How to Be Charitable


 “Charity resides in the heart. Open it.” 


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On our way to Los Angeles to celebrate Passover with our daughter Tamar, we listened to the book by Alexander McCall Smith called “The Unbearable Lightness of Scones”, which we had borrowed from the San Francisco Public Library. This is the last one in his series about different people living in Edinburg, Scotland. Over the years, we’ve listened to many of his books, including a series of novels titled, “No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency”. Regardless of the plot, the characters, or the geographic location, all of his books share the concept of how to be charitable to other people. Most of us associate the word charity with the giving of money. McCall Smith is talking about the sharing of the goodness of your heart.

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I was thinking about the word “charitable” as we were driving through Los Angeles. Heavy traffic and congestion make people tense and nervous. Some cross in front of each other, while others change lanes without signaling. I was not surprised to hear Tamar’s verbal reaction, which was not very charitable. I did not like it, but I realized that I often did the same (both in driving and expressing myself toward other drivers).

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The next morning, I read in the Torah:

“You shall not take revenge and you shall not bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your fellow as yourself—I am HASHEM.” (Leviticus 19:16).

Those words were recorded about 3,400 years ago. Hillel the Elder paraphrased the commandment 2,000 years ago saying:

“What is hateful to you, do not do to others” (Shabbos 31a). 

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On April 20th, Easter Sunday doesn’t only signify department store sales, chocolate bunnies, and the search for colorful hard-boiled eggs. This holiday was established in 325 AD by the council of Nicea to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who was contemporarily Hillel and before his death said many good things.  Among them:

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7:12).

Regardless of which holiday we celebrate, let’s be charitable to each other. (Including the other drivers on the road.)

P.S. 

Being charitable extends also to those who might be far away from us. It is about time for our great motion to be charitable to our small neighbor—Cuba. Let’s not forget that Jesus also said:

“But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (Luke 6:27).

You can see more images of beautiful people in Cuba (and buy the book, Soy Cubano) on my website.

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Mortgage Solutions for You

 taxdefer 


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


This could be the possible scenario if we decided to sell our home this year. The net profit is calculated by subtracting the cost of the sale, improvements, original price, and $250,000 in exemptions for each spouse from the sales price.

There is a way to defer the tax indefinitelyThe amount depends on the personal income.

You could have learned the way on how to do this by attending last week’sMEETUP event about 1031 tax deferred exchanges.

Our next presentation on the same subject will take place on July 10th in San Francisco. Until then, feel free to call me to find out “the secret”.

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

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The Price Of Freedom

 

“We are free to choose, if we have a choice.” 


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On the Eve of April 14th, Jews all over the world are going to celebrate Passover. It is one of the most popular of Jewish holidays, which essentially commemorates freedom. Year after year, families and friends gather together around the festive table and read the Haggadah —the story of the exodus of the Israelite slaves from ancient Egypt, which supposedly took place over 3,400 years ago and is mentioned a number of times in the Bible:

Jesus said: “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15).

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The Torah describes those events in great details. At that time, Egypt was the largest country in the world. 210 years earlier, 70 Brei Israel—the children of Israel, whose name was given by an angel to the Israelite nomad called Jacob–who had twelve sons, and came to Egypt to avoid starvation after one of his sons Joseph was about to save Egypt from the devastating seven year drought.

In Egypt, Brei Israel grew and multiplied. After Joseph’s death and the arrival of a new Pharaoh, the Israelites were forced into slavery and backbreaking labor to build the pyramids in Egypt. Years later, an Israelite by the name of Moses, who was saved by the Pharaoh’s daughter and had to run away from Egypt after killing a slave master, is called back by God at the age of 80 for a mission to take the Israelite slaves out.

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To make the task even more challenging, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. It took ten plagues sent by God to the Egyptians, until Pharaoh granted permission for the Israelites to leave Egypt. But at what price? The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn child. Multitudes of Egyptian children had to die in order for the Israelites to earn their freedom. The death of Egyptians did not end there. After realizing that his free labor had finished, the Pharaoh decided to capture and return the Israelites back to Egypt. The elite Egyptian army drowned while attempting to cross the Red Sea, that God parted for Moses and the Israelites.

During the Passover dinner, which is called a Seder, which translates to “order”, because it follows a prescribed process; the Jews traditionally drink four cups of wine for each section of the Seder. Before drinking the second cup, it is traditional to remove ten drops from the glass with one’s finger, as a reminder that even though the Israelite slaves were saved, God’s other children drowned, and therefore the cup and the joy cannot be full.

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Mitzrayim, the Hebrew name for Egypt, means a narrow place. The path to liberty from any kind of oppression involves sacrifice, death of the old, and the destruction of familiar conditions.

Even though Passover is a Jewish holiday, it symbolizes the road to freedom for everyone: the freedom to choose the life we were born to live. The Pharaohs did not disappear—they evolved, changed their clothing, and their message. They appear as difference diseases, often as protectors (like CFPB), or liberators (like the Russian Army in Crimea).

P.S. 

In today’s world, one of the narrow places is Cuba which the U.S. is trying to widen, by using Twitter.

Everywhere in the world, young people are becoming the driving force for liberty, they are also on the forefront in Cuba, as you can see in some of the images I took in my book Soy Cubano, I am Cuban. It is available as an e-book for $9.99 on BLURB or you may also purchase a hardcopy here. (The links are also on my website.)

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Mortgage Solutions for You

 
contractor 


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


A client worked for one of the major companies in the Bay Area. For the past three years, he had a salary and received a W2 at the end of the year. He was offered to change his status to a contractor, which would increase his income, but also converting him into a self-employed 1099 person. Most lenders require two years proof of such an income.

We found a solution!

One of our lenders offers great rates for those who are self-employed for less than two years–as long as there is at least one year to support their current income.

This same lender also accepts 100% gifts for the down payment.

What are you waiting for?

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

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How To Bring Out Your Inner Beauty

 

“The mirror on the wall will not tell you that you are beautiful, until you see it yourself.” 


 

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The phrase, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” describes how beauty is subjective. The phrase derived in the 3rd Century B.C. in Greece, and is supposed to indicate that we perceive beauty with our eyes. But what about this expression from the 2001 movie, “A Beautiful Mind”:

          Nash: “Perhaps it is good to have a beautiful mind, but an even greater gift to discover a beautiful heart.”

How can one see a beautiful mind or a beautiful heart?

I decided to write about this subject after visiting a photo show where Kate Fomina displayed her work. During the day, she is a very good real estate agent with Princeton Real Estate. But in her free time, she makes women (and now men as well) look beautiful, with her photography.

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The concept of beauty changes with time. We often follow the trends set by fashion and Hollywood. But what is real beauty and how do we see it?

Kate told me about a client, a woman who after a mastectomy was in a bad state of mind. After the stylist and make-up artist worked with her, Kate took her photo. Suddenly, the woman saw herself as beautiful. But it was not just her new view of herself as others saw it, as if it was evidenced by the responses she received from social media. What changed?

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In the remarkable book “Psycho-Cybernetics”, Dr. Maxwell Maltz who was a plastic surgeon, writes that “when you change a man’s face you almost invariably change his future”. But he also wrote that “self-image is the key to human personality and human behavior”. He also observed that some of his patients, whose appearance changed after surgery, did not see themselves as “beautiful” because they did not change their own perception of their self-image.

Can we change our self-image not only about the way we look externally; but also, our outlook on our lives and the world around us? I believe we can. Try it…you might like it.

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P.S. 

On our Cuba trip, we met quite a few beautiful men and women. You will find some of their images in my book Soy Cubano, I am Cuban. It is available as an e-book for $9.99 on BLURB or you may also purchase a hardcopy here. (The links are also on my website.)

The first image in this story is Kate Fomina in front of her display. The last one is a photo of two women I photographed in front of a bank. One of them asked me to buy her a drink. After I did, she asked for my phone number. It was in front of my wife and daughter, who after the women left, enlightened me on what the woman’s occupation was. In my eyes, I just saw beauty.

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Mortgage Solutions for You

subprime 


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


Recently one of the major banks announced BIG NEWS, reported in the San Francisco Chronicle. They lowered the credit score on FHA loans from 660 to 600 FICO.

For us, it is just business as usual.

At least one of our lenders can go down as low as 580 fico with 3.5%down payment! 

History repeats itself. As before the meltdown, it is our government who is trying to help those who have less than stellar income and do not have money for the down payment. 

Will it last?

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

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Lessons I’ve Learned About Sales in Havana

 

“We all sell. The difference is what and the price.” 


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Someone asked me why we went back to Cuba less than a year after our first visit there. The first trip that we took in February 2013 was a discovery–curiosity of the “forbidden fruit”.  Though Americans can legally travel to Cuba, you need special arrangements to get there. On our second trip, we went with Cuba Explorer, a travel agency located in Canada, which organizes trips to the island for reasonable prices and with a great itinerary and service. On our second trip last December, we went to Havana because I felt I needed to meet its beautiful people again and to photograph them.

Two weeks before going on the trip, I decided to put together 52 images (out of 4,500 I brought back from the previous trip) into a book, I titled, Soy Cubano, I am Cuban. It includes portraits of the people I met on the streets, as well as some of my thoughts. I called it a “Book of Gratitude” and each page has the words “Thank You” in one of the 52 languages of the World, as well as my aphorisms (someone coined them Mannyisms). 

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As on the first trip, we met a lot of interesting people. I wanted to photograph more children, and there were quite a few of them. Children are beautiful in any country of the world. When our daughters Alona and Tamar were born, I realized that they came to this world to be my teachers. With more teachers, the wiser one becomes. Just take a look at King Solomon—the wisest man who had one thousand wives, and who knows how many children.

One phenomenon in Havana is that parents did not mind when I photographed their children and even thanked me for it. ¡Muchas Gracías! But there were other ones—primarily boys who did not mind being photographed, in exchange for a dollar. I usually do not pay to take photographs, but those kids would swarm around you in the tourist areas asking for a dollar—even before you could see them.

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Those kids on the streets asking for a dollar and never accepted “No” for an answer. They were not discouraged and persisted to ask for a dollar from any subject, and were not shy to come back.

There are quite a few other beggars on the streets of Havana. Some dressed up in colorful garbs and even had a state license to pose for the tourists for the same dollar (or local equivalent, the cuc—pronounced, kook). Yet others were just street vendors, or musicians. We learned to have enough change in our pockets to help subsidize the meager socialist government contribution. 

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As soon as the United States will abandon the embargo, thousands of American tourists will flood Havana. Cubans are getting ready and they are building many new hotels as well as opening new, very beautifully decorated restaurants. By that time, begging teenagers will become more persistent and entrepreneurial. Be sure that you have enough change when you visit there. For me, the trip is worth every penny.

Please call or email me for advice on how to visit Cuba.

P.S. 

If you enjoyed my photos and like my writing, please check out my book Soy Cubano, I am Cuban. It is available as an e-book for $9.99 on BLURB or you may also purchase a hardcopy here. (The links are also on my website.) I am grateful to you, if you buy one, and send it as a gift to your friends.

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Mortgage Solutions for You

 


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


As a general rule, a purchase transaction which requires a mortgage, can be closed within 30 days. We found an exception! One of our lenders, Freedom Mortgage, claims that they can close a mortgage in 12 days or less.

To do this, we need to have a COMPLETE borrowers’ file in our possession to submit for an approval. Not one of the required documents can be missing. 

The real estate property itself cannot have any issues and everyone, and I mean everyone, will cooperate to reach the desired objective.

Then we can say Hallelujah!

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

 

 

 

 

 

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What Is An Enneagram?

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


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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.

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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.

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The reason I’ve chosen to write about this subject is that you have an opportunity to celebrate April 1st (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.

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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 atMelissa.Riley@sfpl.org.

Hope to see you on April 1st!

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.

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Mortgage Solutions for You

5yrsfixed 


*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 loanThe 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?

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