Manny Kagan

What Is An Enneagram?

“Unless you know yourself, you cannot know others.”

A few years ago, our daughter Alona discovered the Enneagram.Enneagram is a model of human personality, which is principally used as a typology of nine interconnected personality types of human nature. (See the different enneagrams here.)

Alona excitedly called my wife Elfa to share her discovery. When the news reached me, I was not surprised. Not only did I know about it, but I also had a cassette tape set (remember those?) with the program. Since we were planning a family vacation to Hawaii, Elfa decided to transfer the tapes into CD’s and take them with us on the trip. During our drives from one beach to another, we listened to the description of each personality type and tried to identify which one belonged to us.

When it came to number 7, which sounded like my type, I vehemently denied it. (Apparently, it is one of the traits of number 7.) Seven is the perpetual child in a candy store, who wants everything at the same time. This is why I help tailor mortgage solutions for my clients, as well as write and photograph, and teach at the same time.

The reason I’ve chosen to write about this subject is that you have an opportunity to celebrate April 1^st (April Fools Day) at the West Portal Library, with Beatrice Chestnut, author of a new book “The Complete Enneagram: 27 Paths to Greater Self-Knowledge”. She will share some of her knowledge and expertise. April Fools Day was first mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Talesin 1392. You can get this book at the Public library.

I regularly visit the West Portal Branch Library. When I find out about a specific book I want to read, my first step is to check it out on Amazon and then I take a trip down the hill from our house on the weekend. If some books are not directly available in the San Francisco library branches, they can be ordered from other affiliated libraries and sent to your preferred location. There is always a friendly librarian who can help you.

Besides borrowing books from the library, you can learn a lot from different teachers. Melissa Riley (West Portal Library 415-355-2886) organizes lectures, which are very interesting. To find more, please contact her at[email protected].

Hope to see you on April 1^st!

Here is a link to a flyer of the Beatrice Chestnut event plus future events at the West Portal Library.

P.S.

There are different types of categories of people with Enneagrams. In Cuba, we met a lot of people who could be a good representative of one of the types of the Enneagram. You have to travel there to find out. Meanwhile, enjoy the images of children from my book Soy Cubano, I am Cuban. It is available as ane-book for $9.99 on BLURB or you may also purchase a hardcopy here. I am grateful to you, if you buy one, and send it as a gift to your friends.

kids5

DO NOT KEEP ME AS A SECRET.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

*Interest rates are subject to change without notice and do not constitute a commitment to make any loan at any specific rate.

I arranged a mortgage for clients two years ago with a major bank. When the interest rate recently came down, we started the process of refinancing into 30 years fixed with the target 4.25% for a Jumbo loan. The clients did not send their documents on time and we missed the rate.

Meanwhile, their bank contacted them and offered refinancing with no cost for 3.50% fixed for 5 years and I almost lost a client!

Luckily, I found another bank who offered 3.375% fixed for 5 years with no closing costs.

We will celebrate after the loan is closed!

You can read about the comeback of Adjustable loans in this Wall Street Journal article.

Whom do you know that might benefit from our tailored mortgage solutions?

Do not keep me as a secret.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

Do Not Be A Fool

“Setting goals is easy. I’ve done it many times.”

After we placed an ad on Craigslist announcing that that we were looking for new agents who want to specialize in commercial loans, I was surprised by the enthusiastic response. Within a month, 5 new agents joined our company. This presented an opportunity for me to create a training program, to help them get better results. I pulled all the manuals I had from years ago when I myself had a coach. Most of the sales training courses start with the suggestion to get results—to set goals. This makes perfect sense. If you do not know where to go, how do you plan to get there?

To paraphrase Mark Twain, setting goals is easy—I’ve done it many times. (He was referring to smoking.) It works for some, (like quitting smoking), however it seems that after the majority of us set lofty goals, there are always obstacles, or excuses why, despite our best intentions, the results are not there. Our weight doesn’t go down and our savings doesn’t go up. Surprisingly, I found the answer or a possible solution to the issue in an obituary.

There was a beautiful write-up about Sid Caesar, an iconic comedian from the 1950’s. There he was quoted,

“Everybody wants to have a goal: I gotta get to that goal, I gotta get to that goal.” He said. “Then you get to that goal, and then you gotta get to another goal. But in between goals is a thing called life that has to be lived and enjoyed—and if you don’t, you’re a fool.”(NY TIMES 2/12/14).

To a certain extent, it was an “a-ha” moment for me. Instead of setting production goals, why not focus on the goals of how to enjoy life? Our work is an important part of our lives; it serves two purposes. For those who enjoy what they do (that includes me), earning money is an added bonus. Therefore, the amount (goal) depends very much on our needs, which can be increased or decreased.

But of course there are the basics—like living expenses. Plus there are extras—paying off debts, private schools for our children, our yearly subscription to the opera or symphony, dinners in fine restaurants, short trips on the weekends, and longer vacations. But what many overlook is the rule of paying myself first— before other bills. This is the basis for emergencies and retirement. After adding up all of the costs, we arrive at the amount that we need to enjoy our lives. This is The Goal.

But all the money in the world will not help one enjoy life. Do not set goals for that reason; just enjoy it. To enjoy my life, my goal in 2014 is to help 200 clients to reach their goals.

Please help me do it.

P.S.

I wrote this story while in The Sea Ranch, where we come to recharge our “batteries”. Flocks of birds were flying in front of our window. They do not set goals and just go with the flow—being attuned with nature. It reminded me of something Jesus said:

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26).

Hope that my images of the birds will serve as a reminder.

DO NOT KEEP ME AS A SECRET.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

Please remember to LIKE us on Facebook !

*Divorce settlement special. Cash-out is usually up to 60% LTV. Interest rates are subject to change without notice and do not constitute a commitment to make any loan at any specific rate.

A couple was going through a divorce where a husband wanted to keep the house. They agreed that the value of their home was $800,000. The current mortgage had a balance of $350,000.

To enable him to keep the property, he had to give his ex-wife his share of the difference or $225,000. As a result, his new loan was $575,000 or 72% LTV. For most of the lenders, this transaction is called a “cash-out refinancing”. This triggers an increase in the rate and limits the LTV to 60%.

We found a different solution.

Our lender did not consider it as a cash-out because of the divorce and we were able to close the loan with a low 30 year fixed rate.

To help couples find tailored mortgage solutions, please contact Manny Kagan.

Whom do you know that might benefit from our tailored mortgage solutions?

Do not keep me as a secret.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

Please remember to LIKE us on Facebook for additional information!

Can You Afford To Retire?

“Retirement is not a physical act, but rather a mental state. ”

Next week on March 11^th, two financial experts (Larry Weiss CFP®, CPA, and Kathryn Amenta,Financial Advisor) and I, will conduct a seminar, “How to Retire Within Your Comfort Zone”.

What prompted me to bring the subject of retirement to your attention was a conversation we had with Peter Karp, who is doing a very good job managing our retirement account. Peter shared some good news with me: “You are not ready to retire. You need to generate revenue for at least two more years.”

I call it “good news”, since I am not planning to retire for another 30 years. Not only that, but I am not even planning to slow down. I would rather start building what I call a “start-up”.

Who said that only young people can do it?

Sure, I do not have their energy anymore, but I have something more valuable—wisdom about how to enjoy my life while doing it. I call my new idea “We R Village”. I will write more about it as we progress.

In my work, I see the whole financial picture of our clients. Not many are ready to retire, even when after working for many years for the same institution, they are laid off. Only a few companies offer pensions nowadays, and it is usually not enough. Real estate properties often become a source to supplement retirement income, if they have enough equity. Some homeowners choose reverse mortgages.

I had a conversation recently with a friend who will retire after working for a major bank for 40 years. Her 401K plan has a significant amount of savings as a result of matched contribution throughout the years. She told me that younger employees are opting out and not participating in this opportunity. They want to have money—NOW! What will they do years later?

Do not get caught! It is never too late to get yourself ready. Look at me!

Hope to see you at the event!

EVENT INFORMATION:

Date: March 11th, 2014
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30pm
Where: 33 Arroyo Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080
What: Retirement Seminar

Click here to reserve your seat today!

Call 415-794-4360

(Click to enlarge)

P.S.

In Havana, I met some men, who looked like they were in their retirement age, that either continue to work, or just enjoy life.

DO NOT KEEP ME AS A SECRET.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

Meet Up with Manny!

Meet up with Manny and his friends for a night of sharing common interests and ideas. You will have the opportunity to meet people with common real estate interests who own or want to buy commercial or apartment buildings, share, or address any ideas and concerns.

This month’s Meet up event will take place on:

March 13th at 2345 24th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116, from 6:30-8:30pm.

Our special guest speaker, Lawrence Souza, will present on “Managing Real Estate Portfolio Risks”.

Lawrence Souza has over 23 years of experience in institutional real estate and securities strategic research. He is a real estate and financial professional, professor, economist, advisor and broker. Mr. Souza has undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science, public administration, economics, finance, and information systems; is an adjunct professor at University of San Francisco, San Francisco State University, and Golden Gate University; and is a registered representative and investment advisor.

Interested? Let’s meet up!

Please spread the word and remember to RSVP.

Looking forward to seeing you on March 13th!

MEET UP DETAILS:

Date: Thursday: March 13, 2014
Address: 2345 24th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94116
Time: 6:30pm to 8:30pm

RSVP on Meetup.com:
http://www.meetup.com/Bay-Area-Commercial-Real-Estate-Financing/events/169662052/

See you soon,

Retirement Seminar

Do you want to retire?

Or are you just not ready?

Ready or not, learn to do it with style.

Join me and two other experts (Larry Weiss CFP®, CPA, and Kathryn Amenta,Financial Advisor) as we share our personal experiences.

Please invite your friends!

(click to enlarge)

MEETING DETAILS:

Date: March 11th, 2014
Time: 6:30 pm to 8:30pm
Where: 33 Arroyo Drive, South San Francisco, CA 94080
What: Retirement Seminar

Click here to reserve your seat today!

Call us at 415-794-4360

map

Cheers,

*Interest rates are subject to change without notice and do not constitute a commitment to make any loan at any specific rate.

A contractor was looking for a lot in San Francisco to build a house for sale. The seller needed a quick close. We were able to arrange financing and close in 30 days.

Whom do you know that might benefit from our tailored mortgage solutions?

Do not keep me as a secret.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

Please remember to LIKE us on Facebook for additional information!

Do You Have Faith?

“Plant seeds of opportunity and help them grow.”

I’ve been wanting to write about the subject of faith for a while. Not the faith for some deity or certain religious traditions, but rather faith in life. The kind of knowing that regardless of what happens; everything will turn out all right.

I do have this faith—and my life is the proof.

If you read my first book, “The Mortgage Game: The 5 C’s and How to Connect Them”, you know that I had many ups and downs in my life.

After working with us for over 20 years, two of our top producers decided to leave the mortgage bank we were affiliated with for another mortgage bank—the greener pasture. Despite the financial blow to our bottom line, I saw this as an opportunity to get rid of the old way of doing business, where we were heavily dependent upon the whim of the people, markets, economy, or regulators, and to rebuild ourselves as a commercial mortgage broker, while continuing residential mortgage brokerage the way it always worked—“only by referrals”.

After placing an ad in Craigslist, we immediately got responses. What was remarkable was that two candidates called without seeing the ad. As a result, five new associates who will focus on commercial loans, joined our team and this number will continue to grow.

But there is of course another faith, which probably has similar roots to the one I described before–faith in a higher power. We might call it either “Hashem”, “Allah”, or “God”, but it is all the same.

Faith can manifest in various forms. On the morning of the day that he passed, my friend Alex was unconscious. He lay down in his bed, his eyes closed, without any reaction. At 3 pm, the rabbi came and started to pray. Suddenly, Alex opened his eyes and started to repeat the words of the prayer as though the rabbi was following him. Alex never learned how to pray before. But he always had faith and at the last hours of his life, he knew what to say.

Have faith. Everything will be all right.

I have faith in your sharing this message and my ability to find tailored mortgage solutions for your friends.

P.S.

In Cuba, after over 50 years of the Socialist regime, not many people demonstrate their faith to God, but I was lucky to capture a few who wore a cross, as a symbol of their faith.

DO NOT KEEP ME AS A SECRET.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

*Interest rates are subject to change without notice and do not constitute a commitment to make any loan at any specific rate.

A single mom with a daughter wanted to buy her own house. She felt she was over the bitter divorce, which left a short sale on her credit records.

She had $54,000 in her bank account. We could get her an FHA loan, which would have high MI monthly payments. Instead, I decided to chose the program without mortgage insurance.

Her real estate agent found a house for $568,000. With 10% down payment (her sister lent her $10,000 to cover the difference and the closing costs), her new mortgage payment was $2,477 less than her current rent.

Whom do you know that might benefit from our tailored mortgage solutions?

Do not keep me as a secret.

SMILE AND PLEASE SHARE IT WITH A FRIEND

Please remember to LIKE us on Facebook for additional information!

Category: Manny Kagan

What Is An Enneagram?

Mortgage Solutions for You

Do Not Be A Fool

Mortgage Solutions for You

Can You Afford To Retire?

Meet Up with Manny!

Retirement Seminar

Mortgage Solutions For You

Do You Have Faith?

Mortgage Solutions for You