Are Opportunity Zone Funds actually raising any money yet? Chris Loeffler is co-founder and CEO of Caliber, an Arizona-based alternatives investment management firm that was among the first to launch a Qualified Opportunity Fund last year, a fund which has already raised $40 million, is actively deploying capital to Opportunity Zones, and is expected to
How can the resources of the Federal government be leveraged to help deliver generational impact to Opportunity Zone communities? Scott Turner is the newly appointed executive director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council — a group of cabinet members and White House officials charged with coordinating Federal agency efforts to magnify the impact
Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló signed the Puerto Rico Opportunity Zones Development Act last week. The bill creates the regulatory framework for investing in Opportunity Zones on the island and establishes conformity with the federal tax incentive. Several additional incentives are also created by the new law, including: 18.5 percent tax on the net income
How was the Opportunity Zones initiative created in the first place? And why is this program so radically different from previous place-based policies? John Lettieri is co-founder and president of the Economic Innovation Group, a Washington, DC-based public policy organization that created the Opportunity Zones legislation and continues to inform the rulemaking process. Click the
How can retail investors access alternative investments typically reserved for institutional investors? And where do Opportunity Zones fit into the universe of portfolio alternatives? Washington, DC-based Tony Chereso is president and CEO of the Institute for Portfolio Alternatives, a trade group tasked with advocating for awareness of portfolio diversifying investments (PDIs). Click the play button
Chicago is home to 133 opportunity zones. But which neighborhoods on Chicago’s West and South Sides have the greatest levels of redevelopment need? And what are some of the challenges of acquiring capital for building in low-income communities? Lennox Jackson is founder and CEO of Urban Equities, a Chicago-based real estate developer and advisor that
Is gentrification a good thing? And why might affordable rate housing not be the best solution in certain low-income neighborhoods? Lennox Jackson is founder and CEO of Urban Equities, a Chicago-based real estate developer and advisor that specializes in residential, retail, and commercial projects. Note: this is Part 1 of my conversation with Lennox. Click
Last Thursday, May 9 at the SALT Conference in Las Vegas, Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson announced two new Federal Housing Administration incentives for multifamily properties located in Opportunity Zones. Firstly, FHA has designated a team of senior underwriters who will ensure expedited review of applications for properties located in opportunity
Senate Bill 1344 would require the Treasury Department to collect data and issue a report on the effectiveness of the Opportunity Zones tax policy. The bill is sponsored by Cory Booker (D-NJ), Tim Scott (R-SC), Todd Young (R-IN), and Margaret Hassan (D-NH). The original Opportunity Zones legislation that was first introduced to Congress in February
What are some of the most common Opportunity Zones legal questions and issues when it comes to starting or investing in a Qualified Opportunity Fund? Washington, DC-based attorney and accountant Steve Schneider is the head of the passthroughs law group at Baker McKenzie, the largest tax law firm in the United States. Click the play
OpportunityDb.com provides world-class tools, education, and analysis to help interested parties discover opportunities in the federal Opportunity Zones program.
