A Little About These Days

Rani Tamari #EntrepreneurOfTheWeek – Sunday, Post 1

Hi friends,
Thank you for the invitation to share my real estate stories.

We are in October 2025 (Tishrei 5786).

A bit about these days:
These words are written with great excitement today (12/10/25).
I am amazed at how Kushner, a 44-year-old real estate investor, together with Weitkoff (another investor), managed to broker a deal between Israel and Hamas to end the fighting and return the hostages.
This has been an open wound for all of us for two years.
Imagine how it would have been with a government of real estate investors?

What will we cover this week?
A – A hundred years of renting, and will I become a rich dad?
B – When everything falls apart: fear and disgust in San Diego
C – The miracle of the American mortgage
D – The truth: investments, collateral, and real inflation
E – Being a good homeowner to live well
F – Recommendations and summary

A little about me, Rani Tamari:
Former tech professional, 49 years old, in a relationship, living in Haifa.
Father of three (daughters 16 and 19, son 10).
Investor and mentor for investors in the U.S. for over 20 years.
I bought my first properties in Texas at age 28.

Alright, it’s Sunday, let’s begin…

A Hundred Years of Renting

Over the years of buying rental properties, I have accumulated over 100 years of rental income from my properties.
This rental income has more than paid back my investment.
In the long term, inflation in rents and home prices allows me to triple my money in a decade.

Remember: the American mortgage is the only financial product not tied to inflation.
Not only is the principal fixed, but the interest is also fixed and guaranteed for 30 years.
And you are allowed to pay it off early if interest rates drop.
It’s simply a miracle—and we’ll talk about it later.

Will I Be a Rich Dad?

2000–2006

2000: I also wanted to make money in the dot-com era.
I entered the adult world.
Adults are those who sell all their time to a corporation for a good pension.
At best, like my parents, you might occasionally secure tenure.

The dot-com bubble was at its peak.
I worked two days a week at a startup in Yokneam and spent three days a week at the Technion.

2001: Rich Dad or Poor Dad?
When I finished my degree, I had two job offers: one from Mellanox and one from Rafael—same salary.
Mellanox told me they didn’t know what I would do, but they were going to push me hard.
Rafael offered me a systems engineer position (#Matlab) with a tenure track.
Unfortunately, I chose Rafael.

Bookmark: In tech, options and stock are most important—not salary.

After starting the 9–5 job, I read “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”.
I began saving and investing in the U.S. stock market.
The Israeli economy was in shambles.
I started putting some money in the U.S. stock index (called #Snoppy on Facebook).

2002: First Offer to Buy Real Estate During a Recession
I was getting married in October.
That month, the U.S. stock index reached a low—#Snoppy at 800 points.
The Israeli economy was failing.
You could lock money in a 10-year government bond at 8% annual interest.
The dollar passed 4.5 NIS.

The landlord offered us to buy the apartment we lived in for $100,000.
That’s a 4.8% yield.
We knew we wouldn’t stay there long.
Relatively to a risk-free bond, the yield seemed low, so we refused the offer.

I moved next to that shabby apartment to pick up my kid from school.
Even though it was approved for demolition and redevelopment, I don’t regret it.
To me, real estate in Israel was always too risky.

I decided to pursue a PhD in the U.S.
Before the university acceptance letters arrived, I gave up tenure and resigned.
It was a successful gamble.
I traveled with my new wife on an 8-month honeymoon across South America.

2003–2006: Rich Dad – San Diego
I started a PhD at #UCSD.
In the first semester, I read books about U.S. real estate and got hooked.
Within a year, I invested all our capital in two homes in Texas.
$30,000 each = 20% #SmartMortgage
We got a 30-year fixed rate at 5.75%.

By 2006, my wife and I were working in tech and saving a lot of money.
I learned about various types of #investments.
Even after becoming parents in August 2006, we continued saving.
Life was calm and beautiful, enjoying San Diego, the Israeli community, and lots of trips in the U.S. and Mexico.

Anyone want to practice Spanish in an investment discussion?

Tomorrow I will share:
How the worst economic crisis in the U.S. since 2029 looked from our seat in California.
#EconomicHistory for those who haven’t experienced it firsthand.
#GreatRecession

(In the photo: a book from 1971 I read while traveling in Turkey, shortly before the 1998 film with Johnny Depp. Amazing actor. Highly recommended, funny, unrelated to investments. #FearAndLoathingInLasVegas)

By the way, fear—this feeling protects us as investors.
You need to manage it and avoid freezing.
Beware of #analysisparalysis.