. Three years ago, we downsized from 4,000 square feet to 2,000. But after COVID, fewer people were coming into the office, and we found ourselves with too much unused space — empty desks and no real need for them.

This time, we went further. We reduced again. Now I have just five desks, plus two manager’s offices and small conference room — the space that actually fits how we work today. It’s comfortable, efficient, and most importantly, it feels right. And something interesting is happening…

After a challenging few years financially, I’m starting to feel a shift. Sitting here in this new space, writing this, I can sense momentum building again. I still have loans in progress, but just today I received calls from three new potential clients.

Maybe there’s something to it — change your place, change your luck.

If you’re going through changes of your own, I’d be happy to help. Feel free to reach out. And if nothing else, I’m always happy to share a good story.

Wishing you a wonderful holiday weekend — with Passover, Good Friday and Easter all coming together, it’s a special time.

Flowers always decorate the festive table!

HAPPY PASSOVER

This year, the first night of Passover begins on April 1 — April Fools’ Day. During the Seder, as we gather around the table and read the Haggadah, we retell the powerful story of the Exodus from Egypt. It is a story filled with meaning, tradition, and a structured ritual — symbolic foods, four cups of wine, and timeless lessons.

At its core, the story reminds us that even the mighty Pharaoh was ultimately fooled and outmatched by a higher power. Time and again in history, those who sought to harm the Jewish people believed they could prevail — yet they are gone, while the story and the people endure.

Passover is not only about remembering the past; it is about recognizing resilience, faith, and continuity. Each year, the same story is told, and each year it carries new relevance.

That it coincides with April Fools’ Day is a subtle reminder: there are fools who always misjudge, misunderstand, or underestimate. Let us hope we are not among them.

At the same time, spring is here—a season of renewal, growth, and new beginnings. Just as nature blooms again, so does hope.

Wishing you a meaningful and joyful Passover.

Enjoy the holiday — and don’t be fooled.

HOW TO FIX A CAR

In 1969, at 22, I was an engineer in Riga, Latvia, working for a company with military contracts. When my wife decided to immigrate to Israel — one of the early pioneers — it became difficult for me to get permission to leave, while working there.

So, I became a mechanic.

Our neighbor owned a truck garage. I had never fixed cars before, but I had worked as a toolmaker in my teens, so I was comfortable with tools. I worked mostly on wheels, breaks and worn parts — not under the hood — learning as I went. Still, “car mechanic” was never truly my profession.

Now when something happens to my car, even to change flat tire, I call AAA insurance.

Recently, when the digital screen in my Audi stopped working, I took it to the shop. After much investigation, the solution was simple: a hidden reset button. One press — and it worked.

That’s how much of a mechanic I am today.

With modern cars, sometimes even specialists just press buttons and hope. Maybe life is like that too — sometimes all we need is a small reset. And in the meantime, we can still admire beautiful machines — like the three stunning cars I photographed in Los Angeles.

Enjoy and share with your friends!

THE HISTORY LESSON

July 4, 2026 will mark 250 years since the founding of the United States. When we think about 250 years, it feels like a long time — yet in the scope of history, it is just a moment. How about 2,500 years ago, when the mighty Babylonian Empire destroyed the First Temple in Jerusalem and exiled the Israelites to Babylon?

From that exile comes the story of Purim. In the Persian Empire, a royal adviser named Haman plotted to destroy the Jewish people because of his hatred toward Mordechai. The story, told in the Book of Esther, describes how that decree was overturned and the Jewish people survived. The holiday of Purim, which this year starts on the evening of Monday, March 3rd, celebrated that reversal — when a plan for destruction turned into deliverance.

Two thousand years ago, the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem and the second temple in the year 70 CE. Later, the Ottoman Empire ruled much of the Middle East, including the Land of Israel, for 500 years. To be followed by the British Empire once governed vast territories around the globe.

Empires rise. Empires fall.

Yet the Jewish people, though small in number, endured through Babylon, Persia, Rome, the Ottomans, and beyond. Today, the modern State of Israel exists as a sovereign nation — something that would have seemed unimaginable during many periods of exile.

So, what is the lesson?

History teaches humility. Power is temporary. Hatred destroys the hater more than the hated. And attempts to eliminate a people have never erased them from history — but they have erased the empires that tried. Purim is not only a Jewish story; it is a reminder that cruelty and domination are never lasting foundations for greatness. Endurance, identity, faith, and moral courage — those are what survive time.

As America celebrates 250 years, perhaps the deeper question is not only how powerful a nation becomes, but what values it chooses to stand for — because history always renders its verdict.

Holidays are usually decorated with the bouquets of flowers. Please accept my contribution.

Happy Purim!

WHAT ABOUT FATHERS?

A few weeks ago, I reminded you about Father’s Day, which this year is going to be celebrated on Sunday, June 16^th. Thanks to Hallmark, we recently celebrated Mother’s Day, as well as Grandmother’s Day and International Women’s Day and Valentine’s Day, even Grandparents’ Day.

I bet you didn’t hear about the last one. Actually, Father’s Day’s is the holiday that was celebrated in catholic countries of Europe as Saint Joseph’s Day since Middle Ages, and nowadays is observed in more than 111 countries.

Okay, it is a common practice to give women– flowers, candies and, of course, cards on their designated days of celebration. Thanks to Hallmark Cards, there are many choices for fathers, as well. I googled Father’s Day gifts and found plenty of choices. I even found one for me – Wireless Headphones for 38 dollars.

However, there can be another gift, which can be appreciated by many fathers, like a book with jokes. Reading jokes and laughing can be one of the best ways to celebrate and to enjoy life in general. That was why I had written and published “42 Encounters with Laughter”.

The best way to order the book and receive it on time with a lovely note from you to your father is to send me an email. Please write your and your father’s name and his mailing address. The cost (including shipping and tax) is $24.00. You can pay with PayPal at mannykagan@comcast.net or by check.

I am posting this essay a week earlier, to give you enough time to order. This book, as all my other books, can be a great gift for birthdays as well, and not only for fathers.

Have a Happy Father’s Day and share this illustrated letter with a friend!

FIND A HAPPY ENDING

One of my favorite adages was “Seek out the seeds of victory in every defeat”. When I recently told it to a friend, he pointed out to me that there is a negative connotation – defeat. That prompted me to come up with my own version – “Find a happy ending in every story… be patient.” This is connected to my other saying, “It is what it is. That’s all that it is. The rest is your story.”

A good illustration for this idea can be the parable of “The Farmer and The Horse”. I like to read other authors’ pearls of wisdom, and sometimes I’m lucky to come up with my own. To make them available to you, I decided to put them together into a beautiful weekly calendar.

Though five months have already passed, you will find the images of flowers and my expressions which are timeless. It also has a healing power. You just need to open any page, look at the image of the flower, close your eyes and experience relaxation, which in turn will bring healing.

I am not making any claims, but you need to experience it yourself. You can buy “53 Reminders” on Amazon.

Meanwhile, enjoy these three images from the calendar…

…and share with a Friend!

LESSONS FROM THE EXODUS
IN TODAY’S WORLD

On April 22^nd and 23^rd, Jews around the world are going to celebrate Passover. The events which took place sometime in the thirteenth century BCE (there are many theories among modern scholars about what happened and when). In the Torah the story of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt with their leader Moses was described in great detail. It is also stated that the great multitude of other people left along with millions of animals. Now try to imagine how the entire population of Los Angeles of about 3.822 million (in 2022) managed to leave Egypt and cross the Red Sea on foot and arrive at the desert and stay there for the next forty years.

So, the question is, why will Jews celebrate the events which took place so long ago and in a foreign land, on Monday and Tuesday? Followed by the next question, why is this an important today, besides just keeping the tradition? One of the most important parts of the celebration, is called the Seder (order), which is retelling the Story of the Exodus for the ears of young children. The story is about ten tribes whose father was Jacob, also known as Israel, who lived in Egypt for at least 215 years. They were cousins and, like all cousins, they differed from one another. Only after spending forty years in the desert together, away from their Egyptian oppressors, they became a nation. United to cross the Jordan River and to capture land which was promised to their forefathers as their homeland.

Getting together at the festive table to share food and drinks is a very good reminder that there are more things which unite us than separate. And this message is not only for Jews. In challenging times, only unity can help us to accomplish a better future for our children and this will depend on which story we are telling them.

Flower bouquets are the best way to bring beauty to the festive table, as the above three images can attest.

Enjoy and Share!

WHAT IS TIME?

On a Saturday evening a few weeks ago, my wife Elfa reminded me that we would lose one hour of sleep that night because of the daylight-saving time switch. I went to sleep as usual at 10:30 PM and got up at 8 AM (which the day before was 7 AM. The only reason I noticed the time difference was because I had to change the time on some of the clocks.

But what is time? When I asked this question on-line, my iPhone not only gave me the answer, but also showed the correct time. Most of us know that “Time is relative”, which as Albert Einstein explained is, “The rate at which time passes depends on your (or mine) frame of reference”. And if you are looking for more information, check out theoretical physicist Brian Greene explaining “Time in 5 Levels of Difficulty” in this YouTube video. I stopped wearing a wristwatch a long time ago, since I have a clock on my iPhone, which is always in my pocket. There are also many sayings which answer the question what time is, like “Time is money” and “Lost time is never found again” and there are so many more.

If you would like to have a good time, you can find many of my timeless books on Amazon. Flower blooms can be a very good way to observe the results of the time change, like in these three magnolia flowers.

Enjoy and Share!

The Sky’s the Limit

It was Miguel de Cervantes who wrote in Don Quixote in 1605, “No limit but the sky”. There are a number of variations of this phrase. I thought about it during our recent walk in Golden Gate Park. The sky was covered with clouds that looked like a herd of sheep. But it was an illusion, which can be seen when an airplane enters into the cloud only to emerge in the open space a few moments later.

Browsing the web, I found a number of various meanings for the phrase. Which led me to remember a quote from Earl Nightingale. “People are where they are because that is exactly where they really want to be whether they will admit that or not.” In my early years in the mortgage business, I listened to Earl’s wisdom every week on audio tapes. (You can find his words of wisdom on YouTube podcasts). I must remind myself about the limitless sky every time when due to the high interest rates last year, we did not have enough business to pay salaries to our employees (we used our savings).

I needed to find an alternative way to help our clients. My solution was to find clients for whom reverse mortgages can help them enjoy financial comfort during their retirement. This is why I wrote my book, “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort”. Since many homeowners during their retirement lack sources of income, for me “there is no limit, but the sky” means I can help them with the reverse mortgages. Now the book is also available in audio. You are invited to order it on Amazon.

These three images above are of the clouds.

Enjoy and Share!

ARE YOU READY?

Anyone who was in the Boys/Girls Scout Organization knows there are three Scout slogans. “Do a Good Turn Daily”, “A scout is helpful” and “Help other people at all times”. And their motto is, “Be prepared”. When I was growing up in Riga, Latvia, which at that time was part of the Soviet Union, we had a youth organization like the Scouts called the Pioneers. It had a very similar motto, “Be Ready!” with the response “Always Ready!” So, my question to you is, “Are you ready to help other people retire with financial comfort?” If you read my posts last few weeks, you know that the title of my new book is “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Find financial Comfort”.

In this book you will discover there are several ways to accomplish this goal. However, since everything starts from you, there might be also the way to help yourself by helping retirees sell a high-priced real estate in the Bay Area and to buy a property somewhere else for much less with the assistance of a reverse mortgage. To make the text in the book more attractive, I decided to add photographs of nature. You can find three of them here.

Please order the book on Amazon. It is available in print and as well as in electronic version on Kindle. Please do not forget to write a review.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call/text me directly at (415) 225-7920 or send an email to mannykagan@comcast.net.

Enjoy and Share!

CHANGE YOUR PLACE, CHANGE YOUR LUCK

HAPPY PASSOVER

HOW TO FIX A CAR

THE HISTORY LESSON

WHAT ABOUT FATHERS?

FIND A HAPPY ENDING

LESSONS FROM THE EXODUS IN TODAY’S WORLD

WHAT IS TIME?

The Sky’s the Limit

ARE YOU READY?

CHANGE YOUR PLACE,
CHANGE YOUR LUCK

LESSONS FROM THE EXODUS
IN TODAY’S WORLD