Dan J. Harkey

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

Welcome to DanHarkey.com

Master Educator | Business & Finance Consultant | Mentor

With over 50 years of experience, Dan J. Harkey has helped thousands navigate the complexities of real estate finance, and personal development. Whether you’re an investor, entrepreneur, or seeking financial wisdom, Dan provides actionable insights to help you succeed.

Giving back to the real estate community and helping others is a proven method of developing lasting and sustaining relationships and friendships.

Dan brings a wealth of knowledge spanning back to 1972. In addition to a life teaching credential, and has owned and operated a successful real estate sales company, mortgage company, escrow company, general insurance brokerage, and property management company.

Dan J. Harkey is a distinguished real estate consultant and educator who has given 350 seminars and written hundreds of insightful articles, all designed to improve the lives of his student partners.

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How Can Dan Help You Today?

Business Insights

  • Understand market trends, risk assessment, and profit potential
  • Learn proven strategies to maximize returns
  • Gain exclusive access to expert analysis from an industry veteran

Real Estate & Economic Trends

  • Navigate the evolving landscape of real estate finance
  • Make informed investment decisions with expert guidance
  • Stay ahead with in-depth economic insights

Reinventing Yourself & Personal Growth

  • Overcome challenges and embrace change with confidence
  • Develop resilience and unlock your full potential
  • Discover strategies for long-term personal and professional success

What Others Are Saying

Dan, I enjoy your real estate finance articles because they reflect significant knowledge and experience.

— Dennis Doss

Why Learn from Dan?

  • 50+ Years of Experience in real estate finance & lending
  • 350+ Seminars & Hundreds of Published Articles
  • Successful Entrepreneur – Mortgage, escrow, insurance, & property management
  • Proven Track Record – Helping investors & professionals build wealth

Dan's Latest Articles

Articles written by Dan Harkey contained in the website are for educational purposes only and are not intended to be comprehensive. Some articles contain opinions expressed by Dan Harkey that may be inconsistent with the views of others.

Dan Harkey’s articles are Not to be construed or relied upon as legal or accounting advice. Each subject written about is complex and may require the advice of qualified professionals in the subject areas discussed.

Qualified professionals typically include, attorneys, accountants, appraisers, architects; and environmental, soils, structural, and civil engineers. Consultation with title insurance and escrow officers; with construction, development, and other business experts may also be appropriate.

The Hard Workers in America:

The Overlooked Powerhouses of Modern Society

California-CEQA, Housing Accountability, and State Overrides Under AB-130 and SB-131

On 30 June 2025, Governor Newsom signed AB 130 and SB 131, two major budget trailer bills that together represent the most substantial CEQA reform in over 50 years.

How Repetition Aids Skill Learning:

The list of skills that are improved by repeated practice is long. Bicycles, motorcycles, tennis, shooting guns, riding horses, playing chess, reading, vocabulary, speaking before the public, giving seminars, or teaching a class. The list is almost endless.

Repeated Falsehoods: Can Surface as the Truth

Repeated Falsehoods: Can Surface as the Truth I. Everyday Myths (Cultural Misconceptions) Research shows the illusory truth effect helps explain why popular myths endure for decades. Examples of categories include: • Brain usage myths (e.g., the false belief that humans use only a small fraction of their brain). • Animal behavior myths (e.g., misconceptions about animal memory or behavior). [ • Common health myths are repeatedly circulated socially (e.g., false general claims about vitamins or everyday remedies). These myths persist because repetition increases familiarity, and familiarity is perceived as truth, thereby demonstrating how the illusory truth effect operates across diverse categories of falsehood. II. Neutral Trivia Used in Controlled Experiments These are nonpolitical, innocuous statements that researchers include in studies to measure how repetition affects truth judgments. The seminal 1977 study used repeated trivia items such as: • Historical claims about events or dates • Geographic statements • Scientific “factoid style” statements Researchers found confidence in the truth of repeated items increased—from an average belief rating of 4.2 → 4.6 → 4.7 across three sessions—even though some repeated items were false. These trivia statements underpin modern research on the illusory truth effect. III. Advertising and Marketing Repetition Repeated commercial messaging can cause consumers to believe claims that lack evidence. Examples of categories include: • Repeated slogans implying exaggerated product capabilities • Health-related product claims that become believable through sheer familiarity • Brand myths reinforced by constant exposure Advertising is explicitly identified as a primary domain where the illusory truth effect influences belief formation. IV. Social Media Misinformation Patterns These are categories of falsehoods spread widely online—not the content of the misinformation itself. Repeated exposure to online misinformation leads users to internalize falsehoods and even form false memories. Categories include: • Repeated misleading claims about public events • Repeated conspiracy narratives across multiple accounts • Fabricated headlines circulated by different pages • Misattributed quotes reposted widely Britannica explains that repeated exposure to such false information leads users to remember the core message, but forget the context (including warnings or debunkings). [ V. Political Propaganda Techniques Psychology Today documents that the illusory truth effect is actively exploited in political communication. Categories include: • Repeated ideological slogans • Repeated attacks on opponents • Narratives circulated consistently across aligned media • Claims repeated by multiple partisan voices to create perceived consensus These patterns use familiarity to manipulate belief. VI. Fake News Patterns Britannica notes that repeated exposure to fake news stories leads audiences to accept misinformation, especially when paired with misattribution (forgetting the false origin). [newsmax.com] Standard fake news formats include: • Sensational headlines repeated across social platforms • Fabricated “breaking news” alerts are shared frequently • False cause-and-effect claims repeated in many posts Here, repetition, not evidence, drives perceived truth. Summary Table Category Type of Falsehood Why It Works Source Cultural Myths Brain usage myths, animal myths, health myths Familiarity → fluency → belief [communistusa.org], [en.wikipedia.org] Experimental Trivia Neutral statements repeated in studies Repetition increases confidence ratings [victimsofc...munism.org]

How Algorithms Amplify the Illusory Truth Effect:

Computer-generated algorithms supercharge the illusory truth effect because they are designed to maximize repetition, familiarity, and engagement—psychological conditions that social media algorithms specifically exploit to make false information feel true.

The Illusory Truth Effect: Why Repetition Feels Like Reality

The illusory truth effect is a well-documented cognitive bias in which repeated statements—true or false—start to feel true simply because we’ve heard them before.

Johnny Mercer, a lyricist, songwriter, and singer, was active from the 1950s to the 1970s.

The Poet Laureate of American Song

Sarah Vaughn, Jazz Singer, from the early 1940s to 1989.

The Velvet Voice of Jazz

Nancy Wilson, Jazz from the mid-1950s until retirement in the early 2010’s.

A Distinctive Voice in American Jazz

John Williams, Composer, Conductor, Pianist, and Trombonist.

Known as the greatest film composer of all time. Active from 1952 to the present.

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