Tuesdays with Mary

Tuesday, May 20, 2025 On May 19th, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued a summary judgment in the closely watched (at least here) case involving the United States Institute of Peace (USIP). The court found that the removal of board members, the attempted replacement of leadership, and the transfer of real, financial, and personal property were all unlawful, ultra vires, and without legal effect. This ruling’s order isn’t just about internal politics at a (somewhat) government-funded institution. It’s a case that touches on foundational legal principles: the sanctity of private property, the importance of observing charter [...]

Tuesday, May 12, 2025 Every now and then, a word from the past sneaks back into the headlines and makes you do a double-take. Stagflation is one of those words. If you lived through the 1970s, you probably remember hearing it on the evening news. If you’re younger, it might sound like something from a history book—one of those “bad economy” terms we learned to avoid. After all, we’ve had decades of economists, experts, and policymakers fine-tuning things. Surely, stagflation was a problem we figured out how to fix for good… right? Well, maybe not. So, What Is Stagflation? In [...]

Tuesday, May 6, 2025 It’s easy to believe that growth is a solo act. We attend the webinar. We read the article. We make the tough call. We sit quietly at the end of the day and wonder if we’re doing enough. From the outside, it can look like progress is all about individual hustle…digging deeper, working harder, figuring it out on our own. But the truth is, we don’t grow alone. We grow because someone challenged our thinking during a hallway conversation. Because a colleague asked a question we hadn’t thought to ask. Because we heard something in a [...]

Tuesday, April 28, 2025 Lately, I’ve been thinking about how much of life, and work, involves making decisions before we have all the information we want. It’s easy to fall into the trap of waiting for perfect clarity, especially when the stakes feel high. But in reality, the best decisions often aren’t made because we have all the facts; they’re made because we have enough to move forward thoughtfully. In the real estate and financial world (and honestly, in nearly every part of life right now), uncertainty seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Markets are shifting. Regulations [...]

Tuesday, April 22, 2025  In an order that’s already making the rounds for its eloquence and urgency, Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III wrote something that stopped me in my tracks. Reflecting on the responsibilities of the judiciary, he said: “The Executive may view the ends as all-important; we cannot. Our branch is about the means. Our duty is to ensure that the process comports with the Constitution, the statutes, and the ordered liberty they protect.” He was making a constitutional point, of course—defending the role of the courts in holding the line, especially when process is inconvenient or messy or [...]

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 There’s something about this spring that feels suspended in midair—like we’re all holding our breath, waiting for something to shift. Maybe it’s the promise of lower interest rates that hasn’t quite materialized. Maybe it’s the long tail of regulatory uncertainty. Maybe it’s that in places many of us live, spring weather hasn’t quite yet come to stay. But I’ve noticed it everywhere: conversations that trail off into maybes, decisions put off until “after we see what happens,” and people—smart, capable, thoughtful people—just...waiting. In our industry, that’s not unusual. Real estate, lending, and compliance have always moved [...]

Tuesday, April 8, 2025 An ongoing legal battle surrounding the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) raises significant questions about federal authority, property rights, and the reach of executive power. Given the implications for real estate, title, and settlement professionals, it’s a case worth watching closely.  As I understand it currently, below are the facts alleged. Background: USIP, established by Congress and who understood itself to be an independent, nonpartisan organization, has recently become the subject of a controversial executive action. That action, undertaken at least in part by the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led to the [...]

Tuesday, April 1, 2025 Have you ever noticed that the phrase “it’s just common sense” is often used to shut down a conversation rather than start one? People love to talk about common sense like it’s some kind of universal truth. But the funny thing about common sense is that it’s only common until it isn’t. For example: Once upon a time, common sense said housing prices always go up. (2008 would like a word.) Common sense told us remote work would never be viable long-term. (Turns out, it depends on how you define “viable.”) And for years, common sense [...]

Tuesday March 25, 2025 Update: 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy. Last May, I wrote about the 23andMe data breach and the concerns it raised about the security of genetic information. At the time, the issue was clear: a breach had exposed customer data, leaving many to question how well these companies protect some of our most personal information. Next, I wrote about what could happen if the company couldn’t get back on financial sound footing here. Now, a new warning has emerged—not about another breach, but about the company’s financial future. California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently issued a consumer [...]

Tuesday, March 18, 2025 One of the things I’ve always loved about this industry is how strong the relationships are. Over time, we build networks that go beyond business transactions. We celebrate each other’s wins, commiserate over setbacks, and, when things get hard, we show up. It’s easy to think of professional relationships as primarily transactional - built on deals, contracts, and deadlines. But anyone who’s been in this space long enough knows that the real value lies in the people. I’ve seen colleagues become lifelong friends, competitors turn into allies, and mentors evolve into trusted advisors who guide us [...]