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Bonds are supposed to be the brakes in a portfolio—but should those brakes be BND, a shorter-term fund, CDs, or a Treasury ladder? Don explains why duration, yield stability, and personal comfort make the answer more nuanced than one ticker.The Friday questions keep coming: pairing AVGE with VT, moving $5 million from real estate into a retirement portfolio, understanding an emerging-markets fund that became legally non-diversified, and building 529s for grandchildren.The final stretch is all planning: Roth conversions and IRMAA, choosing a HELOC over a 401(k) loan, and resisting the urge to let the tax tail wag the retirement dog.00:00 A full inbox of financial questions02:30 BND versus short bonds, CDs, and Treasury ladders06:45 AVGE plus VT—or unnecessary overlap?10:23 Moving $5 million from real estate into markets14:51 When an index fund becomes legally non-diversified18:18 Building 529s and Roth head starts for grandchildren22:16 Roth conversions, RMDs, and IRMAA25:23 HELOC or 401(k) loan for renovations?28:01 The tax tail and a long Roth-conversion planQuestions? Comments? Click!
Spencer Dean wanted to build a rental portfolio, but he did not have enough money to make traditional 20 percent down payments. On this episode, Spencer shares the creative financing strategies he has used to buy rentals with less money out of pocket, including seller financing deals with surprisingly low interest rates.Spencer explains how he finds motivated sellers, structures the legal side of each transaction, and creates solutions for owners facing difficult situations. We walk through several of his deals, including value add properties and homes that were already rent ready.He also shares how postcards have generated most of his opportunities, the types of owners and properties he targets, where he purchases his mailing data, and what he writes on his postcards. Spencer focuses on dependable cash flow and mortgage paydown rather than betting on appreciation.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode583Thanks To Our Sponsors:Ridge Lending Group - Ask about the All-In-One loan. A first-position HELOC on rentals.Rentec Direct - Automate the day-to-day work and make property management easy. Use promo code RIP to get 10% off your first 6 months.PadSplit - Earn 2.5X more rental income with PadSplit's shared housing model.
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A recent online auction showcased the splash page to Tales of Suspense #39, featuring the debut of Iron Man by artist Don Heck. That auction finished at nearly $4 million, topping even the first appearance of the Black-Suit Spider-Man. There are a lot of books coming out this week. Now would be a good time to apply for a HELOC. Get into your local comic store today and pick up some books. Have you started reading JLA: The Nail yet? Join us at the start of August for our next WCPE Book Club discussion. We have our weekly Pick 3 choices, sponsored by our friends at Clint's Comics. Plus, we have a new trivia question and a look at the Top Ten books from last week. We would love to hear your comments on the show. Let us know what you've been reading or watching this week. Contact us on our website, Facebook, Instagram, or by email. We want to hear from you! As always, we are the Worst. Comic. Podcast. EVER! and we hope you enjoy the show. The Worst. Comic. Podcast. EVER! is proudly sponsored by Clint's Comics, 815 N Noland Road in Independence, Missouri. Whether it is new comics, trade paperbacks, action figures, statues, posters, or T-shirts, the friendly and knowledgeable staff can help you find exactly what you need. You should also know that Clint's Comics has the most extensive collection of back issues in the metro area. If you need to find a particular book to complete a title's run, head to Clint's or check out their website at clintscomics.com. Tell them that the Worst. Comic. Podcast. EVER! sent you.
When Jamie Dietz started investing in real estate, he focused on building and selling properties and believed he could make money by timing the market. He was chasing big profits, but he was not paying enough attention to monthly cash flow.That approach eventually caused him to lose several properties.That experience taught Jamie that appreciation can be unpredictable, but cash flow is what helps an investor survive over the long term. He changed his strategy and began buying rental properties that produce dependable income every month.On this episode, Jamie explains why cash flow now drives every investment decision he makes. He breaks down one of his rental deals, including how he found it, how he financed it, what he spent on renovations, the rent, mortgage payment, repair budget, and monthly cash flow.Jamie also talks about transitioning from self management to professional property management, why he prefers simple properties that make solid long term investments, and why buying a cheap property does not always mean you are getting a good cash flowing deal.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode582Thanks To Our Sponsors:Rentec Direct - Automate the day-to-day work and make property management easy. Use promo code RIP to get 10% off your first 6 months.PadSplit - Earn 2.5X more rental income with PadSplit's shared housing model.Ridge Lending Group - Ask about the All-In-One loan. A first-position HELOC on rentals.
Master Passive Income Real Estate Investing in Rental Property
Join Dustin's Inner Circle Mastermind by applying here: https://masterpassiveincome.com/mastermindGet my real estate investing course for free! https://masterpassiveincome.com/freecourseJoin Dustin Heiner's 1on1 Real Estate Investor Coaching: https://masterpassiveincome.com/coachingListeners get a special 20% OFF IncomeBuilder.io with the code: podcastYou can also get the discount with this link: https://masterpassiveincome.com/ibpodcast//BEST REAL ESTATE INVESTING RESOURCE LINKSStart your LLC for FREE! https://masterpassiveincome.com/formanllcGreat High Interest Savings Account: https://masterpassiveincome.com/citGet your business bank account here: https://masterpassiveincome.com/baselaneGet your business credit card with 2% Cash Back with NO FEE! https://masterpassiveincome.com/amexLearn more about Dustin Heiner and find resources to build an automatic real estate investing business: https://masterpassiveincome.com/Links referenced in this episode:masterpassiveincome.com/freecourseLinks referenced in this episode:incomebuildermasterpassiveincomeincomebuilder33777masterpassiveincome.com/freecourseCompanies mentioned in this episode:Master Passive IncomeIncome BuilderCalendlyGoogle DriveDropboxfinancial independence, quit your job, investing in real estate, rental properties, income builder software, real estate investing tips, build passive income, financial freedom, real estate coaching, analyze rental properties, property management, off market deals, real estate portfolio management, tax season real estate, bookkeeping for investors, multifamily properties, cash flow analysis, real estate investment strategies, property analysis software, Master Passive Income Podcast
Canada's General Fusion is now the first publicly traded nuclear fusion company, as its Nasdaq debut gives it more cash to chase a breakthrough that could one day help meet soaring demand for clean power — if the still-unproven tech can finally produce more energy than it uses. Plus, doctors are warning about a tick-borne illness that was barely on their radar five years ago, as warming temperatures help ticks spread farther north and bring more diseases with them.And in The Big Picture: Ottawa and Alberta strike a deal with oil sands producers on a major carbon capture project, an Innu First Nation rejects Quebec's proposed hydro deal, and Chinese automaker Dongfeng gets ready to sell EVs in Canada.After today's interview we host an exclusive interview with Sumee Seetharaman, VP of AI/ML Practice in the Center of Excellence at TD:Brett:Hey, Peak Pals. Thanks so much for joining us today. We've got a great guest for you, Sumee Seetharaman, who is the VP of AI/ML Practice in the Center of Excellence at TD. This is gonna be a great conversation about AI at work, something I think we're all experiencing, so we're really excited to have you. To kick it off, the use of AI in Canadian workspaces is surging. According to KPMG, about 51% of Canadian adults are now using generative AI at work. Has the technology become just so commonplace in the workplace that Canadians need to have AI skills before they enter the workforce? And if so, which skills do they need? Sumee:Yeah, it's a great question. Interestingly, we're at a point where the personal use of AI is far exceeding use at work, a March 2026 Angus Reid survey found that over 70% of Canadians surveyed had used AI in the previous three months for personal use. So odds are that most folks are actively using AI for their day-to-day already and have some of the basic AI skills required at work. Skills like knowing how to use and prompt a chatbot effectively, and I'm not talking about just a single Q&A, but really knowing how to converse with the model. Treating, the response to your initial question as just the starting point. Knowing how to ask follow-up questions and providing clear instructions to refine the response. So the fluency is in really knowing how to iterate and refine, building out the parts that are missing, and pruning out the parts that don't feel right? Most people are learning to do this instinctively as they're using ChatGPT and Gemini apps. Next, I want to say folks who are using AI regularly are also starting to develop a good sense of the strengths and the limitations of the technology, right? All of us have encountered that the model sometimes hallucinates, and so we know and we've learned that we cannot treat the output of the model as gospel. And so in a work setting, this is where domain expertise, not AI expertise, is actually more helpful because we need experts to validate and apply human judgment on the output of the model. And also if you're actively using AI and reading on AI, AI can be used in harmful ways, so most folks are starting to develop an appreciation for the guardrails that are needed and what does responsible use of AI look like. And are careful about what you put into public versions of these models. You're starting to build a good awareness of privacy safeguards and such. All that to say if you're familiar with using ChatGPT or Gemini for personal use- You should be able to fluently use most AI tools in the workplace. So at TD, over seventy percent of our colleagues our workforce has access to a GenAI capability, whether it's virtual assistants that we have developed in-house for our frontline colleagues in contact centers or wealth operations or branches, or Copilot capabilities we've enabled across the organization. GitHub Copilot for developers and Power BI Copilot and Office 365 Copilot. So chances are, if you're joining TD, you have access to these AI capabilities to, to really amplify your impact, and you probably are already quite fluent in how to use them. Brett:TD is obviously ahead of the curve on AI, and I'd be interested from a practical standpoint, what are some examples of jobs at TD that AI is already transforming? Sumee:Yeah. So we recently announced our first agentic AI use case to, to speed up the pre-adjudication process of mortgage and HELOC applications. So when an application is submitted, AI agents that we've deployed are actively scanning the documents, calculating client income, performing consent checks, looking for discrepancies, et cetera. After this sort of document review process is done, the agents then produce a memo with their findings and this goes off to the underwriters to review and make a decision on the application. And so if you look through that agentic AI activation, it's transformed the jobs of colleagues like our underwriters who are now working hand-in-hand with AI agents and making decisions on applications much faster. We've gotten the review process down to an average of three minutes from an average of fifteen hours. Effectively, the way they're operating has transformed day-to-day. If I look at the role of our back-office staff that has transformed as well. They're now providing valuable oversight on our AI agents and helping us ensure that it's performing within the necessary parameters and it's delivering the right outputs. It's just the first set of use cases supporting the first pre-adjudication leg, but there's a much broader end-to-end transformation roadmap for our real estate secure lending operations. So we're just getting started. And as we gradually scale AI use within RESL operations, we'll start to see more role transformation across the board. On a similar vein I find the roles of our frontline colleagues are gradually evolving, transforming too. So our colleagues in branches are now using gen AI virtual assistants to help prepare for client meetings, answer complex questions effectively. Our colleagues in TD Securities are now using these virtual assistants to speed up the research process and really amplify the sales cycle. So across our frontline, our new hires now have an expert AI support on their fingertips, which means they can now spend far more time focusing on sales advice, deepening relationships with our clients. So slowly but surely, we see these roles evolving, getting actually much, much more client-focused and less manual work and less operational focus, if you will. Brett:What is TD doing to help train and upskill colleagues so that they can build the AI skills they need to thrive in these transformed roles? And I guess how do upskilling efforts differ for an individual who's a beginner with AI versus a new hire at Layer 6 who's looking to build their AI skills? Sumee:Yeah, it's a great question. We're actually employing a multi-pronged training strategy for AI across the organization. Obviously it's customized to your function, your role within the organization, but it takes many formats. It could be trainings, recordings, live, virtual or in-person immersive hands-on sessions, hackathons, longer-term programs and pilots, et cetera. Across the gamut, depending on the role you're in, depending upon the function you're in. I'll maybe talk about a few initiatives, what we've rolled out across the organization. The first one I'll highlight is TD Thrive, which is our enterprise learning platform. It has dozens of AI courses that are available on demand to every TD colleague, and these cover a broad spectrum of topics from one-on-one sessions like getting started on LLMs to very advanced, architecture of agentic systems, as an examp...
A real estate investor borrowed $160K from his life insurance and never stopped compounding. Here's how.CFP Mark Willis returns to break down the Bank On Yourself strategy and how real estate investors are using life insurance cash value as a source of capital without slowing their growth. He walks through a real client who borrowed $160,000 from his policy to fund a fourplex while the policy kept compounding untouched, why he agrees with Dave Ramsey that most whole life insurance is a bad deal, and what makes the 2% version different. The conversation also covers the Vanderbilt and Rockefeller families as a case study in generational wealth, how a policy loan compares to a HELOC, and where AI still falls short as a financial advisor.Key topics:How a policy loan funded a fourplex without losing a dollar of compoundingWhy most whole life insurance is a bad deal, and what the 2% version looks likeVanderbilts vs Rockefellers, why some families keep generational wealth and others lose itPolicy loans versus a HELOC, side by sideWhy AI still can't replace a financial advisor's judgmentGuest bio:Mark Willis is a Certified Financial Planner and co-author of The Business Fortress, How to Grow, Protect, and Exit Your Business with Confidence. He specializes in Bank On Yourself and infinite banking strategies for business owners and real estate investors.Links:Learn more from Mark and get free chapters of The Business Fortress at kickstartwithmark.com, mention the book title in the form notesWork With RealDealCrewIf you're already closing deals but your intake, follow-up, or visibility feels inconsistent, here are two ways to go deeper:Take the Deal Intake AssessmentSee how resilient your current operation actually is.→ https://assessment.realdealcrew.comBook a Fit CallIf you want to explore what a fully system-driven deal flow looks like, let's talk.→ https://realdealcrew.com/bookLIKE • SHARE • JOIN • REVIEWWebsiteApple PodcastsYouTubeYouTube MusicSpotifyAmazon MusicFacebookTwitterInstagram
Augie Cortez has reached the point that many real estate investors dream about. His rental income covers all of his family's living expenses, giving him a comfortable, low-stress lifestyle. As long as he keeps his properties rented and in good condition, the rentals cover the bills.In this episode, Augie shares how he built his portfolio by buying single-family homes, primarily renting to Section 8 tenants in a great school district. He explains why keeping all of his properties close together has made self-management much easier, why he does most of his own repairs, and how tenant-proofing his rentals has dramatically reduced maintenance headaches.He also explains why providing great service and keeping the properties in good condition has led to tenants staying for many years, which, in turn, reduces his turnover expenses.We also talk about the importance of keeping leverage low and building equity, the lessons he has learned about allowing pets, the toughest challenge he has faced as a landlord, and the advice he would give to anyone who wants to build a rental portfolio that provides financial freedom and peace of mind. https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode581Thanks To Our Sponsors:PadSplit - Earn 2.5X more rental income with PadSplit's shared housing model.Ridge Lending Group - Ask about the All-In-One loan. A first-position HELOC on rentals.Rentec Direct - Automate the day-to-day work and make property management easy. Use promo code RIP to get 10% off your first 6 months.
In this episode, Spencer Sutton and Adam Hobson break down whether investors should use a HELOC to buy rental properties and how home equity can be used to move faster on real estate deals. You'll learn: How a HELOC can give investors quick access to cash for rentals, rehabs, or BRRRR deals The difference between using a HELOC and hard money lending Why a HELOC can be helpful, but risky if you overleverage or use it without a clear exit plan =================================== Connect with Matt and Spencer at Evernest: Evernest.co Hosts: Spencer Sutton and Adam Hobson Visit the Podcast Website: Evernest.co/podcasts Email the Show: podcast@evernest.co =================================== Production House: Flint Stone Media Copyright of Evernest 2026.
As our nation celebrates Independence Day and marks the 250th anniversary of our founding, it's worth pausing to thank God for the freedoms we enjoy. We have the freedom to worship, work, give, speak, serve, and live with opportunities many people around the world do not have. Those are gifts worth receiving with gratitude. But Scripture points us to a freedom even deeper than national liberty. For the Christian, freedom is not simply the ability to do whatever we want. It is not the removal of all restraint, and it is certainly not permission to live for ourselves. Biblical freedom is the freedom Christ gives us from the power of sin so that we can love God and serve others. Jesus says in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” That is the deepest freedom any person can know: freedom from condemnation, freedom from slavery to sin, and freedom from the false masters that promise life but cannot give it. Freedom Is Something We Steward The apostle Paul writes in Galatians 5:1, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” But later in that same chapter, Paul helps us understand what Christian freedom is for. Galatians 5:13 says, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” That is important. Freedom is not merely something we possess. It is something we steward. Peter says it this way in 1 Peter 2:16: “Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” Christian freedom is not the freedom to be ruled by worldly desires. It is the freedom to no longer be ruled by them. It is the freedom to say no to sin, no to selfishness, no to the world's definition of the good life, and yes to God. And that has everything to do with the way we handle money. True Financial Freedom True financial freedom is not measured by what we have, but by what no longer has a hold on us. We may say we are free, but fear can still control our decisions. Comparison can still shape our spending. Comfort can still become our highest goal. Accumulation can still feel like our source of security. The desire for control can still keep our hands closed, even as God invites us to trust Him. That is why Jesus says in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters… You cannot serve God and money.” Money is a good tool, but a terrible master. It can be received with gratitude, managed with wisdom, and used for love of neighbor. But when it becomes our master, it distorts everything and leaves us empty. As evangelist Billy Sunday once said, “The fellow that has no money is poor. The fellow who has nothing but money is poorer still.” Free from the Love of Money Hebrews 13:5 gives us a beautiful picture of financial freedom: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have.” Why can we live that way? Because the verse continues, “for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.'” Contentment is possible because God is present. Generosity is possible because God provides. Wisdom is possible because God owns it all. And open-handed living is possible because Christ has set us free. That does not mean financial stewardship is always easy. Many people are carrying real burdens—debt, rising expenses, medical bills, job uncertainty, or the pressure of providing for a family. But even in those places, Christ invites us into a deeper freedom: not freedom from every difficulty, but freedom from fear as our master. We belong to the One who will never leave us or forsake us. Living with Open Hands So this Fourth of July weekend, let's thank God for the freedoms we enjoy. But let's also ask Him for a deeper freedom: the freedom to no longer be ruled by fear, greed, comparison, or control. In Christ, we are free to love God. Free to serve our neighbor. Free to use money as a tool for His purposes. Free to live with open hands because our treasure is secure in Him. That is the heart of everything we do here at FaithFi. We exist to help Christians see God as their ultimate treasure so they can manage God's money God's way. If this message has encouraged you, we invite you to become a FaithFi Partner. When you give $35 a month or $400 a year, your support helps share biblical wisdom with millions of people through this radio broadcast, podcast, website, app, magazine, and studies. You can become a partner today at FaithFi.com/Give. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: My wife and I are nearing retirement and planning a home addition. We have about $140,000 set aside and no debt, but we also have a HELOC available. Should we use the HELOC for the project, or would it be better to borrow against my 401(k)? We're considering moving from Indiana to Illinois. My current home is worth about $235,000, and I owe about $70,000. We found a home in a high-demand area that may sell quickly, but our house isn't on the market yet. How can we move forward without taking on too much financial risk? My mother-in-law passed away and left an estate that includes a house and retirement investments. There are several siblings, and the bank wants each sibling's information so it can issue checks directly to us. I thought the executor was responsible for distributing assets. Why would the bank pay each sibling directly instead? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis wrote, “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.” That is a sobering warning. Prosperity can be a blessing from God, but it becomes dangerous when it begins to shape our identity. Wealth itself is not the problem. The danger comes when our possessions begin to speak for us—when they become a way of saying, Look how successful I am. Look how secure I am. Look how important I've become. That temptation is not new. We see it clearly in the life of King Hezekiah. Hezekiah's Moment of Testing Hezekiah was one of Judah's better kings. Scripture tells us he trusted in the Lord, removed idols, and led the people back toward faithful worship. When Jerusalem was threatened by Assyria, Hezekiah prayed, and God miraculously delivered the city. Around that same time, Hezekiah became gravely ill. Once again, God showed him mercy and extended his life by fifteen years. So Hezekiah had much to testify about. He had seen God's deliverance. He had received God's mercy. He had literally been spared from death. But then came a test. 2 Kings 20 tells us that envoys arrived from Babylon after hearing about Hezekiah's illness. They brought letters and a gift, and Hezekiah welcomed them. Verse 13 says, “And Hezekiah welcomed them, and he showed them all his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them.” There was nothing he did not show them. Hezekiah had a golden opportunity to point these visitors to the God who had healed and delivered him. Instead, he opened his vault. When Wealth Becomes Our Testimony Hezekiah's failure was not that he had treasure. His failure was that he magnified what he owned rather than the God who gave it. His wealth became his testimony. Later, the prophet Isaiah came to Hezekiah and asked a piercing question: “What have they seen in your house?” Hezekiah answered, “They have seen all that is in my house; there is nothing in my storehouses that I did not show them.” Isaiah's response was sobering. The very wealth Hezekiah had displayed would one day be carried off to Babylon. It is a powerful warning for us. Hezekiah treated God's provision as a monument to his own success. He forgot that everything in his storehouses had first been entrusted to him by the Lord. Wealth becomes spiritually dangerous the moment we look at what we have and say, “Look what I built,” instead of, “Look what God has done.” The Better Boast Jeremiah 9:23 says, “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches.” That verse names three things people have always been tempted to trust: intelligence, influence, and wealth. We are drawn to whatever makes us feel strong, secure, or significant. But the next verse gives us a better boast: “But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me.” That is the only boast that lasts. Not what we own. Not what we earn. Not what we build. Not what others think of us. Our true boast is that we know the Lord—the God of steadfast love, justice, and righteousness. Is Wealth Creeping Into Your Identity? So what does Hezekiah's story mean for us as modern-day stewards? First, we should ask whether wealth has begun creeping into our identity. There is nothing wrong with enjoying God's provision. Scripture teaches us to receive His gifts with gratitude. But provision should lead us toward worship, humility, and generosity—not self-importance. When we begin to believe that our possessions prove our worth, success, or security, we are no longer simply using wealth. We are allowing it to define us. That is a dangerous place for the heart. What Are Your Possessions Pointing To? Second, we should ask what our possessions are pointing to. A home, a car, a vacation, a wardrobe, or a lifestyle can easily become a subtle way of saying, “Look at me.” We may not say it out loud, but our hearts can still use possessions to seek approval, admiration, or status. Faithful stewardship flips the script. Instead of saying, “Look what I have,” it says, “Everything I have has been entrusted to me by God.” That shift changes how we hold our possessions. We can enjoy them without worshiping them. We can use them without needing them to prove something about us. We can share them because they were never truly ours to begin with. Practice Hidden Faithfulness Third, we should practice hidden faithfulness. In Matthew 6, Jesus warns against doing righteous things in order to be praised by others. Whether giving, praying, or fasting, He calls His people away from performance and toward sincerity before the Father. That principle applies to stewardship, too. Faithfulness is not about being seen as generous, successful, disciplined, or impressive. It is about honoring God with what He has entrusted to us. Sometimes the healthiest stewardship happens quietly: a gift no one knows about, a sacrifice no one applauds, a wise decision no one sees, or a generous act that never becomes a story we tell about ourselves. Hidden faithfulness helps loosen the grip of pride. What Do You Have That You Did Not Receive? The apostle Paul brings all of this into perspective in 1 Corinthians 4:7 when he asks, “What do you have that you did not receive?” That question is a safeguard for the soul. Your income, abilities, opportunities, possessions, influence, and resources are all gifts. Yes, we work. Yes, we plan. Yes, we make decisions. But underneath every good thing we have is the kindness and provision of God. Wealth is a tool, not a trophy. It is a gift, but it is not our glory. So if we are going to boast, may we boast in the One who gave it all to us. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: My mom is 80, and since my dad passed away, she's mostly just signed whatever her longtime financial advisor puts in front of her. I've seen some red flags, including last-minute estate changes involving my brother and me and long-term care insurance she may not need. What warning signs should I watch for, and how can I help protect her while still respecting her wishes? We have a HELOC that matures about two years after our mortgage is paid off. The bank told us we should always keep a HELOC open because it can help protect against someone fraudulently borrowing against our home. Is that true, or is the bank just encouraging us to keep a product we don't need? I'm trying to understand how a trust works. If I buy a $1 million life insurance policy and put it in a trust, can I borrow from or withdraw money from that trust? How does that work, and how would I set one up? I'm 50 and getting a late start on retirement. I'm contributing enough to get my company's 6% match, have a small Roth from a previous job, and about $5,000–$6,000 in emergency savings. I have about $200 extra each month. Should I keep building my emergency fund, invest more for retirement, or do something else? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Our Ultimate Treasure: A 21-Day Journey to Faithful Stewardship by Rob West Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money Look At The Sparrows: A 21-Day Devotional on Financial Fear and Anxiety Rich Toward God: A Study on the Parable of the Rich Fool Find a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA) FaithFi App Remember, you can call in to ask your questions every weekday at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. You can also visit FaithFi.com to connect with our online community and partner with us as we help more people live as faithful stewards of God's resources. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode we answer emails from Sarah, Tyler and Luc. We Sarah's detailed plan to take a one to two year family gap year, travel, and unpack tax-smart ways to fund short-term spending, why we keep long-term money invested simply, more cowbell, and why complicated advisor math can be more noise than help how it can mask conflicts of interest. We also touch on the Cederberg paper (yes, with a C and not an S despite my mis-statement) and why it is of little or no practical use for investors even though it may be of academic interest.Links:Father McKenna Center Donation Page (please mention Risk Parity Radio in the comment section with your donation): Donate - Father McKenna CenterJillian Johnsrud's "Retire Often" Book: Book | Retire OftenReferenced PWL Link: Canadian Portfolio Manager: Introducing the “Plaid” ETF Portfolios | PWL Capital: Bender Bender & BortolottiBreathless Unedited AI-Bot Summary:A one to two year career break with three kids sounds like the kind of plan personal finance forums love to dunk on. We take it seriously, run it through a real-world investing lens, and show how a “mini-retirement” can be both joyful and financially survivable when the time horizon and the portfolio match.We walk through Sarah's numbers, the stress points, and the decision that matters most: separating short-term spending from long-term compounding. For a gap year (or two), we prefer building a large, boring cash pile fast and funding it primarily from the taxable brokerage account, so a sudden market drop doesn't force you to sell stocks at the worst possible moment. We also talk through keeping a HELOC as a backup plan rather than the main plan, and why retirement accounts often belong in simple equity index funds when you truly don't need the money for a decade or more.Then we get tactical on taxes. Lower-income years can open the door to tax loss harvesting and tax gain harvesting, including the often-missed 0% long-term capital gains bracket if your total income stays low enough. We also explain why we treat taxes as an expense that changes based on what you sell and when, instead of playing confusing games that “discount” the value of entire accounts.To round it out, we respond to listener skepticism about after-tax portfolio valuation frameworks, advisor incentives, and the Cedarberg paper's practical limits. If you like smart investing, plain language, and a dash of “more cowbell” diversification talk, hit subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a review so more DIY investors can find the show.Support the show
Chris Sherman runs a successful business, but he knows that no business is guaranteed forever. That's why his goal is to build enough rental income to eventually replace the income his business generates, giving him financial security no matter what happens.On this episode, Chris shares the strategy he's using to grow his portfolio while aggressively paying down debt to create long-term cash flow.We break down the numbers behind his rentals, including total rental income, mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance costs, and how he budgets for repairs, vacancies, and unexpected expenses.Chris also explains how much cash he keeps in reserve, why he and his wife self-manage all their properties, and how they divide responsibilities to make portfolio management efficient. He also talks about why he prefers buying rentals close to home and the advantages that gives him as a self-manager.We also dive into Chris's commercial office suite, which he purchased for his business and paid off in just 50 months. He explains how his LLC structure works, why leasing the office back to his own business creates tax advantages, and the different financing strategies he's used to acquire rental properties over the years.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode580Thanks To Our Sponsors:Ridge Lending Group - Ask about the All-In-One loan. A first-position HELOC on rentals.Rentec Direct - Automate the day-to-day work and make property management easy. Use promo code RIP to get 10% off your first 6 months.MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis, Little Rock, and Dallas. Instant cash flow on day 1.Do you want to tell your investing story on the podcast? Contact Dan Lane here.
Discover how to treat a first-position HELOC like a primary checking account to aggressively drive down your loan balance. Tyler and the hosts map out a mathematical bird's-eye view of simple daily interest versus standard 30-year amortization schedules, showing how individuals with solid monthly margins can slash their mortgage pay-off timelines down to 5 to 10 years without trapping their liquidity.
Check out Erin's channel on YouTube: Erin Talks Money Viral money advice is everywhere—but how much of it actually helps you build wealth? In this episode of Financial Advisors React, Brian Preston, Bo Hanson, and Erin Talks Money break down popular financial clips covering investing, HELOC strategies, saving for retirement, earning more income, index funds, college majors, spending guilt, and wealth-building habits. Learn which advice stands the test of time, which strategies could hurt your financial future, and how Financial Mutants can make smarter decisions with their money. Jump start your journey with our FREE financial resources Reach your goals faster with our products Take the relationship to the next level: become a client Subscribe on YouTube for early access and go beyond the podcast Connect with us on social media for more content Bring confidence to your wealth building with simplified strategies from The Money Guy. Learn how to apply financial tactics that go beyond common sense and help you reach your money goals faster. Make your assets do the heavy lifting so you can quit worrying and start living a more fulfilled life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Americans are sitting on more home equity than ever -- and more of them are tapping it. Not because they're struggling, but because they locked in ultra-low mortgage rates and they're not giving those up. So instead of refinancing, they're turning to HELOCs and home equity loans. Joe and OG walk through the math, the psychology, the questions most people never think to ask, and the specific situations where borrowing against your home equity actually makes sense -- and the ones where it quietly destroys a plan that was working.What You'll Walk Away WithWhy home equity borrowing is surging right now -- and why keeping a 3% mortgage while opening a HELOC at 7.5% might still be the smarter moveThe Oreo problem: why having a HELOC open "just in case" is the financial equivalent of leaving a sleeve of Oreos on the counter and expecting not to eat themOG's CEO versus CFO framework: how to separate the decision of whether to do the project from the decision of how to finance itThe rate math you should actually run before choosing between a HELOC, a home equity loan, and a full refinance -- including current Bankrate benchmarksHome improvements, credit card consolidation, college costs, business startup, and investing: OG's honest take on each use case, including the ones that are just bad ideasThe questions nobody asks before getting a HELOC -- including when the rate adjusts (spoiler: faster in one direction), what happens to the draw period, and whether the bank can pull the line at any timeWhy using home equity as a third-tier emergency fund sounds clever but has a fatal flawWhat happens if home prices fall and you've borrowed heavily against the equity -- and why Texas has the 80% ruleOG and Anna wrap up season two of the financial basics series -- including why financial planning is an ongoing activity, not a document, and what's coming in season threeThe one open question OG wants Stackers to send him before season three beginsWhy This Matters NowHome prices are up. Mortgage rates are still elevated. The people most tempted to tap their equity are often the ones who built it most carefully -- and that's exactly when the guardrails matter most.From the BasementJoe and OG dig into the HELOC decision with specifics: math, psychology, use cases, and the questions banks don't volunteer. OG and Anna close out season two of the financial basics series with a reflection on why everything in a financial plan connects to everything else -- and a preview of what's coming in season three. Doug arrives with Bernie Madoff trivia. The guides get a Scout upgrade and the college planning guide gets a refresh just in time for back to school.Resources MentionedStacking Benjamins Guides -- workplace benefits, tax planning, and college planning with Scout AI; stackingbenjamins.com/guidesStacking Benjamins Field Kit -- stackingbenjamins.com/fieldkitStacking Benjamins Basics Guide -- season one and season two; stackingbenjamins.com/basicsguideStacking Benjamins voicemail -- stackingbenjamins.com/yelldownstairs; leave a question for the next Q&A episode with AnnaOG financial planning calendar -- stackingbenjamins.com/ogStacking Benjamins Newsletter (The 201) -- stackingbenjamins.com/201Stacking Benjamins Community -- stackingbenjamins.com/basementSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Is a reverse mortgage a scam? It's the first thing most people think when they hear the phrase — and it's the first thing we tackle in this episode. Scott Kooiman sits down with Richelle Hopkins, a reverse mortgage specialist with over 20 years of experience at Mutual of Omaha Mortgage, and Steve Farrington, Senior Mortgage Loan Originator, to separate fact from fiction on one of the most misunderstood financial tools in retirement planning. What you'll learn in this episode: → Where the scam reputation came from — and why it no longer applies → How a $400,000 buyer can purchase a $700,000 home with NO monthly mortgage payment (reverse mortgage for purchase) → Three ways to access your home equity: line of credit, monthly payment, or lump sum → The guaranteed growing credit line — and why setting it up early could be one of the smartest retirement moves you make → What your heirs actually inherit — and the non-recourse protection that means your family can never owe more than the home is worth → Why there's a mandatory independent counseling step built into every reverse mortgage — and why that's a feature, not a burden → The real obligations a homeowner keeps after closing (and what happens if they can't meet them) Whether you're 55+ and planning your retirement, a financial professional looking for tools your clients aren't using, or a family member trying to help a parent make the right call — this episode gives you the honest, full picture. Guest: Richelle Hopkins | Reverse Mortgage Specialist | Mutual of Omaha Mortgage Host: Scott Kooiman | Associate Broker | Mutual of Omaha Mortgage | State 48 Homeowner Also featuring: Steve Farrington | Senior Mortgage Loan Originator | Mutual of Omaha Mortgage
On this bonus episode, we're joined by Caeli Ridge, President of Ridge Lending Group, to talk about one of the most powerful financing tools available to rental property investors: the HELOC.Caeli explains how investors can use a traditional HELOC to buy more rentals, why seasoning requirements matter, and how married couples should structure ownership to avoid underwriting headaches. She also shares the terms and conditions investors need to pay close attention to when getting a HELOC.We also take a deep dive into the All-In-One First Position HELOC, a unique loan product that combines a line of credit and a checking account into a single account. Caeli explains how it works, how it can dramatically reduce the amount of interest you pay over the life of the loan, and the simple strategy that helps investors build equity faster in their properties.Finally, we discuss one of the biggest advantages of using a HELOC: flexibility. Caeli explains why it's much easier to access equity through a line of credit than after paying down a traditional mortgage, when you have to do a cash-out refi or sell the property to access equity. We also discuss how borrowers can tap into funds quickly when a great investment opportunity arises, and why the ability to skip required monthly principal payments during tight financial periods can provide valuable peace of mind for real estate investors.Contact Caeli:https://ridgelendinggroup.cominfo@ridgelendinggroup.com855-747-4343
Links & ResourcesFollow us on social media for updates: Instagram | YouTubeCheck out our recommended tool: Prop StreamThank you for listening!
A demanding W‑2 job on one side. Passive revenue and control of your time on the other. This week's training shows how ordinary working people make that switch through commercial real estate — starting with the resources they already have and the mindset that makes the transition possible.You'll learn:▪️How to begin with what you already have (HELOC, retirement, home equity)▪️Why waiting until you “feel ready” quietly costs years▪️The three mindset shifts that separate investors from lifelong employees▪️How to protect what you've built while creating new passive income▪️Why age, background, and experience matter far less than you thinkStudent Spotlight:You'll also hear from Dave, a former truck driver who worked sixty‑plus hour weeks before making the switch in his mid‑fifties. He used a HELOC to fund his start, built a multifamily portfolio, and reclaimed his time. His story proves that regular working people — with families, responsibilities, and no Wall Street background — can make this transition with the right guidance.
Debt consolidation has always rested on a promise lenders couldn't verify. A borrower takes out a HELOC, says they'll pay off their credit cards, and the lender hands over the cash and hopes for the best. Credit bureau data lags by 30 days. There's no mechanism to confirm the debt actually got retired. And a significant share of consolidation borrowers end up re-accumulating balances — leaving lenders with paper that performed worse than expected and borrowers worse off than before. Figure and Method set out to close that loop. Figure is the largest non-bank HELOC originator in America, a public company on the Nasdaq running a two-sided capital marketplace on blockchain rails. Method is a financial connectivity API that gives lenders real-time access to a borrower's full liability picture — and the ability to pay those liabilities off directly at the moment of funding. Together, they've built what they're calling verified debt consolidation: a closed-loop system where the lender doesn't hope the debt will be paid — they know it will be. Today I'm joined by Mit Shah, co-founder and COO of Method, and Rod Albuyeh, who leads AI at Figure and is something of a boomerang — he was at Figure from 2020 to 2022, left, and returned in January to a company that had transformed around him. We talk about what the data actually shows, what happens when this capability travels across Figure's 380 white-label partners, and whether verified debt consolidation is a premium feature or the future of the category.
The new Federal Reserve Chair is already making news, signaling a major change to rates—and not in the way Americans were hoping for. With inflation up, the Fed has eyed raising, not cutting, the Federal Funds rate, all while changing key language on price stability at its most recent meeting. The question is, will they do it, or is this simply a bluff to stop the market from getting out of control? We're back to break down this week's top housing market headlines, from the Fed's recent meeting to a surprising comeback in a few markets most believed were dead, and the massive HELOC pull that is taking billions more out of the housing market and into owners' hands. First, we're touching on the Fed. Will they really raise rates by this fall, defying the exact hopes of President Trump, or is this just a bluff to cool an already hot economy? Why is office, of all things, seeing a major comeback, and why are America's most divisive housing markets leading the charge? Finally, homeowners pull out a massive $47B (with a b) in home equity. Is this a cry for help from struggling homeowners? We're getting into it all! In This Episode We Cover The Fed's latest announcement on inflation, rate movements, and their next moves What investors are doing now before rate hikes make their way back One commercial real estate asset class seeing a surprising comeback Is America's boom-then-bust market (Austin, Texas) finally seeing its turnaround? $47B in equity pulled: Are homeowners in trouble, and using equity to save themselves? And So Much More! Links from the Show Join the Future of Real Estate Investing with Fundrise Join BiggerPockets for FREE Join us at the BiggerPockets Conference October 2-4 in Orlando. Buy tickets Sign Up for the Investor Brief Newsletter Find Investor-Friendly Lenders Kevin Warsh is the Next Fed Chair—Here's What Investors Should Expect From Him Dave's BiggerPockets Profile James' BiggerPockets Profile Kathy's BiggerPockets Profile Reuters: Traders now see Fed raising rates by September WSJ: The AI Office Boom Feels Like 2000 All Over Again HousingWire: ICE Mortgage Monitor: Lock-in effect drives surge in home equity lending Grab Dave's Book, Real Estate by the Numbers Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/on-the-market-436. Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode of In The Lab, Ruben sits down with investor-focused lender Ben Stef to unpack the lending side of real estate that most investors rarely take advantage of. From growing up working construction jobs to building a business helping investors access capital, Ben shares the lessons, mindset shifts, and sales skills that shaped his journey into the world of real estate finance.The conversation dives deep into one of the biggest opportunities entrepreneurs and investors can make to tap into the hidden equity in their rentals as hidden leverage regardless of the economy, interest rates, or market conditions. Ben breaks down why successful operators thrive in every market cycle and how focusing on marketing, relationships, and consistent action often matters far more than external conditions.Ruben and Ben also pull back the curtain on how lending actually works behind the scenes. From underwriting, servicing, and investor financing to creative lending solutions, they discuss the realities most borrowers never see. Ben shares one of his favorite products for investors sitting on significant equity but lacking access to traditional financing, along with the mindset required to use leverage responsibly.Tune in now to learn how lenders evaluate risk, why ownership beats excuses, how to think about return on equity, and the strategies experienced investors use to unlock capital and continue scaling their real estate portfolios.Keeping it Real:04:35 – Sales skills learned through telemarketing08:20 – Get close to people already doing what you want to do09:26 – Why business forces personal growth10:50 – The power of extreme ownership13:33 – Are interest rates actually high?15:23 – The real reason business feels slow20:00 – How underwriting really works behind the scenes22:31 – What happens when borrowers miss payments25:31 – What loan servicing actually means29:20 – Building customer loyalty through relationships31:58 – The immigrant hospitality advantage in business36:08 – Why Ben tells some clients NOT to take loans37:45 – Products vs people: what really differentiates you41:14 – The investor HELOC most owners don't know exists45:23 – Return on Equity vs Return on Investment50:59 – Why lenders are willing to take second position55:57 – Play defense before you play offense58:22 – Asset class vs business owner mindset01:00:28 – Why old real estate advice no longer applies01:01:18 – The three people every entrepreneur needs around them #RealEstateInvesting #InvestorFinancing #HELOC #DSCRLoans #EntrepreneurMindset #WealthBuilding #FinancialFreedom #RealEstateBusiness #BusinessGrowth #InTheLab CONNECT WITH THE GUESTWebsite: https://www.fundingfreedom.net/Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-stef-b0b741275/
This week on The Accunet Mortgage and Realty Show, Brian Wickert and Tim Holdman break down a noisy week of rate headlines—the Iran conflict MOU, new Fed Chair Warsh's first FOMC meeting, and the “dot plot” predictions—and explain why all the angst added up to a big hot cup of nothing.The heart of the episode: when a home equity line of credit can quietly sabotage your future refinance. Brian and Tim walk through real client stories showing how an open HELOC triggers pricing penalties, eats into your equity, and requires lender subordination—plus the smart move of opening a HELOC before you need it to skip a costly bridge loan.They also cover VA versus conventional strategy for a veteran buyer, the truth behind “0%” vendor financing, and how custom loan terms interact with low-loan-balance pricing. Finally, a sharp look at when not to refinance when you've already paid points.
Many people use a home equity line of credit for home renovations and unforeseen liquidity needs, but if you are carrying an old balance on your variable rate HELOC, the current high interest rate environment has not been friendly to you. Donna and Nathan discuss options for managing variable rate home equity loan balances, and strategies for paying down other forms of high interest debt. Also on MoneyTalk, retirement milestones, and Stock Trivia: Two Truths and a Lie. Hosts: Donna Sowa Allard, CFP®, AIF® & Nathan Beauvais CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®; Air Date: 6/18/2026; Original Air Date: 4/4/2024. Have a question for the hosts? Leave a message on the MoneyTalk Hotline at (401) 587-SOWA and have your voice heard live on the air!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
WORK WITH ME AND STAY CONNECTED ✨ Ready to stop figuring this out alone and build a real strategy with someone who has done it? Book a call: calendar.app.google/NMFNL2CYYPMP1FZn7 ✨ Join the newsletter for weekly real estate wealth-building tips: erikab.kit.com/f2f4df9a56 ✨ Final year of The Owning It and Living It Experience, November 13-15, 2026 in Atlanta. The price increases again July 31st: experience.owningitandlivingit.com ✨ Follow for more: instagram.com/erikabrowninvestor/ #realestateconference #realestateinvesting How to Buy a Rental Property Without 20% Down (4 Strategies That Actually Work) You do not need 20% down to buy a rental property. That one myth has kept more people stuck on the sidelines than bad credit ever has, and it cost me years and deals I will never get back. In this episode of Wealth Within Reach, I am breaking down four real ways to buy your first or next rental property without draining your savings or putting 20% down. I started with a $3,000 down payment on my very first property, and 10 years later that one decision turned into 30-plus doors and multiple millions in equity. So if you have been waiting until you "save up enough," this is the episode that shows you a faster way in. Here is what we get into: The vacation home loan that lets you buy with just 10% down at primary-home interest rates, the same strategy we used to buy our North Georgia cabin at a 3% rate and rent it out when we are not using it. The step-up strategy, my favorite low-barrier move where you buy a home to live in with 3% to 5% down, live there a year, then turn it into a rental, plus how to stack house hacking on top of it even if you have a family, kids, and pets like I did. The family opportunity mortgage almost nobody talks about, the one that let one of my clients buy a home for her aging mom with 5% down and save $58,000 in the process. The bonus equity play for people who do not want to move at all and want to use the equity already sitting in their home through a HELOC to fund the next deal. If you are smart, ambitious, and done treating real estate like a hobby, this one is for you. Watch to the end because the bonus strategy is the one most people can actually use right now in 2026. CHAPTERS 0:00 The number one myth keeping you from your next property 0:27 Welcome to Wealth Within Reach 2:32 What waiting on a 20% down payment is really costing you 3:00 Strategy 1: The vacation home loan (10% down) 7:07 Strategy 2: The step-up strategy (3% to 5% down) 8:30 Bonus move: House hacking with a full house 10:00 Strategy 3: The family opportunity mortgage (5% down) 13:00 Bonus strategy: Using your home equity and a HELOC 14:30 Recap and your next step ABOUT ERIKA BROWN I am Erika Brown, a real estate investor, serial entrepreneur, and host of the Wealth Within Reach podcast. I teach landlords and aspiring investors how to scale a real estate portfolio without burning out, without draining their savings, and without gatekeeping. My mission is helping you build real, generational wealth through ownership so you can create true options for your family. If this episode helped you, comment which strategy you are running first, give it a like, and subscribe so you never miss an episode. #realestateinvesting #rentalproperty #wealthwithinreach #realestate #passiveincome #financialfreedom #buildingwealth #housing #realestatetips #investing #househacking #generationalwealth Keywords: how to buy a rental property without 20 percent down, real estate investing for beginners, low down payment rental property, vacation home loan strategy, step up strategy real estate, house hacking with a family, family opportunity mortgage, HELOC to buy rental property, building wealth through real estate, Erika Brown, Wealth Within Reach, how to invest in real estate with little money, buy rental property with 10 percent down, real estate investing 2026
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A lot of real estate investors think the biggest hurdle to buying more rentals is saving enough money for down payments. Nick Disney has taken a different approach.Instead of waiting years to build up cash, Nick uses HELOCs and private lenders as short-term financing tools to acquire and renovate properties. Once the property is stabilized, he refinances into long-term financing, pays back the HELOC or private lender, and frees up that capital to do it all over again.On this episode, Nick breaks down his strategy for scaling a rental portfolio without constantly saving for the next down payment. He explains how he finds private lenders, the types of people most likely to become funding partners, and how paying off a few rental properties created new opportunities through HELOCs.Nick also walks us through a recent deal, sharing the actual numbers and showing exactly how he used private money to make the purchase work.Plus, we discuss the biggest expense in his rental business and the strategies he uses to keep tenants longer and reduce turnover.If you've ever wondered how investors continue buying properties without piles of cash sitting in the bank, this episode is packed with practical strategies you can put to work right away.https://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode578Thanks To Our Sponsors:MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis, Little Rock, and Dallas. Instant cash flow on day 1.Ridge Lending Group - Ask about the All-In-One loan. A first-position HELOC on rentals.Rentec Direct - Automate the day-to-day work and make property management easy. Use promo code RIP to get 10% off your first 6 months.
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What Exactly Is a Reverse Mortgage? Episode 387 – We hear so much talk these days about reverse mortgages. Are they worth looking into? For some people the answer is yes, but only if certain conditions are met. More SML Planning Minute Podcast Episodes Transcript of Podcast Episode 387 Hello, this is Bill Rainaldi, with another edition of Security Mutual's SML Planning Minute. In today's episode: so what exactly is a reverse mortgage? It's hard to miss all the talk these days about reverse mortgages as an income tool for retirees. Some experts like them, some experts don't. But what are they and how do they work? For many Americans, their biggest asset is the equity they have in their home. Some might not have saved much for retirement. But after years, perhaps decades, of living in the same home, they've built up their home equity through appreciation and amortization of their mortgage. When they look at their balance sheets, that becomes their biggest plus. What options do people have if they get to retirement age, have limited retirement savings, and realize that Social Security just isn't going to be enough? A reverse mortgage is one possible answer. A reverse mortgage is available for homeowners aged 62 and over. It is a way to fund retirement by borrowing against the equity you've built up in your home. The more home equity you have, the better. But it's certainly not for everyone. A reverse mortgage is not the same thing as a home equity line of credit, or HELOC. It's called a reverse mortgage because instead of you making monthly payments to the bank, the bank makes monthly payments to you. The income you get from a reverse mortgage is generally not taxable. You can use that income as needed to cover monthly expenses, including such things as home maintenance, property taxes, or, if needed, home health care expenses.[1] A reverse mortgage isn't free. The amount you owe against your house, which includes the principal and accruing interest, increases as you receive your monthly payments. So over time, your home equity decreases. You are essentially trading a little bit of your home equity every month for current income. Note that you typically don't have to repay the mortgage as long as you continue to use the home as your primary residence. But if you decide to sell your house or move out, the full balance will become due. If you die before you move out, in most cases your executor will sell the home and use the proceeds to pay back the accumulated reverse mortgage debt.[2] Reverse mortgages generally come in three different varieties. The first, and by far the most common, are loans overseen by the Federal Housing Authority. These are known as Home Equity Conversion Mortgages or HECMs. The homeowner has discretion over what to use the funds for, but before closing, they must meet with a counselor approved by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This one requirement is designed to help curb fraud and abuse. HECMs account for approximately 95 percent of all reverse mortgages.[3] They are more regulated than other types of reverse mortgages and offer some extra protection. For one thing, neither you nor your heirs will ever owe more than the house is worth, even if it goes down in value. And if your lender goes out of business, the federal insurance program guarantees that you will still receive your monthly payments.[4] The maximum you can borrow under the federal program in 2026 is $1,249,125.[5] You will typically need to have at least 50 percent equity in your home (based on appraised value) to qualify. Reverse mortgages typically have adjustable interest rates. Note that the income from a reverse mortgage usually comes in the form of a monthly payment, but that's not a requirement. It can also be in a lump sum. The two other less common types of reverse mortgages are “single-purpose reverse mortgages,” which are backed by a nonprofit organization or a state or local government, and “proprietary reverse mortgages,” which are offered by private organizations without any government backing. Reverse mortgages have had a somewhat mixed reputation over the years. For one thing, the fees involved can be considerable. A reverse mortgage typically has origination fees, mortgage insurance premiums, closing costs and monthly servicing fees, all of which add up.[6] And there are still some scams out there. Some fraudsters will entice vulnerable seniors with misleading or fraudulent claims. One of those might be when a potential intermediary tries to get you into a reverse mortgage, then uses the money for some sort of “investment opportunity” that they control. They will then typically end up pocketing some of your home's equity themselves.[7] One way to avoid scams like this is to start with a trusted financial advisor or your current lender. Are there other potential solutions? Of course. The most obvious is, if possible, to save more at an earlier age and allow compound interest to work its magic. But for a lot of people, that's just not possible. For some people, a reverse mortgage is another option. There are caveats, but this may be a good choice in the right circumstances. A reverse mortgage is not the perfect solution, but for some, depending on their situation, it may be the most viable one. [1] Equifax Life Stages. “What is a Reverse Mortgage and How Does it Work?” Equifax.com. https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/articles/-/learn/reverse-mortgage/ (accessed May 19, 2026). [2] Id. [3] Yale, Aly J. “What Is a Reverse Mortgage?” AARP.org. https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/reverse-mortgage-guide/ (accessed May 19, 2026). [4] Id. [5] Johnson, Jamie. “HECM Loan Limits: What They Are and How They Work in 2026.” Themortgagereports.com. https://themortgagereports.com/124868/hecm-loan-limits (accessed May 20, 2026). [6] Miller, Peter G. “Reverse mortgage pros and cons.” Bankrate.com. https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/reverse-mortgage-pros-and-cons/#cons (accessed May 20, 2026). [7] Goff, Kacie. “Reverse mortgage scams: What they are and how to avoid them.” Bankrate.com. https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/reverse-mortgage-scams/#common-scams (accessed May 20, 2026). More SML Planning Minute Podcast Episodes This podcast is brought to you by Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, The Company That Cares®. The content provided is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Information is provided in good faith. However, the Company makes no representation or warranty of any kind regarding the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of the information. The information presented is designed to provide general information regarding the subject matter covered. It is not to serve as legal, tax or other financial advice related to individual situations, because each individual's legal, tax and financial situation is different. Specific advice needs to be tailored to your situation. Therefore, please consult with your own attorney, tax professional and/or other advisors regarding your specific situation. To help reach your goals, you need a skilled professional by your side. Contact your local Security Mutual life insurance advisor today. As part of the planning process, he or she will coordinate with your other advisors as needed to help you achieve your financial goals and objectives. For more information, visit us at SMLNY.com/SMLPodcast. If you've enjoyed this podcast, tell your friends about it. And be sure to give us a five-star review. And check us out on LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter. Thanks for listening, and we'll talk to you next time. Tax laws are complex and subject to change. The information presented is based on current interpretation of the laws. Neither Security Mutual nor its agents are permitted to provide tax or legal advice. The applicability of any strategy discussed is dependent upon the particular facts and circumstances. Results may vary, and products and services discussed may not be appropriate for all situations. Each person's needs, objectives and financial circumstances are different, and must be reviewed and analyzed independently. We encourage individuals to seek personalized advice from a qualified Security Mutual life insurance advisor regarding their personal needs, objectives, and financial circumstances. Insurance products are issued by Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York, Binghamton, New York. Product availability and features may vary by state. SubscribeApple PodcastsSpotifyAndroidPandoraby EmailTuneInDeezerRSSMore Subscribe Options
Do you have home equity sitting in your primary residence? You could use it to buy your first or next rental property! There are several ways to do this, and in today's episode, we're sharing them so you can make your money work harder! Welcome back to another Rookie Reply! Whether it's a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or a cash-out refinance, there are multiple ways to access the equity in your home. But which option is best? Stay tuned and we'll help you determine the right move for your situation. Next, if you're preparing to open an Airbnb, the days leading up to launch can be nerve-wracking. Thankfully, our resident short-term rental expert, Tony, has some game-changing tips that will help you create the best possible guest experience and bring in plenty of five-star reviews! Finally, what do you do if your investment property hasn't appreciated at all over the last one, two, or even five years? Should you hold or cut it loose? The answer is more nuanced than you might think, but we'll help you reach the right decision for your real estate investing goals! Looking to invest? Need answers? Ask your question here! In This Episode We Cover How to use your primary residence to buy your first rental property Three ways to access your home equity (and fund your next property) How to create a five-star Airbnb experience (and get more reviews!) What every rookie should know before launching a short-term rental When to sell a rental property that has low or negative cash flow Whether a rental property with low (or no) appreciation is a bad investment And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on BiggerPockets.com and https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/rookie-727. Interested in learning more about today's sponsors or becoming a BiggerPockets partner yourself? Email advertise@biggerpockets.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Click Here for the Show Notes In this episode, several important real estate investing questions are addressed, starting with how vacancy allowances, lease-up fees, and property management costs should be accounted for when analyzing rental property cash flow. The discussion clarifies why lease-up fees are often treated separately from monthly management fees and how investors can create more accurate projections by properly budgeting for vacancies and tenant turnover. The conversation then shifts to using a home equity loan or HELOC to acquire rental properties, exploring how cash flow can support multiple debt obligations and how refinancing strategies can help investors leverage appreciation to pay down borrowed funds over time. Finally, the episode examines whether travel expenses related to visiting investment properties or participating in real estate syndications may qualify as tax deductions, highlighting the importance of proper business structuring and professional tax guidance. Packed with practical advice, this episode provides valuable insights for investors looking to improve cash flow analysis, maximize leverage, and make informed financial decisions. Listen to the full episode to gain a deeper understanding of real-world investing strategies, learn how experienced investors approach financing and cash flow challenges, and discover opportunities to optimize your investment performance. Be sure to subscribe and submit your own questions for future episodes. -------------------------------- Throwback Thursday Episode (The episode originally took place in the year 2021) This episode is part of our Throwback Series and may include references to older content such as web classes, events, promotions, or links that are no longer active or available. While the conversation and insights still hold value, please note that some information may be outdated. -------------------------------- If you missed our last episode, be sure to listen to TBT: Rapid Fire Listener Questions Download your FREE copy of: The Ultimate Guide to Passive Real Estate Investing. See our available Turnkey Cash-Flow Rental Properties. Our team of Investment Counselors has much more inventory available than what you see on our website. Contact us today for more deals.
Retirement planning doesn't always follow a straight line, and this episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast tackles the pressing money decisions families are talking about. Join Wes Moss and guest host Mallory Boggs for a lively conversation about helping adult children buy homes, Roth conversions, Social Security timing, investing, taxes, and the lifestyle choices often associated with a happy retirement. • Explore the financial and emotional tradeoffs that may come with helping adult children buy a home while still protecting your own retirement goals. • Examine how higher home prices, rising mortgage rates, and ongoing family support may help shape retirement planning and financial flexibility. • Evaluate Roth conversions, Social Security claiming strategies, IRA withdrawals, and HELOC financing through the lens of taxes and long-term retirement income planning. • Reconsider how spending on travel, family experiences, health, hobbies, and social connections may play a role in retirement satisfaction. • Assess portfolio diversification considerations beyond concentrated “Magnificent 7” exposure while tackling listener questions on IRAs, emergency funds, taxable accounts, and retirement investing. Listen and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for more conversations on retirement planning, investing, taxes, and navigating today's financial landscape with a practical long-term perspective. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
https://youtu.be/gS7aHfIiXjQ Preetha Pulusani, CEO of DeepTarget, is passionate about helping people realize their potential and leveraging technology to create meaningful business growth. After spending 25 years in corporate America and learning hard lessons from an early entrepreneurial failure, Preetha built DeepTarget into a bootstrapped fintech growth company that helps banks and credit unions acquire, engage, cross-sell, and retain account holders through advanced data analytics and intelligent marketing. In this conversation, Preetha shares the DeepTarget Bootstrap Framework, a leadership and innovation model built around five principles: Combine Pros with Fresh Graduates, Think Big but Start Small, Be Agile with a Flat Structure, Fail Quickly, and Keep a Tight Customer Feedback Loop. She explains how blending experienced professionals with emerging talent creates powerful teams, why rapid experimentation outperforms large-scale product launches, and how customer feedback should guide innovation. Preetha also discusses using data to drive growth, selling outcomes instead of technology, and building a successful SaaS company without outside funding. — Pull 5 Levers to Bootstrap Your Firm with Preetha Pulusani Good day. Steve Preda here with the Management Blueprint, and my guest today is Preetha Pulusani, the CEO of DeepTarget, a company that helps hundreds of financial institutions increase loan demand, promote product adoption, and support intelligent marketing through advanced data mining and analytics. Preetha, welcome to the show. Thank you, Steve. Thank you for having me. Thank you for inviting me. I’m looking forward to it. Yeah. You have a very interesting business and very interesting profile, so I can’t wait to jump in. But let me ask you my favorite question. What is your personal ‘Why’, and how are you manifesting it in your business? I guess you could say that my personal ‘Why’ has evolved over several years. I spent 25 years in corporate America, and that was the best business education I could have ever received. My first failure as an entrepreneur, though, added to that significantly, and that was right before I started DeepTarget. Luckily, it was a quick failure, but that doesn’t mean it was not a difficult one. And in every way, the lessons learned have come in handy today. So I believe that I’m in my final chapter of my career, so I can speak from years of experience. And my personal ‘Why’ is—it’s always been about people for me. I’ve never believed in the lone genius. I believe that every person has some spark of genius in a different way. And I have always been inspired by pulling out that spark and weaving a tapestry of people.Share on X And that happened even in my job in corporate America, but it happens even more with my team today as an entrepreneur at DeepTarget. So it’s about empowering people to use that spark rather than focusing on something that they may not be as good at. It’s pulling out that strength and making it the collective strength of a solution, of how we serve customers, and of the business itself. Does that make sense? Oh, yeah. This is great. I love that. My experience is that nearly none of the companies I talk to—or basically none of them, literally none of them—capitalize on the maximum talent of their team. Because it’s impossible to maximize it completely, but you can work on it, and that is wonderful. Yeah. So do you have a process for how you do that? Is there a mental process? Is it just an awareness? Is it a curiosity? Is it a natural thing that you do, or do you actually have a way of doing this? So I have found that I think I read people. I think I’m intuitive in that way. And so I see myself as being the orchestrator of whatever it is, whether I’m working on today’s problem or whether I’m working on the big vision. I don’t know that it’s a process so much, but I have used it over and over again. It’s become a very natural thing for me. So you talk about the big vision. What is that big vision? So as a company, my focus is on making our clients successful. What that means is helping them grow their financial institutions.Share on X We work with credit unions and banks, and it’s all about growth. And we use innovation to leverage that growth for them. How do you acquire new account holders? How do you cross-sell to them? How do you communicate with them? How do you retain them? I’m a techie at heart, so it’s been about how do I leverage data? How do I leverage—today, of course—AI, kind of a combination of data and AI, to make sure that they are able to see the growth they need for their financial institutions? And that’s kind of become the mission that we have adopted for the company. Yeah. I noticed that on your website you have this map of, I think, seven or eight different ways that you’re driving adoption and contact with people and— It’s highly data-driven. It’s not wishy-washy. We’ve evolved from being a marketing company to a growth company. And when you take anything that’s data-driven into marketing, yeah, it’s something that people like to do. But what we like to do is use the technology to get to the human—to get to the individual. So we are helping our credit unions and banks reach individuals, understand each account holder, and understand what their financial needs are. And the only way you can do that at scale is by using technology and data. So we’ve built a platform that enables them to do that. That’s why the front end is all data, right? We can accept as much data as they want to give us so that we can do the right things to help them grow and engage their account holders. Yeah. I like that you’re very techy, as you say—techy and data-driven. So I wonder, what is your mental model when you think about the end customers of your financial institution clients? What’s your mental model for how you innovate this process? So what are the major elements? If you had to synthesize it down to maybe three to five elements—your levers that you can pull—what are those? Great question. So I’m going to start with the people because, for me, everything revolves around people. What I’ve been able to do is combine very seasoned pros with fresh graduates from local universities, and that has been a potent combination. Okay? That’s number one. Whether I’m talking about development, customer success, or sales, that’s been the combination that has worked for me. And as a bootstrapper, that has also helped me financially. You have a very seasoned pro that I’ve worked with for years, and you know exactly what their strengths are. And then you put some fresh graduates under them. I’m telling you, there’s nothing better. That combination is second to none. The second thing is, I believe in thinking big, but starting small and scaling quickly. I learned that over time. There was a time when we used to have the big-bang theory of creating products.Share on X We have moved so far away from that. So think big, start small, and be agile. And as a small company, that’s a big advantage for me. We have a very flat structure. And so we’re able to have the agility we need to move markets, frankly. If you’re going to fail, fail quickly. Have a tight customer feedback loop. And if something isn’t going to work for your customer, just abandon it. Abandon it quickly. I can’t say, in all honesty, that I’ve done that every time, but it’s always on my mind: “Should we really even pursue this?” I know we’ve had projects that we thought would be very successful, but they weren’t. But when you’ve only made a small investment, it’s easier to set it aside. “Okay, it’s not working. This is not what we need to do. Let’s move on.” Yeah, I love that. Can you give an example where you invested in a process and really believed in it, and it turned out not to work, and then you had to pivot from it? So the way we help banks and credit unions engage and cross-sell to their account holders is primarily through digital banking. We put up very personalized offers using data in the digital banking environment and use that real estate very effectively. It works like a charm. That’s what we do today. We did get a little sidetracked by expanding that into email, and we didn’t see the kind of growth we expected. So we tried to understand that. We did kind of an autopsy. And the difference is that when you log into digital banking, you’re being served something. The difference with email is that you’re pushing something out. It has its uses, for sure, but the particular aspect of what we had done in the product didn’t take off like we expected. So we just said, “Okay, let’s do more of what we can do within the digital banking environment.” But that works for farming existing customers of the banks, right? Do you also help banks acquire new customers? Yes. And that’s where email works, by the way. And so does direct mail, and so do digital ads. When you’re cross-selling to existing account holders, you have a lot of information about them. For example, if they rent a home, you would never give them a HELOC offer, right? But on the other hand, what we’re doing for new account acquisition is still using data. We’re looking at who the most profitable customers are that your credit union or bank has, and using that as the model to find more likely customers within a particular radius of their branches. So we are still using data, but in a different way and using different channels to reach them versus digital banking. That’s fascinating. So what drives growth in your business? Well, if you had asked me that question 10 years ago, I would have said innovation drives growth. But what we have found and learned over time is that innovation is an engine.Share on X Innovation, in a way, actually causes friction because when you innovate, you’re creating something new. So you first have to go out and educate the market. You have to make them understand that there’s a new way of doing things, and not everybody is open to change. So if I go talk to a marketing professional and say, “Hey, here’s a new way of doing things. We’re using data.” I put myself in the place of that marketing person who is already constrained by bandwidth, who is already doing so many things, saying, “You’re bringing another new tool for me to learn and use? For what purpose?” While innovation is the engine, what we have learned is not to focus on the innovation, but to focus on the impact. And we do that by really working hard to get into the C-suite. So we are talking to the CEO, the COO, the Chief Digital Officer, or the Chief Technology Officer of these banks and credit unions, helping them understand the outcomes. What is it we do? We acquire new customers. We cross-sell to existing customers. We help you retain them. I receive these direct-mail solicitations from mega banks like Chase and Wells Fargo. They’re paying me $900, $1,500 to open a checking account. It’s expensive to acquire new accounts. That’s just an example, right? So we are helping you grow through new account acquisition, but we also have a whole playbook for how you retain those new accounts that you acquire. So when you talk at the C-suite level, all of a sudden they’re not seeing a tool. What they’re seeing is an outcome. “How soon can we see results?” is the question we get asked. So we grow through a different way of selling what we do to these institutions. So people don’t care how you achieve the result. They just want you to talk about the result? Exactly. Especially the CEO. I mean, they don’t really care. They do care about things like data privacy, and we’ve addressed all of that. We’ve been doing this business for so long that data security is table stakes. But they care less about how you do it and more about why. So we have to talk to the individuals who care about the why rather than the how, although the how plays such a big part in building a business, right? But that’s what we focus on. That’s behind the wall. That’s your problem, basically. That’s right. That’s the secret sauce. We used to take great pains to explain the secret sauce at one point in time, but not anymore. That’s interesting. So why do they listen to you? I mean, why do they believe that you can get these results? Do you show them testimonials, or how do you prove it? We have over 200 customers now—customer contracts. It’s actually closer to 300. So we have a lot of testimonials and references that we can show them. We also let them know that there are barriers to using software like ours, such as, “Do I need to have somebody operate the software?” No, because part of what we offer is a managed service. We will operate the software for you using your branding and everything else that you have. So we’ve kind of removed all of the barriers. The biggest barrier today is creating awareness in the broader market, because this is a huge market. And on my bootstrapping budget, I have to make sure people know that such a solution exists. What we find is that once we reach the decision-maker, it’s a fairly straightforward sale. I would say that if I’m constrained by anything when it comes to growth, it’s because I’m a bootstrapper. I watch every penny carefully, and I have built the company funded entirely by revenue. And one of these days that’s not going to be enough. But so far, so good. Yeah. Okay. So basically you create broader awareness of your products. You have all these testimonials and references. When you get in front of these decision-makers, you talk about the outcome and show them the results you can get. And we have direct sales, right? I mean, we do call on, we have a couple of people. All they do is work the phones, emails, and LinkedIn to get us meetings in front of the right people. You know, also, Steve, in this day and age of everything digital, what we have found with banks and credit unions is that first important meeting with the CEO—we’re finding that doing it in person makes a huge difference. So that’s another thing that we do. That’s interesting. So does that limit you geographically? We’re having so much success with that model that it only helps us. More revenue means I can invest more in sales. So we are limited to the United States. We have customers on both coasts, a pretty good map of customers on both coasts, and in the Midwest. And there are some blank spaces, and we’re trying to address those blank spaces. So you actually have people fly all over the country to meet with CEOs? Yes. And it’s making a big difference. This is a change that we made not too far back. I would say maybe about 18 months ago or so, and it’s made a big difference for growth. That is so interesting because after the pandemic, a lot of companies kept doing video sales calls. As did we. As did we. As probably you did as well. But the assumption was that there’s no point in traveling. It’s an extra expense and doesn’t make a huge difference. But you’re saying it’s the opposite—that it does. Yes, it makes a huge difference. You’re talking to the CEO of a bank. Banks still have a more traditional generation of leaders. Even I didn’t believe it when I was first sold on this whole concept, but I’ve become a believer now. That meeting—the CEO not only is in the room with you, but brings in his or her key executives to talk to you. When you’ve made the trip all the way to Sacramento, they’re going to do that, right? So it’s made a difference. So there’s a reciprocity involved. They see that you’re making the trip. Okay, then we might as well put more into it. And it’s kind of a self-fulfilling process. And by the way, when you have more people in the room, you get more objections, but you’re able to address those in person. Yeah. Even if you have a video call with the CEO, if the CEO goes and talks to the CTO and brings up the objection, “You really need to worry about these guys and their data security,” we never hear about that. We just hear silence. We don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes. So you get that opportunity to address all of that kind of in person. And I think it actually works out more cost-effectively, surprisingly. Yeah, as long as those are resulting in deals. Yes. So maybe that’s an inside thing, but I’m just wondering, what is the upside of something like that? If you convert one of the CEOs and they start using the system—maybe that’s a business secret—but what is the value of that conversion? Let’s say the 12-month value of that conversion that makes you want to do that trip. So let me give you an example. We sell annual subscriptions with five-year terms. That’s a big deal, right? And when we sell five-year terms, it can become very significant. So we price based on the asset size of the financial institution because that kind of determines how large they are, how many branches they have, and how many account holders they have. So let’s take an institution that’s, say, a billion dollars. I’m just going to give you some rough numbers, right? For a five-year contract, you’re talking about $300,000 or so. Okay. That makes sense. It’s definitely worth the trip. Yes, it’s worth the trip. Yeah. The other way to have that personal interaction, which we have found to be very effective, is conferences—focused conferences. Many of these banks and credit unions have state leagues, regional leagues, or certain technology-focused groups that meet. And those are kind of the best venues to do our prospecting. And then do you sponsor these conferences? Well, we do. We’re very selective, but we have booths, and in addition to that, we may do some other sponsorships. Yeah. Yeah. That’s great. So switching gears here, I’m really curious. What is something that you’re actively trying to figure out in your business? So if you had a magic wand and you could wave it, what would you want to fix in the next 12 months? I’ve kind of told you that I’ve been a bootstrapper, and I’ve been a bootstrapper very intentionally. Because one of the things that I said I would do is that I wouldn’t be so stubborn as to never take any outside capital. But the thing that I wanted to figure out before taking external capital was what would give me a multiplier effect. So if I took a dollar in, how would I be able to multiply that? And I’m getting very close to figuring that out on the sales and marketing side. So if I had more dollars, and if I have a sales formula that I know works—that I’m confident works—then I should be able to take that formula, add those dollars, and simply add salespeople, right, to grow. Scale it up, yeah. So that’s kind of been the biggest issue I’ve had for the past, say, five years. But I would say that over the past 12 to 18 months, a lot of that has become clearer to me. And so I think I’m getting close to having that solved—to having that formula where I can say, “Okay, if I put in more dollars, I’m going to get X return.” Yeah. Some people call this the coin-operated marketing and sales system. You keep dropping the coin and— Yeah. Yeah. It’s taken me years to figure it out. I spent a lot of my early years at the company building a very robust technology platform because without that, everything else becomes secondary. And then I had this focus on, how do I get sales and marketing? And I’ve tried many things, and they haven’t necessarily worked, right? I’ve built up a customer base by slogging over time, but then you want that formula if you want to throw money at it. Yeah. And that’s where I think I’m getting closer to getting there. Yeah. And then marketing media is changing all the time. Different platforms come and go. Then you have different advertising formulas, and they burn out. So it’s actually difficult to stabilize it and make something that’s permanently coin-operated, so to speak. Yeah. And when we say everything is data-driven, it’s not just on the front end that everything is data-driven. We are able to tell the credit union or bank how many products we actually sold. What loans did you sell? How many auto loans? How many mortgages? How many HELOCs? How many credit cards? How many deposit accounts did you open each month that were influenced by our campaigns? We’re able to go back and tell them that. And what are the new balances you generated as a result of that? So it’s not about impressions and clicks. On the back end, we actually give them very deep data analytics so they can see, “This is the revenue I generated last month, and these are the new balances I generated last month.” And so that makes a difference, too. Yeah. I saw on your website that many customers get a 500% ROI on their investment. Yeah. Which only says that I’m charging them too little. Yeah. Yeah. No, but I mean, if you look at the balances and how they measure, we’re almost afraid to put the actual numbers out there. But we show them a growth grid that shows, month by month, here’s what you made using these campaigns. We can even show them what happens when they turn off the campaigns and what the impact is. So in terms of bootstrapping, is that a strategy? Let’s say you figure out your scalable sales formula. Would you then go raise money, or would you still want to bootstrap? If the revenue that I’m generating can be used toward growth, I won’t have to go raise money. But I won’t be so stubborn and silly that I wouldn’t take outside capital. I get calls all the time from investment bankers and capital firms. In fact, I was talking to one just yesterday, and I said, “I’m probably getting a bit closer to being open to capital. Give me another six months. By the end of the year, I should know.” So yes, I would raise money if I had that sales formula, if I knew for sure. And I think part of this, Steve, is because I talked about my first failure as an entrepreneur. It was a very quick failure, but it was a hard one because I had taken money from friends and family, and it was used up, and they didn’t get much in return. When I had to shut down that company, I actually gave them shares in this company. I guess I got a bit burned, so I’m more resistant to taking outside capital until I’ve figured out what the solution is. But I think I’m getting very close. You get to a point where it’s silly not to take capital. Yeah, because someone might copy it. You figure out a formula, and someone might copy it. Then they put more money behind it, they dominate the market, and you lose. Yeah. So that’s the only concern. Yeah. Yeah. If there are listeners who hear this and say, “Wow, I’d like to learn more because I’m involved with a financial institution, and we need to improve our sales, get more customers, and upsell more customers,” where can they find out more, and how can they reach you? So our website has, I think, a wealth of information. So certainly they can go to our website just to learn more about the solution. They can contact us at success@deeptarget.com. That’s probably the easiest way to get a deeper dive into what we do and have that one-on-one meeting. And I think that’s the best way to learn more. Whether you’re interested in going forward or not, that’s the best way to learn. Yeah. Okay. Well, definitely. I checked out the website, and it’s pretty informative. You get good visuals of what Preetha’s team is doing, and it’s pretty complex, I would say. There’s a lot of nuance to it, so I found it fascinating. So definitely check out deeptarget.com if you’d like to learn more. Preetha is also on LinkedIn, and you can email them at success@deeptarget.com. Any famous last words for the audience? Something that would help an entrepreneur who wants to bootstrap their business? What would you recommend they do? I think starting a business is no easy feat, and I don’t believe in overnight success. It’s a journey. It’s been one of the most inspiring and interesting journeys, and probably the greatest learning journey, that I’ve been through. So I think you shouldn’t focus just on the end result or overnight success. Instead, come for the journey. Yeah. You have to love the journey in order to reach the destination, right? It’s tough, right? Yeah. It can be tough at times, but then you reach a point where it’s just the best thing. Yeah. Well, that’s great inspiration for the founders listening to this. And if you enjoyed the podcast, then definitely follow us on LinkedIn, subscribe on YouTube, and give us a review on Apple Podcasts. And Preetha, thanks for coming. That was an eye-opening discussion. I don’t recall having many bootstrapper tech companies on the show, so this is definitely a new element for us and a really good perspective. So thanks for coming, and thank you for listening. Important Links: Preetha's LinkedIn Preetha's website Preetha's email: success@deeptarget.com
Today's episode includes a discussion on some poorly-trending data from the mortgage and housing markets, an interview with Pineapple's Shubha Dasgupta on the progress and process of mortgages being originated on the blockchain, (and the use cases and benefits to the mortgage and bond markets), and we close by looking back on the week that was.Welcome to The Chrisman Commentary, your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.This week's podcasts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the white-label HELOC platform for banks, credit unions, and brokers. Close in zero days with warehouse funding. Power your home equity lending with NFTYDoor.
Today's episode includes a discussion on the ever-changing slope of the yield curve, an interview with Sagent's Sridhar Sharma and Shane Leonard on how the latest and greatest in underwriting technology is reducing friction in the mortgage origination process, and what to expect from the Federal Reserve under new Chair Warsh.Welcome to The Chrisman Commentary, your go-to daily mortgage news podcast, where industry insights meet expert analysis. Hosted by Robbie Chrisman, this podcast delivers the latest updates on mortgage rates, capital markets, and the forces shaping the housing finance landscape. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just looking to stay informed, you'll get clear, concise breakdowns of market trends and economic shifts that impact the mortgage world.This week's podcasts are sponsored by NFTYDoor, the white-label HELOC platform for banks, credit unions, and brokers. Close in zero days with warehouse funding. Power your home equity lending with NFTYDoor.
Send us Fan MailIn this episode we dig into the state of the American consumer's balance sheet, which on paper isn't broke but is increasingly "boxed in." We walk through eye-opening Federal Reserve data: total household debt hit an all-time high of $18.8 trillion in Q1 2026 (up $4.6 trillion since pre-COVID), credit card balances peaked at $1.25 trillion with rates north of 20%, and while headline wages are up roughly 32% since 2020, real inflation-adjusted earnings have grown just 2-3% against housing, insurance, and grocery costs that have surged 60-80%. The result is a deepening K-shaped economy where homeowners are sitting on a record $17.8 trillion in equity, including roughly $11.6 trillion that's "tappable," but can't realistically refinance out of their 2-3% pandemic-era mortgages.That sets up a fascinating conversation with Kerry Finley, founder of Tacora Capital, about Home Equity Investment options (HEIs), a product profiled in a recent Bloomberg piece. Unlike a HELOC, an HEI isn't debt: an originator like Point Digital buys a percentage of the equity in your home for cash today (with a volatility haircut), takes no monthly payments, and settles up when you sell or refinance. Kerry breaks down a clean example using a million-dollar home with a $600K mortgage, explains why this product fits borrowers who can't clear the 750+ FICO bar for a HELOC (including 1099 and K-1 earners), and why the average returns on these instruments have been around 17% since 2015.We also explore why this isn't a 2008 redux, where HEIs fit in residential real estate's hyper-local landscape, and how the product might actually serve as a credit-curing tool for consumers carrying expensive card debt. Shop our Self Paced Courses:Investment Banking & Private Equity Fundamentals HEREFixed Income Sales & Trading HERESubscribe to our Substack: https://substack.com/@thewallstreetskinny
This week, Mike Cagney joins the show to discuss Figure and how it became the leading non-bank HELOC lender in the U.S. We deep dive into how Figure leverages blockchain rails to scale the next evolution of capital markets before Mike shares his thoughts on tokenization, being a public vs private company, how to fix tokens and more. Enjoy! -- Follow Mike: https://x.com/mcagney Follow Jason: https://x.com/JasonYanowitz Follow Empire: https://x.com/theempirepod -- Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction (03:20) How Do Blockchains Disrupt Capital Markets? (09:28) Why Did Mike Build Figure? (27:00) Will Figure Launch a Wallet? (38:05) SoFi's Superbowl Ads (45:42) Tokenizing Equities (55:08) The Provenance Blockchain (01:01:46) Being a Public vs Private Company (01:07:18) How To Fix Tokens (01:12:27) What's Next For Crypto In 5 Years? -- Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, Rob and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.
1019. If you have enough home equity and not enough cash, you may wonder about taking a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Laura answers a listener's question about whether taking a larger HELOC to pay for an expensive car repair and an upcoming wedding is a good or “horrible” idea. Key Takeaways:Most lenders require you to maintain at least 20% home equity after tapping it with a HELOC.HELOC borrowers must also have enough income, a suitable debt-to-income ratio, and sufficient credit scores to qualify.Getting a HELOC gives you more flexibility and lower interest rates than other financing options, such as a credit card.If you use HELOC funds to buy, build, or remodel a home, interest paid on a limited amount of debt is tax-deductible.Primary HELOC downsides include paying variable interest, reducing your home equity, and risking foreclosure if you're unable to repay it.Upcoming Wedding Series Coming Up: We want your questions about wedding finances! Whether you're the bride, groom, or a guest, send us your questions about budgeting for the big day. Email: money@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308. Discover more from Money Girl!FacebookNewsletterTranscripts available at QuickandDirtyTips.com.Email: Laura@LauraDAdams.com or leave a voicemail: (302) 364-0308. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Glennda Baker has been a real estate broker for decades, built a massive social media following teaching everyday people how to buy and sell smart, and learned some of the biggest money lessons the hard way… including a divorce where her ex looked her in the face and called her a "cash cow." Today, she joins Nicole to share what she knows about protecting your wealth, winning in today's housing market, and building real estate into generational wealth. Glennda gets raw about her own financial trauma: the manipulation she didn't see coming in her marriage, the moment she was evicted to a vacant rental with her son and hit rock bottom, and why she will never get married again. She explains exactly how divorce hits women differently than men, including a hidden math problem most people miss when splitting a house at today's interest rates. Then Nicole and Glennda get into the real estate playbook. They fact-check the viral real estate advice flooding your feed, from writing letters to homeowners to get off-market deals, to using a HELOC for a down payment, to buying property through individual LLCs. Glennda also makes her case for why buying a house for your kid beats a 529, why private equity is keeping Bobby and Susie off the property ladder, and the one negotiation move every buyer should make at closing. Check out Nicole's financial literacy course The Money School Find a Financial Advisor or Financial Coach from Nicole's company Private Wealth Collective Watch video clips from the pod on Money Rehab's Instagram and Nicole Lapin's Instagram Follow Glennda on TikTok and Instagram Here's what Nicole covers with Glennda: 00:00 Are You Ready for Some Money Rehab? 01:21 Glennda's Origin Story 03:33 Should You Put Your Spouse's Name on Your House? 06:22 Prenups, Postnups, and Why Everyone Already Has One 07:03 Why Glennda Will Never Get Married Again 08:11 How Divorce Hits Women Differently 09:29 The Hidden Math Problem When Splitting a House 11:43 Glennda's Money Trauma 17:09 Buying a House Together: What Needs to Be in Writing 20:19 Trusts vs. Putting the House in Your Kid's Name 24:30 Why Glennda Would Rather Buy a House Than Fund a 529 26:35 Real Estate vs. the Stock Market 28:09 Glennda and Nicole Play TikTok Trend or Truth? 38:13 The $47 Trillion Boomer Equity Problem 40:02 The Starter Home Myth 42:00 What Budget Do You Actually Need? 48:52 How Private Equity Is Locking Out Everyday Buyers 52:43 A Hard Look at Affordability 55:00 The 7 Ds of Real Estate 59:33 Closing Cost Strategy 01:03:03 Glennda Baker's Tip You Can Take Straight to the Bank All investing involves the risk of loss, including loss of principal. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Always do your own research and consult a licensed financial advisor before making any financial decisions or investments.
❓ Have a money question? Ask Ramsey is here to help.
❓ Have a money question? Ask Ramsey is here to help.