Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

California Economy

"Onerous Laws & Regulations” and “Unintended Consequences” are the State’s Most Reliable Output.

A reality-based look at housing, lending, regulations, and the consequences nobody expected, nor budgeted for.

California isn’t just an economy—it’s a live experiment in what happens when ambition meets regulation, and regulation meets… more regulation. I break down what’s really driving outcomes in housing, insurance, construction, and credit—tracking the intended and unintended consequences all the way to NOI, DSCR, and deal viability. Humor included, because if you don’t laugh at policy irrational logic, you’ll end up crying into your escrow impound account.

Search Results

PACE Regulatory Reset-2025. Shortened Version.

What changed—and why it matters.

The 2025 PACE Regulatory Reset — What Lenders, Program Administrators, and Property Stakeholders Need to Know

Residential Property Assessed Clean Energy (R PACE) financing will operate under a materially new federal regime beginning March 1, 2026, following the CFPB’s December 2024 final rule applying TILA/Regulation Z to PACE and adding Ability to Repay (ATR), TRID, and other mortgage-like obligations to PACE transactions.

Private Money Lending: A Strategic Alternative to Bank Financing in Real Estate

With case studies and a field-tested playbook for finding and vetting lenders: Private (hard) money lending is a strategic tool in real estate investment, offering speed, flexibility, and asset-based underwriting. It’s the solution when opportunities in the market Demand immediate action, bypassing the wait times of traditional bank loans. While it may be costlier, private capital empowers investors to pursue fix and flip, bridge, construction, and creative strategies that many banks won’t finance.

Church and Non-Profit Owners Can Now Unlock Hidden Value in California Real Estate Through Entitlement Arbitrage:

California’s evolving land use laws have created a rare window of opportunity for church and non-profit corporations. With the state now overriding local municipalities in the approval process, properties once constrained by zoning limitations can now be repositioned for high-density residential development—dramatically increasing their value.

Will lenders allow PACE/HERO loans to encumber the property when the lender has a first trust deed?

Commercial lenders do not automatically allow PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) or HERO loans to be placed on properties when they hold a first trust deed.

The Distinction between truth and Illusion in American Politics: An Analysis of facts, Frames, and the Post-Truth Challenges.

In an era where the battle between objective facts and manufactured narratives is shaping American politics, understanding the difference between truth and illusion is more crucial than ever.

Police State, Tyranny, Authoritarianism, and Totalitarianism:

Understanding the Differences and Lessons for Modern Governance

The Social Security Trust Fund Illusion: What Americans Should Know

For decades, Americans have been told that the Social Security Trust Fund is a reserve of assets set aside to pay future benefits. In everyday language, “trust fund” evokes an image of money invested and waiting to be drawn down.

Why Do Borrowers Choose Privately Funded Loans Over Bank Loans?

When banks say no, private lenders, in most cases, will say yes.

Entitlement Arbitrage: Property Owners Unlocking Hidden Value in California Real Estate

California’s evolving land use laws have created a rare window of opportunity for real estate property owners and investors. With the state now overriding local municipalities in the approval process, properties once constrained by zoning limitations can now be repositioned for high-density residential development—dramatically increasing their value.

California’s Entitlement Feed Back Loop: When Good Intentions, Bureaucracy, and Market Reality Collide

California prides itself on protecting consumers, tenants, and communities. However, as “I’m entitled to some of yours” expectations harden into mandates, the machinery required to deliver on those expectations grows—rules multiply, compliance becomes a business line of its own, and costs cascade through housing, insurance, and everyday enterprise.

Why Mutual Cooperation Is Breaking Down—and What’s Driving It

For decades, commerce and civic life rested on an implicit social contract: cooperation and mutual respect.

The Dr. Zhivago Effect In California

Many of us are old enough to remember the classic novel Dr. Zhivago, completed in 1956 by Boris Pasternak, a Nobel prize-winning masterpiece…The 1966 film adaptation of the story went on to win six Academy Awards. It is a romantic drama set in historic Russia between the years before World War I and the Russian Civil War of 1917-1922…

The Alarming Scope of Elder Abuse in the United States: A Hidden Epidemic

By any measure, elder abuse in the United States is a public health and public safety crisis hiding in plain sight. As America ages—older adults will comprise roughly 23% of the population by 2050—the frequency, severity, and cost of abuse are rising, while reporting remains stubbornly low. That combination makes elder abuse both widespread and chronically undercounted.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics: The Origin, Evolution, and Real-World Lessons

The phrase “lies, damned lies, and statistics” is not just a cultural shorthand for skepticism toward data-driven arguments, but a powerful reminder of the potential for manipulation in numerical data. How would we feel if we realized that government statistics were one giant reservoir of lies and misstatements? So, what do you think?

Systemic Ignorance: Why So Many Americans Know So Little History—and Whether It’s by Design

If people remain ignorant from one generation to the next, then change and exploitation can easily be introduced. Each subsequent generation remains unaware of the preceding generations and only holds a frame of reference of their current generation. Manipulation and exploitation are easy because people know no difference; Ignorant people think that is the way it has always been.

Why Jesus Created the Most Profound Movement In History. He Was The Original Great Influencer.

• Scale of Impact: Christianity grew from a small Jewish sect in the 1st century to the world’s largest religion, influencing billions of people across 2,000 years. • Enduring Movement: Few movements have endured with such continuity and global reach as Jesus’s, leaving a lasting impression and earning respect across the world.

How to Spot Manufactured Illusions: A Practical Guide (with Real World Examples)

Manufactured illusions don’t usually look like lies. They feel true, familiar, emotionally satisfying, and endorsed by sources we trust, or that we foolishly trust. That’s by design.

Subordination and Inter-Creditor Agreements: Agreements that Modify the Collateral Lien Position, by Mutual Written Agreement Between Principal Parties

A contractual document that provides a mutual understanding of modifying lien priority in real property transactions.

Is Affirmative Action Marxist? Separating Myth from Reality

Few topics spark as much debate as affirmative action. Critics often claim it’s rooted in Marxist ideology. But is that true—or just a convenient talking point?