JackChat

If you’re operating at the C-suite level, you deal with risk on a daily basis. Most executives don’t misunderstand risk; they oversimplify it.

Time management isn’t about cramming more into your day — it’s about gaining clarity, setting priorities, and using the right tools to focus on what truly moves the needle. In this article, Jack Cohen shares practical strategies and decision-making frameworks that help you cut through distractions, organize tasks effectively, and take consistent action toward your most important goals.

Fresh from the latest CREFC conference, it’s clear the organization continues to set the gold standard for commercial real estate finance events. With record-breaking attendance estimated at over 5,000 industry participants, CREFC has surpassed even peak MBA CREF conferences—underscoring both the association’s leadership and the remarkable evolution of the CRE finance industry.

Ready to stop guessing and start leading with clarity? In this guide, Jack Cohen walks you through a proven approach to annual planning — from designing your intended future to mapping milestones and building goals that actually drive results. This is the roadmap for leaders who want their next 12 months to matter.

On the way home from the fall Urban Land Institute (ULI) conference in San Francisco, I reflect on the real-estate cycle: with rising inflation, floating-rate loans, tightening labor markets and inflationary policy, the headwinds are growing. But opportunities remain for investors who adapt, buy under replacement cost, and thoughtfully underwrite in a world where “hope” isn’t a strategy — realism, acceptance and flexibility are essential.

Evolve or Risk Insanity
In "JackChat: Evolve or Risk Insanity," Jack critiques the commercial real estate industry's reliance on short-term financial strategies, such as floating-rate debt and quick asset turnovers, which have become problematic amid rising interest rates. Drawing from his experience during the high-interest era of the 1980s, Cohen emphasizes the value of long-term investment approaches, including amortizing loans and sustained asset management. He warns that without a shift back to these foundational practices, the industry risks repeating past mistakes and facing significant financial instability.

Inside My Investing Plans for 2025 and Beyond
As the end of the year approached and rolled over to a new year, I took the opportunity to assess the past year in content.

Course-Correcting in 2025 and Beyond
As most of us are in our final stages of planning for 2025, I want to share my views about how we can course-correct our plans based on what was, is, and can be for those who are up for adapting to the times.

Why should I care about all the headlines around Fed Fund Cuts? I don’t borrow from the Fed at Fed Funds Rates, do you?

Hard Questions (and Answers) For This CRE Current Reality - Oh my. What have we gotten ourselves into? IF we only read the headlines when identifying the risks we face, we would be thinking that there is some sort of commercial real estate crash happening or about to happen.

In a few short months, June 1, I will celebrate my 42nd anniversary in the industry! Today, in an internal meeting, one of my younger colleagues challenged me to stroll down memory lane and discuss prior “recessions” (say, industry hiccups for one reason or another) with the context for each of sharing a learning moment.

The commercial real estate world is not coming to an end. It’s back to basics. Fundamentals matter. Really.