Members of Congress receive substantial input from constituents, lobbyists, corporations and other representatives. The pressure from all sides can make it difficult to keep an eye out for the "little guy." In 1999, NAREIT established the Small Investor Empowerment Award to recognize those public servants who have shown a commitment to the ideals of free enterprise, economic growth, personal freedom and unlimited opportunity for all Americans.
This year's award was given to two individuals who provided sterling leadership throughout the 14-month effort to create a federal backstop for terrorism insurance coverage. As President Bush said, the legislation was a critical step toward putting America on the path to greater homeland and economic security, and Representative Michael G. Oxley (R-OH) and Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) should be applauded for their contributions.
Congressman Oxley, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Financial Services, is committed to protecting investors and making certain markets are healthy so that businesses have access to capital for job creation. Senator Dodd, who is the senior Democrat on the Banking Committee's Securities and Investment Subcommittee, is respected for working in a bipartisan fashion to enact meaningful legislation to better peoples' lives.
In This Issue
How much is too much? That is the question many investors and company executives are wondering as they try to find the line between disclosing the necessary quantity of financial information and ensuring that the quality of that information remains high. This issue's cover story, "Quality vs. Quantity," explores whether the pressure on companies to provide more information in a timelier manner has diminished some of the value to investors.
Also, "The Going Rate for Real Estate" takes a sector-by-sector look at where capitalization rates will be in the second half of the year and what that means to investors. "Exchange Traded or Non-Exchange Traded" details the attraction many investors find in publicly registered, non-exchange traded real estate companies and the caveats they need to consider.
Matthew Bechard
Editor-in-Chief