Zillow COO Spencer Rascoff - Active Rain Update
Zillow COO Spencer Rascoff recently wrote a interesting article on his activerain blog about a paper written by Mohanty et al on [The future of public debt -Prospects and implications ]
[ this paper ]scared me very badly, so as a form of therapy I figured I’d share it with you. Misery loves company, after all.Governments around the world are already drowning in debt, and many countries face a high certainty of debt levels that will exceed their GDP (100 in the graphs below means that GDP = the debt amount). Think about that for a second, and imagine it for your own household. GDP is the amount of all goods and services produced in the total economy – it’s sort of like your total personal income in a year. Now imagine if you make $100,000 a year and you owe $450,000 (note that the USA graph says 450 in 2040 which means the US government will owe 4.5x our total GDP by that year). How could you ever get out from under that debt burden? You can’t. And look at how high the interest payments on that debt will be – 25% of GDP by 2040. (Imagine you personally had a 5% interest rate on your $450,000 in debt – that would mean $22,500 in annual interest expense, or 22.5% of your pre-tax income. At least governments don’t have to pay taxes on their own revenue!)
In addition, unstoppable demographic trends (namely the ageing of the population in most industrialized countries) present a future in which we face a runaway train of additional government expenses.
Further exacerbating the debt crisis, the evidence shows that EVENTUALLY having more debt leads to high interest rates (for the government as well as for businesses and individuals), which only makes matter worse.
And basically the only way out of this global crisis is for governments to inflate their way out of the debt loads by printing money to pay down the debt (and to lower the real amount of the debt). Inflation is a pernicious tax on everyone, as it erodes the value of individuals’ savings and incomes. Inflation is very very bad. Basically, this paper says that the whole world is screwed. Uplifting.
About ActiveRain
ActiveRain is a Bellevue, WA based technology/media company hybrid that operates the largest and most active social network in the real estate space.
Our roots go back almost 6 years but unlike many new "real estate technology" companies we are not trying to change the business model, but rather provide the technology to augment an existing one. Over the years we've worked very closely with agents and companies both large and small, providing the technology to support their core business, selling homes. Our goal is to "Empower the real estate professional" and as an extension empower the consumer. We don't believe in placing additional barriers between the consumer and the agent.
In June 2006, the ActiveRain Real Estate Network was launched, a free social network and marketing platform for real estate professionals. This network helps agents to create business relationships both within the industry and with the consumer.
Rain Camp October 2009 [video]
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The Team
Jonathan has founded and run several successful companies over the past decade including Brio Realty, ActiveRain, Paradigm Interactive Media, and WhyNotOwn Real Estate and has been a real estate agent himself for 10+ years. A serial entrepreneur, Jonathan's vision for ActiveRain developed through his passion of improving the way real estate business is done.
If Jonathan did not love starting businesses as much as he does, he would likely be a fashion photographer, or professional poker player.
As ActiveRain's "Chief" community builder, Bob is spends his day helping to grow and maintain a vibrant community of real estate professionals. He has been actively involved as a member of ActiveRain from the very beginning and has a wealth of real estate knowledge having worked for several years as the COO of Brio Realty.
With ten years of experience generating business for successful companies like Web3000 and Who’s Calling, Lauren brings a wealth of experience and a drive for success to the well-layered team at ActiveRain. Lauren embraces her passion for developing business relationships and generating revenue through the identification and cultivation of strategic partnerships and alliances. Lauren appreciates the “little things in life,” and in addition to competing in sprint triathlons, she enjoys travel, music, good food, better wine, and anything involving water.
Experienced in the mortgage and real estate business including starting and running a mortgage and loan modification company. Striving to introduce to our members the cutting edge technology and tools available through ActiveRain. I believe in sales through education.
Real Estate Team Owner — Motivational Speaker & Trainer — Real Estate Coach — SEO addict — Social Media Futurist — Innovative and just a plain ole nice guy. Ben Kinney has started and is running multiple successful technology and real estate companies including Home4investment Inc and Live City Guides Inc. His growing real estate business has been built on the same fundamentals as ActiveRain — leverage yourself and your business through technology.
Some of Ben's websites include: Seattle Real Estate, Bellevue Real Estate, Bellingham Real Estate, Everett Real Estate, Kirkland Real Estate, and Burlington Real Estate.
Having escaped his humble Midwestern roots, Jorgen labors tirelessly to bridge the twin banks of great ideas and high technology.
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do, and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." — George S. Patton
Helping Build Community, People and Businesses through Social Networking & Blogging. Specializing in Real Estate Technology, Marketing, and Internet Strategies. Committed to "People helping People!"
A favorite hobby of mine is rock climbing. Knowing each step I take is ultimately leading me to my goal is exhilarating. With my background in sales and financial advising, I've learned that you need to explore new paths in order to reach the top.
"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten." Anthony Robbins
I'm 24, am a capricorn, and love long walks on the beach. Oh wait, this isn't a dating site is it? A Kirkland, WA native, I've had my hand in a lot of industries, from lighting and design to real estate. I love calling new members of ActiveRain and helping them jump start their real estate careers, whether they are new and starting out, or seasoned professionals who are looking to establish their internet presence. I am learning under Jon, Bob and the whole ActiveRain crew about how networking is truly God's gift to the business world. I spend my spare time listening to good music, reading, camping and having fun with friends.
I've been doing customer service for over 7 years. I have a great deal of experience working with real estate professionals, helping them capture new clients in competitive markets. I have worked for both mortgage and real estate brokers, and have a strong background in all aspects of real estate related transactions from purchases and refinances to short sales, rent-to-owns, and foreclosure prevention. I'm here to help our new members get the best possible results with ActiveRain. My motto is "you are where you put you."
"Why, simpleton, do you mix your verses with mine? What have you to do, foolish man, with writings that convict you of theft? Why do you attempt to associate foxes with lions, and make owls pass for eagles? Though you had one of Ladas's legs, you would not be able, blockhead, to run with the other leg of wood." — Marcus Valerius Martial
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