I’ve written and spoken about my childhood before––it wasn’t easy. One may think that I am where I am despite my circumstances, but really, I am where I am because it gave me self-reliance at an early age.

Most people perform a quick mental stress test before sitting on a piece of furniture: “Is this going to hold me?” With two legs, the answer is an obvious no. With four, stability is guaranteed. Income portfolios work the same way. If your investment strategy is balancing on just one or two asset classes, you're constantly bracing for a fall. Adding …

Working in commercial real estate, I often find myself dining out for meetings and networking events around the Twin Cities. I’ve also done deals with iconic restaurant buildings, including Liquor Lyles in Uptown, Whitey’s in Northeast, Vescio’s in Dinkytown, The Galaxy (retro drive-in) in St. Louis Park, and 112 Eatery in downtown Minneapolis. My history and our current listings got me thinking. What Twin Cities restaurants are …