Tax reform passed in December 2017 created a huge incentive for real estate investors in low-income areas that are designated as “opportunity zones.” Investors in these areas may defer capital gains taxes and avoid paying taxes on gains if the investment is held for at least 10 years. The legislation has set off a flurry of activity among fund managers, developers and investors that are looking to take advantage of the new rule. While transaction activity has so far been muted as industry players try to understand the ground rules and raise capital in vehicles that will meet the needs of investors and withstand structural scrutiny, one thing is for certain: The opportunity is enormous.

The City of Los Angeles can use residential solar to create a citywide “virtual power plant” using rooftop solar and battery storage on as few as 75,000 homes to replace the fossil fuel plant the city is retiring in pursuit of its goal of running the City of Angels entirely on renewable sources of energy. That is the assessment from a report issued by the solar power company Sunrun.

The decade-long trend of strong growth in renewable energy capacity continued in 2018 with global additions of 171 gigawatts, according to new data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The annual increase of 7.9 percent was bolstered by new additions from solar and wind energy, which accounted for 84 percent of the growth. One-third of global power capacity is now based on renewable energy.

The job market was slim pickings when Erinn Ford received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington back in the early 1990s. Fortunately, her father — who was involved in the formation of the first REIT in the state of Washington, and subsequently founded a broker/dealer — had an opening for a receptionist. When his daughter expressed interest in the job, she was told she would need Series 7 and Series 24 designations to qualify, credentials not listed on the job posting and certainly not required of any receptionist in the broker/dealer business.

Despite the headwinds facing agricultural investing — such as lower crop prices, weak farmland values, and the U.S./China trade conflict — farmland still represents attractive investment opportunities because of advancements in crop inputs and services, the use of robotics in the field, aquaculture, and indoor farming.

You might have noticed first-class seats are disappearing on U.S. airliners. Turns out business people and leisure travelers looking for first-class treatment have discovered private jets — such as VistaJet and Berkshire Hathaway-owned NetJets — are the way to go, for a host of reasons:

One of the key issues facing real estate investors is the ability to separate cyclical changes from long-term structural ones when assessing the future potential of any particular asset class. We have already seen this play out in the retail sector as the impact of technology and online retail continues to permanently reshape the landscape.

How are investors responding to the evolution of retail real estate? Are they moving away from retail properties, in response to recent vacancies and downsizings in many malls and shopping centers? Or are they still finding ways to reap attractive returns, without abandoning the category?

ETFs have been grabbing a lot of press recently. But are they a better option than mutual funds? Dana D’Auria, managing director and portfolio manager at Symmetry Partners, weighs in on the topic.

The search for yield in a late-cycle environment is drawing more commercial real estate investors into secondary markets and alternative assets, according to CBRE’s Americas Investor Intentions Survey 2019.

Are you more likely to drive or walk on a rainy day? Do you interact more with your neighbors if you live in an apartment or a stand-alone house? Both of these considerations are a testament to how our environment impacts our behavior to such an extent that our choices are often not driven by our preferences or intentions, but by our surroundings.