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Jack P. Friedman is a real estate economist in Dallas, Texas. He has enough degrees to qualify for a charter membership in an alphabet soup association. They include CPA, ABV, MBA, Ph.D., MAI, CRE, and ASA. And to top matters, he is an Eminent Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (FRICS).
Most of Friedman's work involves litigation support in real estate matters, including contract disputes, environmental damages, condemnations, and construction defects. But, he is also an avid individual investor and has become to many of those in financial planning circles as a guru, perhaps because he was the creative talent behind the Encyclopedia of investments (Warren, Gorham & Lumont), which was also published in paperback form as The Complete Guide to Investment Opportunities (Free Press). Actually, he created an outline of essential information that an investor should have about any investment medium-stocks, bonds, real estate, and precious metals-and even secured an expert on each medium to write a chapter. Marshall Blume, a Wharton finance professor, extended the list of investment types and, with his Wharton School recognition, was named Editor in Chief of the first edition.
He is also the author of two-dozen books including four best sellers published by Barren's: Real Estate Handbook, Real Estate Dictionary, Dictionary of Business Terms, and Dictionary of Tax Terms.
The Road Well-Traveled
Friedman says he first learned about stocks and bonds as a youth from his father, a prominent New York City attorney who later became a stockbroker. He subsequently learned about real estate from extensive audit work for two shopping center developers while he was a young auditor and CPA with a Big Eight firm in New York. Later, he learned about other investments such as precious metals, gemstones, antiques, insurance, and annuities. Friedman excelled in classes at the New York Institute of Finance as a teenager and had considerable opportunities on Wall Street early in his career. Even though the net ups of the market have been greater than the net downs, Friedman preferred life in the slower lane with reliable income to the roller coaster ride.
He left New York for good after earning his CPA and MBA. His first stop in the South was Atlanta. His MBA work had been done in...