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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

Canada's housing market may finally be showing early signs of stabilization — but is this the beginning of a long-awaited recovery, or merely a pause before another downturn? In this week's episode of The Vancouver Life Podcast, we unpack the latest housing data, economic signals, and market shifts that could reshape real estate in Vancouver and across Canada.After more than three years of declining prices, sluggish sales, and buyers remaining firmly on the sidelines, several indicators are beginning to point toward something different. Listings are easing, prices are flattening, buyer sentiment is quietly improving, and institutional investors are once again making bold bets on housing. While uncertainty remains, the data is beginning to tell a more nuanced story than the headlines suggest.One of the most notable developments comes from Berkshire Hathaway, the investment giant built by Warren Buffett and now led by Greg Abel, which has made a stunning $6.8 billion all-cash acquisition of U.S. homebuilder Taylor Morrison. While the story is south of the border, the implications may reach far beyond the United States. Berkshire is famous for making long-term investments during periods of uncertainty — not when optimism is already priced in. The move raises an important question: does one of the world's smartest capital allocators believe housing weakness is temporary and that long-term demand fundamentals remain intact?There is another major shift poised to transform real estate: artificial intelligence in mortgage lending. TD Bank has introduced agentic AI into mortgage and HELOC underwriting, reducing application review times from approximately 15 hours to under three minutes. The implications are substantial. Faster approvals could reduce financing friction, speed up transactions, and ultimately change how buyers experience one of the largest purchases of their lives. While human oversight remains in place, this episode explores how AI is rapidly moving from novelty to necessity in housing finance.Closer to home, Metro Vancouver's presale condo market is sending what may be one of the strongest warning signals in years. In a stunning statistic, zero concrete high-rise presale projects launched in Q1 2026 — an almost complete freeze in one of the region's most important housing categories. Developers are struggling to secure financing as investor demand weakens, affordability deteriorates, and nearly 4,000 completed condos remain unsold. Yet paradoxically, today's slowdown could plant the seeds for tomorrow's supply shortage, potentially creating renewed upward pressure on pricing by 2028 and beyond.The latest market statistics for Metro Vancouver and reveals a market caught between weakness and resilience. Sales remain historically low — with May 2026 ranking effectively as the weakest May on record outside of the COVID lockdown period — yet prices are no longer falling meaningfully. Benchmark pricing rose modestly again in May, marking the second increase in three months, while median prices have climbed for five consecutive months and now sit just 2.5% below all-time highs.At the same time, inventory levels are beginning to ease, new listings have declined year-over-year for three straight months, and expectations for further Bank of Canada tightening have softened considerably. Markets are now pricing in an overwhelming likelihood of a rate hold, adding another layer of potential stability.The overarching question explored throughout the episode is simple, yet critically important: Are we witnessing the early formation of a housing market bottom — or simply a temporary stabilization before another leg lower?For buyers, sellers, developers, and investors alike, this episode offers a data-driven look at the signals that matter most — and what they could mean for the future of Canadian real estate._________________________________ Contact Us To Book Your Private Consultation:

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.

On today's episode of The American Land Man Podcast, we are back in the studio with Jeremy Lopez. We discuss:Jeremy bought his first house around age 21 or 22.Military service helped shape his discipline and goals.VA loans became a major financial tool for him.Rental properties helped create cash flow.He used a HELOC to help buy duplexes.His first hunting property was 40 acres in northern Wisconsin.He focused on affordable areas with better margins.He improved trails, food plots, blinds, water, and access.Strong video marketing helped sell the property fast.He expects a check around $57,000–$58,000 before taxes.And So Much More!Connect:-https://bit.ly/NeilHaugerWhitetailProperties-https://bit.ly/NeilHaugerFacebook-https://bit.ly/NeilHaugerYouTube-https://bit.ly/NeilHaugerInstagram

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.

Real estate investing can change your life, but only if you do it the right way. In this episode, Wayne and Gabby have one of their most honest conversations yet about real estate investing, authenticity, bad advice, fake confidence, and why so many new investors get pulled into strategies they do not fully understand. Wayne talks openly about the lack of authenticity in the real estate investing world, why people are often attracted to flashy promises, and why safe, reliable investing rarely looks exciting from the outside. He also explains why investors need to stop blindly following people online, do their own research, and learn how to tell the difference between a real investor and someone selling a dangerous shortcut. The episode then shifts into a real listener question from someone who owns a paid-off home worth approximately $900,000, is planning to move provinces, and is considering using a HELOC to turn that home into a rental while buying a triplex. Wayne and Gabby break down the situation honestly, including why a former personal residence does not automatically make a good rental property, why cash flow matters, why expensive homes often perform poorly as rentals, and why selling the property may create a much stronger investing opportunity. This episode is part speech, part coaching session, and part real-world deal analysis. It is a reminder that real estate investing does not need to be flashy to work. It needs to be safe, simple, profitable, and built on real numbers. If you are a new investor, thinking about using home equity, trying to decide whether to keep a former home as a rental, or feeling overwhelmed by conflicting real estate advice online, this is an episode you should listen to carefully. What You'll Learn in This Episode Why authenticity matters in real estate investing Why Wayne believes too many investors follow flashy but dangerous advice Why new investors need to do their own research before trusting anyone Why safe and reliable investing is often boring, but powerful Why raising capital works better when you are real and honest Why many real estate investing "cycles" are caused by people doing risky things Why Wayne believes investors need to stay in their own lane Why a paid-off personal home does not automatically make a good rental How to think through using a HELOC to buy more real estate Why expensive homes often struggle to cash flow as rentals Why repairs, maintenance, taxes, insurance, and financing costs matter Why cash flow protects you from risk Why selling a personal residence can sometimes create better investing options How one large amount of trapped equity could be redeployed into better rental properties Why Edmonton townhouses and garden suites may create stronger returns than keeping a low-cash-flow house Why Wayne recommends making decisions based on math, not emotion Why real estate investing is simple when you follow the fundamentals Upcoming Events Edmonton Garden Suites 101 June 12, 2026 Edmonton, Alberta www.reimasters.ca/edmontongardensuites101 REI Masters Edmonton Real Estate Investing Bus Tour August 22, 2026 www.reimasters.ca/edmontonbustour About Your Hosts Wayne & Gabby Hillier are full-time real estate investors and real estate investing coaches based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Through their REI Masters Mentorship Program, they help Canadians build long-term wealth using rental properties, BRRRRs, flips, joint ventures, wholesaling, seller financing, rent-to-own, garden suites, and creative financing. The Canadian Real Estate Investing Morning Show is a daily podcast focused on helping Canadian investors build cash flow, scale their portfolios, and invest with confidence. Resources & Contact Learn about the REI Masters Mentorship Program: www.reimasters.ca Bookkeeping & tax help for real estate investors: www.finngo.com/rei Get Wayne's book: The 5% Rule™ – A Real Estate Cash Flow Test for Canadian Investors https://a.co/d/jdZaBXM Submit a question or connect with us: info@reimorningshow.com Thanks to Our Sponsors Calvin Realty – Edmonton Investor-Focused Realtor calvinrealty.ca Finngo Bookkeeping & Tax – For Investors, By Investors www.finngo.com/rei Kirkwood & Brennan Mortgage Group keaton@kbmortgages.ca

Thinking about tapping into your home's equity? In this episode, we're breaking down HELOCs—what they are, when you can actually get one, and why (or why not) you might use it. We keep it simple, real, and practical so you can make smart financial decisions for your family.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.sistertipsters.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠**Follow⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sister Tipsters on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠***Shop ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Our Favorites⁠⁠

Today's episode includes a discussion on the ways headlines are driving rate movements, an interview with NEO Home Loans Ryan Grant on the evolution of interactions between mortgage professionals and borrowers, and how companies can best provide support to origination staff, and what to expect from a busy economic calendar.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

Topics on today's episode include rate expectations versus realities, an interview with David Lykken on transformation in mortgage lending over the past five-plus decades, as well as lessons on leadership, and renewed clashes in the Middle East and their impact on mortgage rates.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.

In this episode, mortgage and lending expert Ben Stef of Nexa Lending shares how creative and non-traditional financing solutions are helping real estate investors structure deals that traditional lenders often reject. He discusses DSCR loans, HELOC strategies, and non-QM lending options that allow investors to scale without relying on personal income verification. Ben also breaks down current market challenges, including rising rates, inventory constraints, and tightening lending guidelines, while highlighting how technology and AI are improving underwriting and loan processing efficiency.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

Ron Butler, principal broker at Butler Mortgage and host of the Angry Mortgage Podcast, breaks down exactly how home equity lines of credit work, the key differences between a HELOC and a traditional mortgage, and the real risks of using one to cover vacations, pay off credit cards, or fund rental properties. He also explains why a HELOC is a demand loan — meaning the bank can reduce or call it on just 24 hours' notice — and offers one simple self-assessment to determine whether you have the financial discipline to manage one responsibly. Find out more at butlermortgage.ca and connect on X, Instagram, and Facebook.

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.

In this episode of Moolala: Money Made Simple, host Bruce Sellery tackles three pressing issues facing Canadians today. Organizational psychologist Dr. Liane Davey introduces the concept of "thought load" , an invisible tax on your performance and presence driven by rising cognitive demands, emotional triggers, and depleted energy reserves. Liane shares practical strategies to identify your overwhelm style and reclaim your focus. Then, Ron Butler, principal broker at Butler Mortgage and host of the Angry Mortgage Podcast, breaks down the pros and cons of home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), explaining how they work, when they make sense, and the critical difference between a mortgage and a demand loan. Finally, Cherolle Prince, Director of Fraud and Identity Management at Equifax Canada, reveals why first-party fraud, which is when individuals misrepresent their own financial information to qualify for credit, is surging at over 30% year over year, and what lenders and AI tools are doing to fight back. To find out more about the guests check out: Dr. Liane Davey: lianedavey.com | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram | Facebook | X Ron Butler: butlermortgage.ca | X | Instagram | Facebook Cherolle Prince: LinkedIn(Cherolle) | X | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | LinkedIn(Equifax) Bruce Sellery is a personal finance expert and best-selling author. As the founder of Moolala and the CEO of Credit Canada, Bruce is on a mission to help you get a better handle on your money so you can live the life you want. High energy & low B.S., this is Moolala: Money Made Simple. Find Bruce Sellery at Moolala.ca | X | Facebook | LinkedIn

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ sits down with Figure Technologies CFO Macrina Kgil to break down how Figure's business model works, why traditional lending remains so bloated, and how speed in origination and funding flows through financial performance. They also cover stablecoins, blockchain as invisible infrastructure, AI in accounting, and scaling finance with fewer than 35 people.—SPONSORS:Brex is an intelligent finance platform that combines corporate cards, built-in expense management, and AI agents to eliminate manual finance work. By automating expense reviews and reconciliations, Brex gives CFOs more time for the high-impact work that drives growth. Join 35,000+ companies like Anthropic, Coinbase, and DoorDash at https://www.brex.com/metricsAleph is a modern FP&A platform built for teams that want more than another planning tool. By connecting your ERP, CRM, and other systems into one trusted data layer with AI workflows, Aleph helps you move faster with real-time insights. Get a personalized demo at https://www.getaleph.com/runRightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for teams that have outgrown spreadsheets and billing tool workarounds. It handles high-volume subscriptions, usage-based contracts, and mid-cycle upgrades, so you can scale without scrambling at month-end. For RevRec that keeps your books clean, visit https://www.rightrev.com/CJRillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cjEY works with high-growth tech companies to navigate the messy realities of scaling—from regulatory requirements to IPO readiness. By helping teams get it right early and often, EY lets founders stay focused on building while reducing risk as they grow. Learn more at https://www.ey.com/techstartupsSpendHound is a SaaS spend management platform built for finance and procurement teams that want visibility and leverage in every deal. By tracking all your software, benchmarking pricing across thousands of vendors, and surfacing contracts and renewals, SpendHound helps you stop overpaying and negotiate with confidence. Trusted by teams at ZoomInfo and Hootsuite. Get started at https://www.spendhound.com/cj—LINKS: Mostly Talent: https://mostlymetrics.typeform.com/to/cLTxtAsNGuest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/macrina/Company: https://www.figure.com/CJ: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cj-gustafson-13140948/Mostly metrics: https://www.mostlymetrics.com—TIMESTAMPS:0:00 Preview and intro3:10 Working for a CEO who's a former CFO5:00 What Figure does and how it makes money6:57 Blockchain's first commercial use case8:17 50%+ margins, path to 60%9:23 Sponsors — Brex | Aleph | RightRev12:56 HELOC origination: 45 days to 5 days14:26 Where the lending system is bloated15:56 Credit and liquidity as core risks17:06 Blockchain makes the marketplace transparent18:10 Risk as a fintech CFO19:49 Sponsors — Rillet | EY | SpendHound22:58 Crypto on the balance sheet24:12 Blockchain becomes invisible like cloud25:44 Stablecoins explained27:47 YLDS: Figure's yield-bearing stablecoin29:02 Crawl, walk, run stablecoin strategy34:32 IPO process: what got easier35:03 What got harder: testing the waters37:12 Blockchain KPIs and investor conversations38:21 Finance team: 130 people down to 3540:00 SEC engagement: storytelling not financials40:49 IPO advice: pick durable KPIs42:05 First earnings after IPO: don't miss43:13 AI automation goal: 60% by 202646:11 Director of Finance Transformation hire47:40 30-60-90 for the transformation role48:58 Long-Ass Lightning Round52:20 Credits

https://www.givesendgo.com/wrap-around-the-punt-familyBook a call: https://remnantfinance.com/calendar Out Print the Fed with a 1% target per week: https://remnantfinance.com/optionsEmail us at info@remnantfinance.com or visit https://remnantfinance.com for more informationFOLLOW REMNANT FINANCEYoutube: @RemnantFinance (https://www.youtube.com/@RemnantFinance)Facebook: @remnantfinance (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560694316588)Twitter: @remnantfinance (https://x.com/remnantfinance)TikTok: @RemnantFinanceDon't forget to hit LIKE and SUBSCRIBE_____________________________In this episode, Hans delivers the third installment of the IBC Master Class, walking through the mechanics of policy loans and making an urgent case for why protection must come before growth. Hans implores fathers to button up their protection plan before chasing the next moonshot investment. He then transitions into the technical heart of the episode: how policy loans actually work, why they're the most powerful lending tool available to consumers, and how this single mechanism lets you keep your money compounding while you put it to work elsewhere.Chapters: 00:00 – Opening segment 01:00 – Recap of Parts 1 and 2: cash value, base premium, PUA, and the MEC line 05:30 – A father's tragedy and a wake-up call 08:30 – Why "buy term and invest the difference" leaves families exposed 11:25 – Protect, save, grow: the proper order of operations 13:30 – The three types of economic death (Solomon Huebner) 18:35 – The Accelerated Death Benefit Rider: a free lifeline most people ignore 20:15 – Waiver of premium and how a policy becomes self-completing 23:00 – Setting up the policy loan illustration24:35 – The three players: cash value, the insurance company, and your bank account 27:25 – Why moving money from savings, stocks, or HELOC depletes the source 29:50 – Using the death benefit as collateral (and why the company says yes) 32:20 – The certainty of repayment: why there's no schedule, application, or credit check 36:40 – The mortgage comparison: what changes when the lender is the guarantor 40:05 – Bitcoin-collateralized loans vs. policy loans: control and stress 43:45 – The 100% rate of return: how you become the banker 48:00 – What the illustration doesn't show you: capital working in multiple places 50:50 – Non-direct recognition: getting the full dividend regardless of loans 52:55 – The free rider that becomes a lifeline (revisiting accelerated death benefit) 57:50 – Closing thoughts Key Takeaways:Protect, save, grow is the order, not a suggestion. Optimizing for IRR while leaving protection gaps builds a skyscraper on sand. One accident, illness, or long-term care event can wipe out every growth asset you've ever acquired.The policy loan is the most effective lending tool a consumer has access to. No application, no credit check, no schedule, no amortization, no questions asked. Because the insurance company is the guarantor of the collateral, they have certainty of repayment and don't care when you pay it back. Your cash value never gets touched. The company lends you their money and collateralizes your death benefit. Your full cash value keeps compounding, your dividends are calculated on the full policy value, and your capital stays working. The Accelerated Death Benefit Rider is a free lifeline most policyholders forget exists. A specific medical condition, chronic illness, or terminal diagnosis lets you advance your death benefit while you're still alive. You become the banker by spreading on your own capital. Borrow at 5%, invest at 10%, and you've replicated what commercial banks do. That's a 100% rate of return on the spread. The illustration doesn't show the whole picture. The cash value column shows uninterrupted compound growth, but it doesn't reveal that the same capital can be funding rental properties, syndicates, and options trades simultaneously. 

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.

In this episode of Scam Rangers, Ayelet sits down with fraud researcher and professor David Maimon to unpack some of the most alarming scam trends emerging today, from abandoned identity fraud and synthetic identities to AI-powered romance and investment scams.They discuss how criminals are targeting former immigrants, children, and deceased individuals whose identities are no longer actively monitored, and how those identities are being sold and exploited for loans, bank accounts, and fraud rings.The conversation also dives into a disturbing evolution in romance and investment scams: criminals are no longer just stealing victims' savings, they are strategically targeting people with strong credit profiles and home equity to maximize returns through HELOC fraud and investment manipulation.Finally, Ayelet and David explore how AI is beginning to automate scam operations at scale, including experiments with conversational AI agents capable of running fully automated “pig butchering” investment scams.Key Topics Covered Abandoned identities and identity reuse fraud Synthetic identity marketplaces on Telegram Romance scams evolving into large-scale financial exploitation HELOC targeting and victim profiling AI-powered scam conversations and agentic AI DeepSeek guardrail concerns The future of fraud prevention and scam mitigationAbout the GuestDavid Maimon is a cybercrime researcher focused on fraud ecosystems, financial crime, identity fraud, and online scam operations. His work explores how criminals operate across Telegram, darknet forums, and emerging AI systems to scale fraud operations. David is a Professor at Georgia State University and Head of Fraud Insights at SentiLinkListen now and stay ahead of the latest scam tactics shaping the future of fraud.https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-maimon-29343632/About the HostAyelet Biger-Levin is the Founder and CEO of RangersAI and the host of Scam Rangers, a podcast exploring the human side of scams and the people working to protect consumers from financial and emotional harm.Through her work at RangersAI and her leadership within the Global Anti-Scam Alliance, Ayelet partners with financial institutions, policymakers, and advocates to elevate scam prevention beyond controls and technology toward trust-based, customer-centric protection.Be sure to follow her on LinkedIn and reach out to learn about her additional activities in this space:https://www.linkedin.com/in/ayelet-biger-levin/RangersAI: https://www.rangersai.com/

I sit down with Zach Oehlman, a former velocity banking and 1st lien HELOC advocate turned whistleblower—who's now calling out major figures like Michael Lush and the Kwak Brothers. After years as a top affiliate with Renatus, Zach breaks down the flawed math behind velocity banking, explains why the strategy doesn't outperform simply paying down your mortgage, and shares details of his lawsuit against Renatus. If you've heard claims of paying off your home in a few years using HELOC “chunking,” this is a direct, numbers-driven breakdown—and an open challenge to anyone defending the strategy.Watch the Interview on Youtube for Visuals - https://youtu.be/OJcLugBokeEWant Us To Review Your Permanent Life Insurance Policy? Click Here: https://bttr.ly/yt-policy-reviewBuy Your Tickets to the Life Insurance Summit! Click Here: https://betterwealth.com/summitLearn More About BetterWealth: https://betterwealth.comChapters:00:00 - Interview Teaser 01:36 - Guest Introduction, Velocity Banking, Lines of Credit 04:24 - The Legal Battle with Renatus *12-Year History with Renatus *Why is he suing the company? 11:40 - Attempts at Dialogue and Professional Audits 18:51 - What is Renatus and What Do They Sell? 24:57 - Understanding the Velocity Banking Pitch 27:31 - Debunking "Amortized Interest" Myths 29:22 - The Host's Own Correction on Amortization 33:59 - Flaw in Comparative Analysis 34:34 - Liquidity, HELOCs, and Second Leans 45:51 - Step-by-Step Math: Mortgage Acceleration Logic 47:23 - How to Pay Less in Interest? 48:02 - How to Pay Off $100k in 3 Years 48:45 - Correct Analysis 57:17 - Mortgage Calculator 01:02:17 - Goal of the Lawsuit 01:10:12 - Final ThoughtsDISCLAIMER: https://bttr.ly/aapolicy*This video is for entertainment purposes only and is not financial or legal advice. Financial Advice Disclaimer: All content on this channel is for education, discussion, and illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as professional financial advice or recommendation. Should you need such advice, consult a licensed financial or tax advisor. No guarantee is given regarding the accuracy of the information on this channel. Neither host nor guests can be held responsible for any direct or incidental loss incurred by applying any of the information offered.

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.

Tom and Don take aim at the persistent myth that active management adds meaningful long-term value, using a new study highlighted by Larry Swedroe showing that 1,260 balanced mutual funds dramatically underperformed simple low-cost index portfolios from 1990–2021. The duo contrasts expensive actively managed balanced funds with inexpensive index strategies like the Vanguard Balanced Index approach, illustrating how fees alone can devastate long-term returns. Along the way, they discuss the emotional challenge of rebalancing, the hidden costs inside broker-sold funds, and why simplicity usually beats complexity in investing. Listener questions cover paying off a high-interest HELOC, whether gold or silver make sense as CD replacements, how advisor fees relate to the 4% withdrawal rule, and the behavioral value of good fiduciary advice. The episode wraps with a detour into collectible stock certificates, including Enron, Washington Mutual, and even Trump Media, proving once again that Talking Real Money can turn almost anything into a financial lesson and a comedy bit.0:05 Satirical opening mocking the “you need a professional” investing pitch0:27 The enduring myth that active management beats indexing1:40 Larry Swedroe study on 1,260 balanced mutual funds vs. index portfolios3:05 Balanced funds underperform across returns and risk-adjusted metrics4:32 Massive fee differences between active funds and index funds6:05 Rebalancing challenges and lousy 401(k) investment menus7:05 American Funds Balanced Fund fee breakdown shocks Don8:49 Vanguard Balanced Index Fund cost comparison9:36 Why advisor fees are different from high mutual fund expenses10:30 Simplicity and low costs win most of the time11:41 Enron stock certificate becomes a lesson on stock-picking risk14:47 Listener question about paying off a 7.1% HELOC19:29 Whether pensions should count as “bond-like” assets21:42 Gold and silver vs. CDs discussion25:40 Does the 4% rule include advisor fees?26:11 Vanguard Advisor Alpha and the behavioral value of advisors27:32 Fiduciary advice, tax management, and preventing investor mistakes28:50 Collectible stock certificates and bizarre eBay discoveries30:48 Closing banter and preview of future unpredictabilityQuestions? Comments? Click!

In today's episode, we go through a primer on how current market gyrations are influencing prepayment speeds. Plus, Robbie sits down with Digital Risk's Kim Lanham for a discussion on how the Iran conflict and broader geopolitical uncertainty are influencing mortgage rates, borrower decision-making, servicing retention strategies, borrower assistance programs, and emerging credit and fraud risks across both Agency and non-QM lending. And we close by examining how nonfarm payrolls impact mortgage rates.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.Thank you to FirstClose, which provides fintech solutions to HELOC and mortgage lenders nationwide. Their home equity lending platform accelerates the home equity lending process, reducing application to closing times from 45 days to less than ten. 

In today's episode, we look at the latest earnings calls and quarterly results from across the mortgage industry. Plus, Robbie sits down with FirstClose's Dan Kellett for a discussion on how forward-thinking lenders are using automation, faster cycle times, and digital transparency to improve borrower experience, accelerate closings, and drive profitable growth in home equity lending. And we close by examining Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's tenure as it winds to a close.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.Thank you to FirstClose, which provides fintech solutions to HELOC and mortgage lenders nationwide. Their home equity lending platform accelerates the home equity lending process, reducing application to closing times from 45 days to less than ten. 

In this episode, mortgage expert Anthony Rushing discusses the innovative use of First Position HELOCs to accelerate home payoffs, leverage real estate assets, and optimize financial strategies for both homeowners and investors.   Professional Real Estate Investors - How we can help you: Investor Fuel Mastermind:  Learn more about the Investor Fuel Mastermind, including 100% deal financing, massive discounts from vendors and sponsors you're already using, our world class community of over 150 members, and SO much more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/apply   Investor Machine Marketing Partnership:  Are you looking for consistent, high quality lead generation? Investor Machine is America's #1 lead generation service professional investors. Investor Machine provides true 'white glove' support to help you build the perfect marketing plan, then we'll execute it for you…talking and working together on an ongoing basis to help you hit YOUR goals! Learn more here: http://www.investormachine.com   Coaching with Mike Hambright:  Interested in 1 on 1 coaching with Mike Hambright? Mike coaches entrepreneurs looking to level up, build coaching or service based businesses (Mike runs multiple 7 and 8 figure a year businesses), building a coaching program and more. Learn more here: https://investorfuel.com/coachingwithmike   Attend a Vacation/Mastermind Retreat with Mike Hambright: Interested in joining a "mini-mastermind" with Mike and his private clients on an upcoming "Retreat", either at locations like Cabo San Lucas, Napa, Park City ski trip, Yellowstone, or even at Mike's East Texas "Big H Ranch"? Learn more here: http://www.investorfuel.com/retreat   Property Insurance: Join the largest and most investor friendly property insurance provider in 2 minutes. Free to join, and insure all your flips and rentals within minutes! There is NO easier insurance provider on the planet (turn insurance on or off in 1 minute without talking to anyone!), and there's no 15-30% agent mark up through this platform!  Register here: https://myinvestorinsurance.com/   New Real Estate Investors - How we can work together: Investor Fuel Club (Coaching and Deal Partner Community): Looking to kickstart your real estate investing career? Join our one of a kind Coaching Community, Investor Fuel Club, where you'll get trained by some of the best real estate investors in America, and partner with them on deals! You don't need $ for deals…we'll partner with you and hold your hand along the way! Learn More here: http://www.investorfuel.com/club   —--------------------

In today's episode, we look at the figures surrounding America's aging housing stock. Plus, Robbie sits down with Chris Marshall of Sagent at its 2026 Ignite Conference, as well as Scott Rodeman (Evergreen Home Loans), Chris Wittrig (Land Home), and Jane Roethler (Idaho Housing and Finance Association) for a discussion on the latest and greatest in servicing technology. And we close by examining MBS coupon performance across the stack.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.Thank you to FirstClose, which provides fintech solutions to HELOC and mortgage lenders nationwide. Their home equity lending platform accelerates the home equity lending process, reducing application to closing times from 45 days to less than ten. 

Send us Fan MailNobody wants their family digging through drawers for a deed while they are grieving, panicking, or trying to move a parent into assisted living on short notice. That is why we sit down with Deanna and Kelly to talk about the Home Legacy Folder, a simple printed or digital file that turns homeownership details into a clear roadmap your loved ones can actually use.Deanna brings years of senior living experience, including helping hundreds of families navigate transitions where the home becomes the biggest and most emotional decision. We break down the real-world questions that show up fast: Is there still a mortgage, HELOC, or reverse mortgage? Are taxes current? Who is the insurance company? Is there an HOA? Where are the deed, title paperwork, and key records stored? We also talk about doing this securely, so organizing does not mean exposing private information.Then we get practical about the stuff that trips families up during a sale or estate situation: repair history, roof and HVAC age, sewer and plumbing issues, and why property disclosures filled with “N/A” can scare buyers and create risk. We also cover utilities, keys, alarm and gate codes, mailbox keys, and “who to call” so the house does not become a burden. Finally, we walk through the most personal part, your wishes, including selling options that balance speed, privacy, and net proceeds, and how to prevent fights over belongings by talking early.Grab the free Home Legacy Folder template from us, start with one page, and build it in baby steps. Subscribe, share this with someone caring for aging parents, and leave a review so more families find a calmer way to plan.

In today's episode, we look at figures associated with Hispanic lending in America. Plus, Robbie sits down with Figure's Anthony Stratis (for a discussion on the home equity lending space) and Verus' Dane Smith (for a discussion on innovative loan products). And we close by examining what it would take for oil prices to return to normal levels.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.Thank you to FirstClose, which provides fintech solutions to HELOC and mortgage lenders nationwide. Their home equity lending platform accelerates the home equity lending process, reducing application to closing times from 45 days to less than ten. 

Send us Fan MailWhen Cash Feels Safer Than the Market: Funding Big Projects, Managing Risk, and Avoiding Tax TrapsHunter Kelly discusses a client case (names changed) involving Mark and Lauren, who earn just over $300,000, have nearly $1 million in retirement savings, and $100,000 cash while considering a $175,000–$180,000 pool project. They explored HELOC/pool loans but were uncomfortable with added debt, so they chose to delay until Mark's July bonus and retention payment arrive, including temporarily reducing his 403(b) contributions to increase short-term liquidity. The episode also covers Mark moving about $700,000 of his 403(b) into a money market due to market fears, the risks of staying in cash, and using a rules-based reentry plan and more fitting allocation. Kelly explains capital loss limits ($3,000 against ordinary income with carryforwards) and a backdoor Roth IRA reporting error on Form 8606 that, once corrected, saved about $1,000, emphasizing sequencing and broader advisor value beyond investments.00:00 Welcome and Setup00:46 Meet Mark and Lauren02:23 Pool Project Costs04:31 Debt vs Peace of Mind05:42 Waiting for Bonus Cash07:33 Pause 403b for Liquidity09:10 Moved Retirement to Cash11:56 Rules Based Reentry Plan14:08 Breakeven Bias and Purpose17:00 Capital Losses Explained19:54 Backdoor Roth Reporting23:03 Sequencing and Takeaways26:02 Wrap Up and DisclaimerCheck out the Palm Valley Wealth Management WebsitePalmValleywm.comCheck us out on InstagramLinkedIn FacebookListen to the Podcast Here! AppleSpotify

Every investor faces the same quiet trade-off. The moment you move capital from savings into a deal, the money stops growing where it was. It is now in the deal,or it is in the bank, but it is not doing both. That is the either/or trap of conventional investing, and almost nobody questions it. There is a way out of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TErbvj7rheI&list=PLPvxD-a8qNrkdcvfxh4dG52MGGqHkS3TX&index=2&t=6s Done correctly, the Infinite Banking Concept breaks that either/or equation. Your cash keeps compounding inside a properly structured whole life insurance policy while you deploy borrowed capital into investments. The same dollars work in two places at once. This article walks through the mechanics, including the policy loan structure, the hidden cost of paying cash, the structural leverage of the death benefit, and what the system requires in practice. Rachel and Bruce both use this strategy in their own financial lives. It isn't theory. Key TakeawaysResetting the CurveThe Honest Math An Important Caveat The Mutual Difference How does Infinite Banking boost investment returns?What does "earning in two places at once" mean in whole life insurance?Is a policy loan free money?Why is paying cash for investments not always the best strategy?How is a policy loan different from a HELOC?What kind of whole life policy works for Infinite Banking? Key Takeaways Conventional investing forces an either/or choice. Your capital is in savings, or it is in the deal, never both. A policy loan doesn't drain your cash value; it places a lien against it. The full balance keeps compounding while the borrowed capital goes to work. This is how a properly structured whole life policy can boost investment returns. You earn from two assets at once. The math is honest, not magical. Loan interest is real, and the policy needs years to capitalize before it pulls ahead. Behavior matters more than design. You have to act like a banker, because in this system, you are one. Where Infinite Banking Fits in Your Cash Flow System The Wealth Creator's Cash Flow System divides personal finance into three stages. Stage 1 (Foundation) keeps more of what you earn. Stage 2 (Protection) insures and structures against risk. Stage 3 (Increase) makes your money work harder. Most Stage 2 tools do one job. IBC stands out: it's built on a whole life policy in Stage 2, but boosts Stages 1 and 3 too. Stage 1 link comes from Nelson Nash: 34.5 cents per dollar leaks to financing costs like mortgages, car loans, cards, and bank spreads. Swap a commercial loan for a policy loan, and those profits stay in your system, not with distant bank shareholders. Stage 3 is direct too. Policy loans fund investments without interrupting the policy's compounding. Cash value grows as your capital works elsewhere—Stage 3 power baked into Stage 2. Rachel calls it the cash flow sandwich: Foundation and Increase as bread, IBC as the filling that completes it. Why Paying Cash Isn't Actually Free Plenty of investors believe they have no financing costs because they pay cash for everything. They are correct that they aren't paying a bank. They are wrong that the cost is zero. When you pull $100,000 out of a savings account to fund a real estate deal, that $100,000 stops earning whatever it was earning. In today's environment, that is something close to 1%, which doesn't keep pace with inflation. You're paying with purchasing power that is quietly losing ground every year. But the rate is the smaller half of the problem. The deeper issue is the reset. Resetting the Curve Pull up an exponential growth curve. Slow at the bottom. Then steeper. Then steeper still. The hockey stick portion (the place where compounding actually does what people imagine compounding does) only shows up after years of uninterrupted growth. Most investors never get there. They put money in, then pull it out for a deal. The curve resets to zero. The deal closes, then the money goes back in. The curve resets again. In, out, reset, repeat. The compounding never actually happens. At least, not really. They are stuck on the flat part of the curve, dragging money back to the start every time an opportunity comes along. There is a parallel cost on the bank side. When you deposit money into a commercial bank, you are effectively lending that capital to shareholders you have never met. They deploy it. They keep the spread. You receive whatever rate they feel like offering, which is typically less than inflation. You take all the risk, and they keep the profits. Paying cash doesn't escape that system; it just hides the cost inside it. How Your Money Earns in Two Places at Once Imagine your cash value as a full cup. For illustrative purposes, say after 10 years it holds $1 million. The cup is growing, with guaranteed interest from the policy, plus non-guaranteed whole life insurance dividends from the mutual company's performance. That is the policy doing its protective job and accumulating value at the same time. Now you take a policy loan. $500,000. Watch carefully, the cup does not drain; it stays full. What changes is that the top half turns a different color. You might think of it as a lien. The insurance company has extended you $500,000 from their general fund, secured by the top half of your cash value. The full million is still inside the policy. The full million still earns interest and dividends. The borrowed $500,000 goes somewhere it can produce a return. A rental property, a business acquisition, a private lending deal, or equipment for an existing operation. That capital is now generating its own income or appreciation. You are now earning in two places at once. The investment is producing a return on the deployed capital. The policy is producing a return on the full cash value, exactly as if you'd never touched it. That is the mechanism that lets a properly used whole life policy boost investment returns far beyond what either piece could produce alone. The Honest Math  A note on the math, because this is where some IBC explanations get sloppy. The loan is not free. The policy can continue growing on the full cash value, but the insurance company still charges interest on the policy loan. For example, if the policy has $1,000,000 of cash value and you borrow $500,000 at 6.5%, the loan would create $32,500 of annual interest if no payments are made. If the policy grows by $40,000 that year, the policy growth is still $40,000. It is not reduced by the loan. But your net position is not simply, “I earned $40,000 and got $500,000 to invest.” You also have to account for the loan interest. And if you are being a good banker by making loan payments, the actual interest cost would be lower because the outstanding balance is being reduced over time. So the honest math is this: the policy keeps growing, the loan creates a lien and an interest cost, and the deployed capital has the opportunity to produce its own return outside the policy. That outside return is where the real upside lives. The power is not that the loan is free. The power is that the same dollar can remain at work inside the policy while also being redeployed into productive assets, as long as you manage the loan responsibly. The strategy is net positive when the policy is well capitalized, the loan is managed responsibly, and the investment return exceeds the loan cost. None of those conditions are guaranteed. All of them are achievable. Then comes the recycling. As cash flow from the investment repays the loan, the lien lifts. The colored portion of the cup returns to its original color. Once the loan is paid back, that capital is fully available again, ready for the next opportunity. Capitalize, borrow, invest, earn, repay, repeat. Same dollars. Multiple deployments. The compounding never resets. The Structural Leverage Most People Miss Here is a comparison most investors haven't worked through. Scenario A: $100,000 in a bank account. You die tomorrow. Your heirs receive $100,000. Scenario B: $100,000 in premiums paid into a properly structured whole life policy starting around age 50. You die tomorrow. Your heirs might receive $500,000. Five times the leverage, built directly into the contract. Now add the loan. You take a $100,000 policy loan and put it into an investment. The death benefit drops from $500,000 to $400,000 because the loan is collateralized against it. But the $100,000 is now working in a deal. Even if the investment breaks even (no gain, no loss), your family's net worth is $400,000 ahead of where the bank account would have left it. That is structural leverage. The advantage exists regardless of the investment's performance. Every dollar deployed through a policy loan carries a death benefit backstop that a bank balance simply doesn't have. An Important Caveat  This leveraged net worth advantage is most meaningful in the earlier years of a policy, when the death benefit is far greater than the premiums paid in. That gap is the source of the immediate leverage. Over time, as premiums are paid, the gap between total premiums paid and the death benefit begins to shrink. It does not disappear, but the leverage ratio compresses as the policy matures. Even so, the structural advantage can be significant. You are building accessible cash value that will exceed your contributions over time, while also maintaining a death benefit that remains above what you have personally paid into the policy and protects the family legacy. Why Policy Loans Beat HELOCs and Credit Lines for Investors The natural question: couldn't I do this with a HELOC, a personal line of credit, a margin account, or a 401(k) loan? It comes up almost every time the strategy is explained. The short answer: the underlying mechanics are different in ways that matter. ...

In today's episode, we look at the profitability of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Plus, Robbie sits down with AnnieMac's Joe Panebianco for a discussion on helping borrowers compete like cash purchasers, how affordability pressures are shaping borrower demand and new lending strategies, how global risks ripple into mortgage markets, and what key signals could drive a meaningful market shift through the rest of 2026. And we close by examining what to expect from the economic calendar this week.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.Thank you to FirstClose, which provides fintech solutions to HELOC and mortgage lenders nationwide. Their home equity lending platform accelerates the home equity lending process, reducing application to closing times from 45 days to less than ten. 

In today's episode, we look at the prevalence of various programs to qualify more borrowers for homes. Plus, Movement Mortgage's Lyra Waggoner interviews Rob and Robbie on a listener mailbag list of topics. And we close by examining the macro economic narrative after a large slate of data.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.Thank you to Figure. Figure is shaking up the lending world with their five-day HELOC, offering borrower approvals in as little as five minutes and funding in five days. Figure has hundreds of partners in the Banking, Credit Union, Home Improvement, and of course, IMB space embedding their technology. 

In today's episode, we look at the size of the all-cash buyer segment. Plus, Robbie sits down with CI&T's Tim Von Kaenel for a discussion on building, integrating, and optimizing technology to drive differentiation, modernize operations, and navigate an increasingly complex and fast-evolving digital landscape. And we close by examining dissent brewing within the Federal Reserve.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.Thank you to Figure. Figure is shaking up the lending world with their five-day HELOC, offering borrower approvals in as little as five minutes and funding in five days. Figure has hundreds of partners in the Banking, Credit Union, Home Improvement, and of course, IMB space embedding their technology. 

Today, Jason sat down with Caleb Christopher to break down how creative finance is actually being used in today's real estate market, especially for property managers looking to grow beyond traditional deals. In this episode of the #DoorGrowShow, property management growth expert Jason Hull and Caleb Christopher discuss strategies like subject-to deals, the due on sale clause, wraparound mortgages, and other creative transaction structures, along with how property managers can use these tools to acquire more doors, help investors expand their portfolios, and even build their own. You'll Learn [00:09] Introduction to Creative Finance in Real Estate [01:01] Caleb Christopher's Entrepreneurial Journey [04:39] Understanding Subject To Deals [10:10] Opportunities for Property Management Business Owners [11:45] Navigating Legal Counsel in Creative Finance [14:17] Understanding Wraparound Mortgages [19:45] Creative Financing Structures [22:27] The Role of Creative Transaction Consulting [27:06] Building Relationships in Property Management Quotables "If you have a business and you don't know what to do with those opportunities, other people do, and you can get paid a referral fee." "The due on sale clause is always going to be a stone hanging over your head. You can't get rid of it." "Your low-interest mortgage is an asset I'm willing to buy." Resources DoorGrow and Scale Mastermind DoorGrow Academy DoorGrow on YouTube DoorGrowClub DoorGrowLive Transcript Jason Hull (00:01) Five, four, three, two, one. All right, welcome everybody. I'm Jason Hull, the founder and CEO of DoorGrow, the world's leading and most comprehensive coaching and consulting firm for long-term residential property management entrepreneurs. For over a decade and a half, we have brought innovative strategies and optimization to the property management industry. At DoorGrow, we are on a mission to transform property management business owners and their businesses. We want to transform the industry, eliminate the BS, build awareness,   change perception, expand the market, and help the best property management entrepreneurs win. Now, let's get into the show. All right, so in today's episode, I'm hanging out here with Caleb Christopher. Welcome, Caleb. And we're gonna be chatting about creative finance and what it really looks like in today's real estate market. And Caleb's gonna share practical insights from his time in the industry, breaking down strategies like Sub 2, Subject 2 Deals.   Caleb Christopher (00:46) All right, thank you.   Jason Hull (01:01) the due on sale clause, wrap around mortgages and other creative transaction structures to give a helpful real world perspective for anyone looking to get started in creative finance. for property managers, know creative finance is how you help your investors get into more units and they all want to manage more units. So cool. Welcome Caleb.   Caleb Christopher (01:24) Thank you. I live creative finance, so ask in any direction.   Jason Hull (01:26) So, yeah, it's your   thing. Yeah, yeah, you live it. It's your middle name, right? Yeah. So Caleb was showing me he has paint on his arm from right, like, I don't know where he, yeah, he's been doing some stuff. He's like legit into the work. He's got rental properties. So he's down in the, in the paint. So Caleb, give us a little bit of background on yourself.   Caleb Christopher (01:32) Yeah.   Yeah. I've got rental properties.   Jason Hull (01:51) at kind of your, how did you get into doing what you're doing now? What's sort of your entrepreneurial journey for the entrepreneurs listening?   Caleb Christopher (01:58) Yeah, so entrepreneurship has gone way back for me. What, I'm 38 now? I'm almost 39. 39 feels a lot closer to 40 than 38, by the way. ⁓ As an entrepreneur, I'm like, wait, that's like one of those. Anyway, so.   Jason Hull (02:06) Yeah, yeah.   It's a milestone, yeah.   I'm a decade older than you. was born in 77. So I'm feeling even older now. Keep going.   Caleb Christopher (02:18) Okay.   You look fantastic.   So entrepreneurship in fifth grade, I found these mechanical pencils that would come apart in the middle and they were different colors. And I bought them in bulk at Costco and resold them to my classmates in whatever color combinations they want. Mates started making money. I was like, this is kind of cool. And I like customizing stuff. So that was cool. And then a bunch of little stuff like that. And it ended up where I ran a paintball field out of my parents' house in the woods. I liked working. like work as my hobby.   Jason Hull (02:23) Thank   Yeah. Okay.   Yes.   Caleb Christopher (02:48) but also paintball. I've got a 12 year old, we're building a paintball course in my, at my house now, cause he's just starting to get into it. So, but I did that and I bought rental gear and I funded my paintball journeys by having other people rent from me. And so that was that. And then I got into IT and cybersecurity consulting. So entrepreneurship has been a thing where I'm just always adding value, always had a second job, some, some other gig where I like to help do creative problem solving.   Jason Hull (02:48) Yeah, fun.   Yeah, good time.   Nice.   Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (03:15) And then I discovered real estate when I couldn't sell my house. The one I'm in right now was right next door to family, which was great, but I couldn't sell the one I was in. And so I had to rent it out and I became an accidental landlord and refinanced the property. And then I read Rich Dad Poor Dad and I was like, thank God I have a rental property. And that was the beginning of the real estate journey.   Jason Hull (03:27) Yeah.   Right, right. And everybody, you have to read Rich Dad Poor Dad. I think it's a requirement. And then you want to get out of the rat race and yeah, yeah. We would play.   Caleb Christopher (03:41) Yeah.   Yeah. Start building wealth. Just   treat, treat houses like a retirement account. Slow building. Even if you don't do anything else, if you get a few rentals, you're in a pretty good shape.   Jason Hull (03:56) Yeah. Have you seen Robert Kiyosaki's game, the board game? Yeah, probably. Maybe it does all the math for you. ⁓ yeah. We did it the hard way and I would just make my wife do the math. I'm like, go ahead, Sarah. You do this. She's like, she likes it. She thinks that part's fun. Yeah. Right. That's why she's the COO and not me.   Caleb Christopher (03:59) Yeah. It's easier to play online than it is the board game.   It does. Then you don't have all the little cards handing back and forth. So yeah, I highly recommend just running a private game on a computer.   Okay, what a blessing.   Jason Hull (04:25) All right, so cool. Well, let's get into this. Let's get in this topic. So tell us about the first thing mentioned in the intro was like the subject two deals, like this strategy.   Caleb Christopher (04:39) Yes, so sub 2 is when you take a property subject to something else. It could be a federal IRS lien. It could be the person's mortgage. It's always, by the way, everybody does sub 2 deals and they just haven't thought of it this way. When a utility company comes to dig up a chunk of your yard and you can't say something about it, that's because you bought it subject to easements, rights of way, etc. So...   Jason Hull (04:52) Okay.   Yeah, easements.   Caleb Christopher (05:04) There are external things that can act upon you or your property because you bought the property subject to them. What we do in subject to deals is we add the loan to the list of things taken subject to. So if the mortgage company notices that you sold a house to me without paying off the mortgage, right? The deed transfers to me and I'm making your payments now. That's a sub two. ⁓ if they notice and if they care, they can accelerate that loan because of the due on sale clause. So kind of two birds with one stone with this description. It exists in every.   Jason Hull (05:24) Yeah.   Yeah, doesn't that void most loans or?   Caleb Christopher (05:34) loan I've ever seen. Maybe not in a seller finance loan if you explicitly exclude it. It's not required, but a due on sale is a good protection for a lender to have because if you transfer and if they care, they can accelerate. It doesn't require them to. They can.   Jason Hull (05:36) Right.   but they can and   some terms in loans I believe also if you if it switches ownership, they it says it maybe negates the terms of the agreement or.   Caleb Christopher (05:59) Nope, it doesn't cancel anything else. it's, and a lot of people are like, is sub two illegal? No, it's not illegal. Here's when it is illegal. If I'm borrowing with the intent to hand it to somebody else, the deed, it was never my intention to occupy the property or to satisfy the requirements. And I'm misrepresenting or providing materially false information. That's fraud and that's illegal. However,   Jason Hull (06:04) Thank   Okay.   Okay.   Caleb Christopher (06:24) If I buy the house and I move into it as my primary residence or whatever the occupancy requirements are, and then I decide later on to sell it subject to the mortgage, I can do that. And that's a violation, a civil violation of the mortgage contract, which says if you transfer without paying us off or without our permission, we can accelerate the loan. But it's a defined default and a defined remedy.   Jason Hull (06:42) I see.   So I had a client and what he was doing is he was helping facilitate deals and his way of kind of getting around stuff was he would set up a trust. He would place the business, the current owner of the property as, you know, as one of the members of that trust. So they still had that person in place. They would just decrease their ownership stake through the trust, right? So.   Caleb Christopher (07:07) Still technically a violation of the due on sale clause. Some people think Garn St. Germain Act protects an investor like all trust acquisitions from a due on sale, which is not true. By the way, a little more background. I'm very technical. read laws and rules and court cases. so if anybody's got a, I'm giving you a real technical answer here, not an attorney though. The Garn St. Germain Act protects family transfers, but not an investor purchase, even if you leave the seller as a partial owner. Technically it's still a violation.   Jason Hull (07:16) Yeah. Yeah.   I love it.   Mm-hmm.   Got it.   Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (07:36) but it's less likely they'll notice.   Jason Hull (07:38) I see the sub two guys, Pace Morby or whatever his name is. And I just see a lot of people saying, this is illegal or you can't do this. And people come after him all the time. And I don't know. I don't know what. I'm not as technical maybe as you. So I don't know. What's your take on that?   Caleb Christopher (07:54) It's absolutely not illegal. It's illegal to misrepresent something at any time, but there's no duty or compunction in the contract for me to notify you as my lender that I've transferred the property. Even if there was, that would just be another violation of the mortgage contract and not something criminal.   Jason Hull (08:05) Got it.   Got it, okay, right. You're not going to jail over it, but okay. So if you're doing the subject two or if like some of the property management business owners listening are wanting to maybe take over the ownership of some of the rental properties that they're.   Caleb Christopher (08:23) Yeah, dude.   Can I say that is, think, the number one opportunity for a property management company owner is you can either do acquisitions for yourself by taking over tired landlords' properties. My goodness. Hey, are you tired of this property? I'll take the deed. I'll pay you X cash and I'll just take over the payments. Huge opportunity. Also playing middleman, if you know sub 2 investors. If you've got tired landlords, you have an opportunity.   Jason Hull (08:30) Yes.   Hmm.   Caleb Christopher (08:51) You can be the buyer or you can be the middleman who finds the buyers who are willing to take those over. And if it's older debt with a lower interest rate, I'm telling you, I will pay more for that property than I will for to get a new, the same property with a new loan.   Jason Hull (08:56) Right.   Yes, yeah. So, I mean, really, the smartest thing a property management business owner can do is build up their own portfolio, right. And rather than just helping everybody else build up theirs. And we've got a client and he I think he has like he has two, three hundred doors in his business. He owns all of them. He basically just uses his property management business as a honeypot. People come to him, say, hey, I need management. And then he he said, well, let's take a look at your property situation.   And then he's like, yeah, well, if you sell this, you're going to have all these taxes and all these issues. And man, if only there was a way you could still get paid on this, but avoid that. And then he convinces them to do seller financing without telling him it's seller financing, sort of. Right. And so then he like just takes over the ownership and he keeps paying them to pay them off. And so he's got this really sizable portfolio. And during the, when the   Caleb Christopher (09:37) Hmm.   Jason Hull (09:56) If the market shifts a certain way, he's taking on millions of dollars in assets pretty easily, you know, having these conversations. And so, yeah, I think there's definitely an opportunity for property management business owners to be paying attention to this. Is there anything else you would want to say about subject two that maybe they should be aware of or?   Caleb Christopher (10:10) Yes.   I mean, there's plenty of discussions to be had when you get down into the details. Knowing what it is is the first stage. I would just remind back on this last point, if you have a business and you don't know what to do with those opportunities, other people do and you can get paid a referral fee. So don't sit on the fact that you've got tired landlords. Send out a survey and like, if somebody came to you with an offer today, would you sell?   Jason Hull (10:17) .   Right. Yeah. And the thing is, as a property manager, they have this, they have several advantages, but one, they know the market, they know which properties would cashflow the best, they know what they could rent for. They're connected to real world reality, unlike a lot of real estate agents in the market when it comes to rentals. And they have a large portfolio of owners. So if one owner is like, want to sell, they've got a whole bunch of others. They could say, Hey, do you want this? So they could do that middleman thing that you were talking about.   Okay. Love it. think it's, it's just smart. And, it sounds like the biggest challenge would be the, the sound like the, sounds like the most difficult piece of this would be, how do I get really solid legal counsel for making sure that this is done or structured the right way? Or we keep the loan intact.   Caleb Christopher (11:06) That's it. We're done with the episode. That's the main point.   Excellent.   Yeah. So one thing, the due on sale clause is always going to be a stone hanging over your head. You can't get rid of it. And if you can't take that heat, you got to stay out of the kitchen, basically. That said, I have resolved due on sale on consumer loans, not DSCR. I've resolved due on sale with consumer slash investment property loans for the individual buyer borrower. But where was I going with that?   Jason Hull (11:30) Yeah.   How did you solve   this? Is this like a trade secret or can you share with the audience?   Caleb Christopher (11:48) Nah,   so the broad strokes are pretty obvious. It's the details that kill you. it's basically, if I bought your house subject to, and they accelerate the loan, then I'm going to try to call them and negotiate them away off the cliff, right? Like, hey, I'm making the payments. What's really the problem? Can I assume this? What options do we have? If they're inflexible, the bigger banks, then I'm going to have to go with technical compliance, which is I'm going to deed the property back to you.   Jason Hull (11:54) Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (12:15) And then we just get into this whole thing like, yeah, but what if I deed it to you and you don't sign the next document back to me to let me continue like a master lease where I keep all the profits or whatever we want to call it. Ideally, we just restructure the transaction with paperwork that's either less visible or completely acceptable to the lender.   Jason Hull (12:31) Got it. So this is just a conversation with the lender, basically, hey, this is what's happening. How do we make this work? So everybody's happy.   Caleb Christopher (12:37) and the bigger banks will not tell you how   to make it work. They'll just require you to show evidence that ID to the property back to you. But that's only one part of the puzzle, because we still need to restructure the transaction internally.   Jason Hull (12:44) I see. Okay.   Right. So then it's between you and the homeowner. Yeah. Got it. And there's just making a a deal where they're making your there's money being exchanged, even though the legal technical ownership hasn't really shifted.   Caleb Christopher (13:04) Right. There's a paperwork dance around any obstacle. Now you asked about legal counsel. Lawyers are good at saying no. I'm not going to discourage. Here's my law degree right here. I don't have one. So yes, I'm never going to discourage somebody from getting an attorney involved. My concern is a lot of times they don't have the direct experience on these types of deals. And when they see risk, they say no. ⁓   Jason Hull (13:10) Right. That's their default. Right. It looks just like mine.   Yeah.   Yeah.   That's the safest   thing for them to do.   Caleb Christopher (13:30) That's right. And when I go to an attorney, I'm like, I'm not, I'm paying you to tell me how not tell me no.   Jason Hull (13:37) Right. The pre-frame with attorneys is everything. I say the similar thing. You don't go to the attorney and say, hey, how can I get out of this horrible contract with this franchise I'm in, for example? It's this is what I want to do. What's the best way to do this? I'm going to do it. Yeah. So you give them the right pre-frame.   Caleb Christopher (13:49) Figure out how. Well, you can't because there's this risk.   And I'm like, yeah, there is risk. I need to accept a few risks here because let's be outcomes oriented. And if you can coach an attorney to be outcomes oriented before you start spending a bunch of money on them, then great. That said, I've had a hard enough time finding that in every state. that's why entrepreneurial, I started Creative TC, which is transaction consulting, because I've been there and I've done that with dozens of deals per month for the last four years next.   Jason Hull (13:59) Yes.   Yes.   Caleb Christopher (14:17) in a couple of weeks here. we've touched literally thousands of these deals. We've seen them up, down, left, right, sideways and back.   Jason Hull (14:18) Got it.   Yeah, so the short answer is call Caleb. Yeah, okay, cool. So the next thing is like, we talked about the do on sale clause a bit. I don't know if there's anything else to mention on that. And then we can go into wraparound mortgages.   Caleb Christopher (14:27) Yeah.   Yeah, I love it.   Jason Hull (14:40) I'm not familiar with wraparound mortgages.   Caleb Christopher (14:42) Okay, it's like you ever go to Chipotle and they make that big fat burrito? What if they put a second tortilla around it?   Jason Hull (14:47) yeah.   then it's way less likely to break open.   Caleb Christopher (14:53) Very good. Very good. I think there's a lot of good analogies here with wraparound mortgages. So mortgage is a contract that says, by the way, a lot of people get this backwards, a mortgage, you give the bank a mortgage, they gave you a loan. It's not the other way around. So when you give the bank a mortgage, you're saying, hey, in exchange for this $500,000, you can foreclose if I don't pay it. That's the mortgage. It gives them the right to foreclose. We want to do that to be ethical.   If I bought your house subject to the existing mortgage, ideally we would do something called a mirror wrap. Now, if you had equity and you wanted to finance me a larger dollar amount than what you owe, can change that. But a mirror wrap says, hey, here's the existing loan. We're putting another one around it. That way you can foreclose on me for non-payment, just like the bank can foreclose on you. So if I don't make your payments, you can still pay your payments so that your loan is in good standing and they can't foreclose on you. But   Jason Hull (15:33) Thank   Caleb Christopher (15:47) when I'm not making payments, you can foreclose on me. So a mortgage basically just says, you have the right to foreclose on somebody for violating the terms of the mortgage.   Jason Hull (15:58) Yeah, okay, clever.   Caleb Christopher (15:59) as opposed   to a naked sub 2. Like if I just took the deed and said, I'll make your payments. Cool, but yeah, yeah. It's like, but wouldn't you like the ability to foreclose if I don't? That's a wraparound mortgage.   Jason Hull (16:04) Yeah, cool. If I really trust you, but trust the verify, right? So.   Right, yeah, like worst case scenario,   it's like, you know, just like getting into a relationship pre-nup, post-nup, like making sure there's, like if things go bad, which nobody plans on, it's not gonna be as bad. Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (16:25) Right. It's a stop   loss, right? It will cost you money to foreclose on me, but your credit's on the line, so you can still protect it to some degree.   Jason Hull (16:34) Okay, yeah, cool. I like it. And I would imagine the owners like this too. Everybody likes this. This makes everybody feel safer.   Caleb Christopher (16:42) Yes, so that's one aspect is it's the safe legal ethical way to do it. The other piece is that you can use if I've got a 4 % interest mortgage. Actually, I've got one that's a 3.625 a sub 2 in Colorado. If I sold this to a new buyer right now on seller finance, I would give them a wraparound mortgage. But what would I be doing? Would I pass that 3.625 to them?   Jason Hull (16:46) huh.   Mm-hmm.   Well, no, you get a cut, right? Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (17:07) I would rather mark it up to 8 %   or seven or so, whatever's practical today. So I can keep the difference. can arbitrage the interest rate. So wraparound mortgages work not only for the ability to foreclose on a non-payer, but you can also increase either the total amount financed or the rate or both. And so wraparound mortgages can be used to transfer as a profit mechanism as well. And when you own the house that I sold you, I don't have to fix your toilet. You just have to pay me every month.   Jason Hull (17:36) Right, so in the case of the audience here, like property management business owner, they don't want to, like they could take over the property themselves, but they could also facilitate the deal and for the new owner, it's a higher percentage and they're just keeping the difference.   Caleb Christopher (17:41) Mm-hmm.   Sometimes you've got a tenant who has lived in a property for five years and they're a great tenant. You like, you want to help them out, but they can't seem to get a loan. It's like, all right, well, I'll let you make payments on this one. I don't like rent to own. Not the same because that's up your, you're conveying interest to them monthly. It's a convoluted mess. I would rather do a straight seller finance like this, where we do a wraparound mortgage and I'll bump the rate and you're going to pay me a premium, but you're going to get ownership.   Jason Hull (18:04) Yes.   Yeah, got it. Okay. Yeah, that's a healthier, safer way.   Caleb Christopher (18:20) And now I don't have to replace light   bulbs or fix toilets or repair the roof or whatever else goes on the plate.   Jason Hull (18:27) Unless you're the manager and you get paid to do that.   Caleb Christopher (18:30) What? It moves out of property management at that point if it becomes a seller finance. Yeah, they're the owner now.   Jason Hull (18:33) because somebody's buying it. They're not renting.   Got it. Yeah. OK, cool. Yeah, I like this idea, the wraparound mortgage. OK. Are there other types of wraparound mortgages? Is that the main thing?   Caleb Christopher (18:45) Now they're specific to your situation like what's best for you and what state you're in etc. I just had a conversation with somebody who used up all their available cash to get rent properties. Right, so they got three or four rentals, but they've got no cash left and they've got good interest rates and I said you could sell those on wraps and increase your cash flow every month and get a down payment from somebody and she was like what?   Jason Hull (18:48) Yeah.   ⁓   Caleb Christopher (19:12) I said, you want capital to do the next deal, right? Yeah. Okay.   Jason Hull (19:12) yeah. Right, so yeah, because that low interest rate is an advantage. So it's kind of sellable.   Caleb Christopher (19:20) It is and you can make a monthly bump.   Yes, it is your low interest loan. By the way, I just say this to people. Your low interest mortgage is an asset I'm willing to buy. The same house is worth more money to me with a low interest rate than I'll buy sub two. Then it is just on the market on average.   Jason Hull (19:29) No.   Okay.   Yeah, that's clever. Yeah, okay. Got it. Very cool. All right, so other creative structures.   any others.   Caleb Christopher (19:46) Yeah, so contract for deed or land contract, it's a seller, it's a type of seller finance. If I'm the seller, I like it because I hold legal title. And if I hold legal title, you can't place additional liens. Yeah, so I don't want you placing solar liens without my permission or water softener liens or a HELOC on top of whatever current balance is. So if I, if I sell to you on a wraparound mortgage, you have the full deed, legal title and everything.   Jason Hull (19:53) Okay.   Yeah.   Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (20:15) and you can place additional liens. You can use this property as security for other loans. I really don't want that complication in case I do have to foreclose and maybe take the property back if I bid what's owed. I don't want it coming back to me with an extra three liens or $40,000 worth of debt. So contract for deed is pretty ideal because I hold legal title, you get equitable title. And it's same seller finance term, same wraparound concept like markup interest rate and monthly payments and stuff.   Jason Hull (20:41) Got it, okay, very cool. These are fun little vehicles. There's like these magic little tool sets that you've got in your toolbox. Any others?   Caleb Christopher (20:48) I I like the master lease concept where it's like a sub 2, right? I'll make sure all your bills get paid, but I keep everything that comes back on top. I take it off your plate. I agree formally to cover any expenses related to the property, et cetera, but we're going to do it like a master lease with an option to purchase.   Jason Hull (20:59) Okay.   Thank   Caleb Christopher (21:10) If you're scared of due on sale, or if you've got a DSCR loan that will not tolerate a contract for deed or a trust acquisition or a full on sub two, we can do this custom master lease, which replicates all the parts and pieces effectively without violating that due on sale clause.   Jason Hull (21:28) Okay. And I know property managers sometimes are talking about things like, know, they want to get their investors into more property, right? So they're talking about things like maybe doing a 1031 exchange to get into a bigger property maybe, or doing cash out refinance to pull equity out to get into a next unit or next property. You know, these type of vehicles. But these additional tools you...   Caleb Christopher (21:35) Mm-hmm.   Mm-hmm.   Jason Hull (21:54) chat about today I think are very fascinating. I don't think a lot of them I haven't heard them talk about.   Caleb Christopher (21:58) Yeah,   mean, awareness is the big thing, right? You need to be aware that you can do some of these things, and then you find the person who can help structure it specifically for your scenario. But I see a lot of people who are like, I'm going to do a creative deal. And it's like, on what, though?   Jason Hull (22:12) Yeah.   Got it. Okay. So, I don't know if there's anything else we're missing or that you wanted to cover, but I think then the next question would be how, where do you fit into this? Cause you have a business that facilitates this or helps with this.   Caleb Christopher (22:27) Yeah. So I started Creative TC four years ago and this creative transaction consulting so that we could help make these deals safe, legal and ethical. You can imagine that it's pretty easy to do somebody dirty, whether you mean to or not, with these arrangements when somebody's credits on the line, they're convoluted. And so you need a guiding light. You need somebody to hold your hand, maybe be a lighthouse so you don't crash on the rocks. That's what Creative TC is. And so we consult on these deals nationwide to help people do them safely.   Jason Hull (22:35) Okay.   yeah.   Okay.   Caleb Christopher (22:56) And then I started Creative Title this last year to fill a void in the state of Colorado where a bunch of companies were pulling out of creative deals.   Jason Hull (23:04) Yeah, got it. So yeah, I get it. Yeah. And I'm sure a lot of times it's not even the, it's, everybody has good intentions, maybe from the very beginning. But when, as soon as something gets weird or sticky or confusing or challenging, then somebody's like, feels like somebody else is being unethical or do them dirty or whatever, or we don't have a, we don't have an exit path or we don't have a clear delineation of, you know, that makes everybody feel comfortable where we can split ways or part ways. so.   Caleb Christopher (23:12) Yeah.   Money's on the line.   Jason Hull (23:32) Yeah, having something structured right from the beginning, they say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of care, right? And a lot of times I, when talking with my clients, because, know, in property management, have lease contracts, lease agreements, have the agreements or contracts they have with the owners for taking over the management of the property. And I, what I usually say to them is those are nice, but those usually only matter if you use them incorrectly. They only matter when you're at war.   Caleb Christopher (23:35) yeah. Yep. 100%.   Yes. ⁓   Jason Hull (24:03) It only matter when you're there.   So, but if you proactively review the agreements with them and go through it with them and help them understand it, it's then an onboarding tool and it helps set the frame of the relationship and it helps everybody understand. And because it doesn't matter what's written in agreement until you're at war. But before then, what matters is what they think is written in that agreement. And so making sure that you go over things with them to make sure they understand this is paramount. And that like makes like,   Caleb Christopher (24:13) Yes.   I need, I need this as   a sound clip for my team because this is how I train my team as well. I just need it from somebody else because it sounds better coming from not me. ⁓ it's expectations management is absolutely essential, especially in creative finance deals where I'm making your payments, your credits on the line. If I don't make your payments, it hurts your credit score and can cause a foreclosure. The buyer and seller need to have that conversation. And sometimes it requires a third party to help facilitate. Hey, here's what happens.   Jason Hull (24:32) in a relationship.   Right, so you can use that.   Yeah.   Caleb Christopher (24:59) Here's how to manage those expectations. Let's look at this. We're not just signing disclosures just because they're legally required or suggested, but we want to have a meaningful conversation and talk through the stuff so that everybody's on the same page because if the due on sale clause comes knocking, we need to be on the same team.   Jason Hull (25:14) Yeah, yeah. So my wife and I got married in Mexico because that's we wanted to get married there. And usually what people will do is they'll just do it legally in the US, but they'll do it symbolically in Mexico. And Sarah's like, no, let's let's do both there. Let's do it. And they make you list out your assets. It's almost like they're like proactively making everyone have a prenup, right? Now we already had a prenup. And then our lawyer was like, you also need to have a postnup. So we did that. And it's just like we know, like if   Caleb Christopher (25:34) Okay.   Jason Hull (25:42) for some reason there was a problem, like things went south, then it's not gonna be all out war, right? It's clear, you own this, I own this, this is how it works, this is how we part ways, here's how we split the business. And so everything, and this is what smart business owners do with their business when they get into business partnerships. And so without that,   And I think with your team, for example, the analogy that everybody understands is divorce, because 50 % of relationships in the US probably end that way. Everybody's been like maybe their parents or they've seen a family member or they've seen somebody go through this. And that's the epitome of not having a really solid planned out strategy from the beginning, because nobody was planning on this happening. But, know, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure if you have that dialed in, they're not spending.   Caleb Christopher (26:10) Hmm.   Jason Hull (26:26) $20,000 in legal fees where only the attorneys are winning and you know, and then you're losing a bunch of stuff and this was yours and they didn't contribute to this, but now you have to give them half and all this kind of stuff. so, yeah, and so you help them kind of make both parties and everybody involved feel comfortable and then you get paid a consulting fee for doing handling this. Cool, very cool.   Cool, so I would imagine there might be some property managers listening to this. Any final words you'd like to say to them and how can they get in touch with you if they would like to help you facilitate some of stuff they're working on?   Caleb Christopher (27:06) I think the value of a property manager or a realtor is very much in who they know that's vetted. Okay. A realtor, it's like, I know a foundation guy. I know a roof guy. I know a flooring guy, right? That's what I'm paying you for. Not just your commission to take photos and have some conversations. I want to know who knows who you know, you can validate. The same thing is true for property managers. I got a repair guy, very consistent. I've got three different plumbers. If it's this type, I know this guy's got the best rates. That's what I want you to know.   when you're my property manager, that's what I'm paying you for. The same thing is true now with Creative Finance. It's like, hey, I know a guy that's an expert that has 255 star reviews at what they do. They only do this thing and they do it really well. So if you want to buy or sell Creative Finance, let me call Caleb. I'm that guy.   Jason Hull (27:53) Yeah, mean, a lot of the best property management business owners are viewed by their clients as an investment expert or advisor. And the best investment people or advisors have a whole toolset of people in their back pocket, whether it's trust attorneys or somebody like Caleb, right? They have all these different resources, maybe lenders, you know.   They have all these different resources available to facilitate deals. And that's how some property managers are able to help their clients get into more property and have more deals to manage. Or like we talked about at the outset, even better, how to get more ownership stake over all the properties that you're managing and build up your own portfolio and your own wealth.   Caleb Christopher (28:37) Yeah, because I should be able to call my property manager and say, who's good at DSCRE finances in your area? Who do you like? I don't know. Okay. Maybe be a little more helpful.   Jason Hull (28:44) Yeah. Yeah.   Yeah. Yeah, got it. All right. Awesome. Well, Caleb, I appreciate you coming here on the door grow show. How can people get in touch with you?   Caleb Christopher (28:57) right. The easiest way, because I own multiple companies, calebchristopher.io. That's got links to Creative TC for the consulting, Dosgard to fix due on sale, and Creative Title Company in Colorado and Tennessee.   Jason Hull (29:09) Perfect, awesome. Hey, thanks for being on the DoorGrow show. All right, for those watching this, if you're listening, if you've ever felt stuck or stagnant and you wanna take your property management business to the next level, reach out to us at doorgrow.com for free training on how to get unlimited free leads. Text the word leads to 512-648-4608. Also join our free Facebook community just for property management business owners by going to doorgrowclub.com. And if you want tips, tricks, ideas,   Caleb Christopher (29:12) It's been a pleasure.   Jason Hull (29:37) to learn about our offers at DoorGrow. Subscribe to our newsletter by going to doorgrow.com slash subscribe. And if you found this even a little bit helpful, don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review on whatever channel you found this on. We'd really appreciate it. And until next time, remember the slowest path to growth is to do it alone. So let's grow together. Bye everyone.

In today's episode, we look at what is being discussed at April conferences. Plus, Robbie sits down with with Halo Programs Kirk King for a discussion on the ways originators are utilizing technology to automate daily marketing tasks to generate low-cost, high-yield leads and optimize current client relationships. And we close by examining the Fed's policy calculus.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.Thank you to Figure. Figure is shaking up the lending world with their five-day HELOC, offering borrower approvals in as little as five minutes and funding in five days. Figure has hundreds of partners in the Banking, Credit Union, Home Improvement, and of course, IMB space embedding their technology. 

A Home Equity Line of Credit can be an extremely useful tool to fund a variety of things in life. If you own a home, tapping into your home's equity for projects, plans and expenses can be a smart way to cover costs. Keep listening for some helpful ways to use a home equity line of credit.  Links: Learn more about Triangle's HELOC program Check out TCU University for financial education tips and resources! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Learn more about Triangle Credit Union Transcript: Welcome to Money Tip Tuesday from the Making Money Personal podcast.   Your home isn't just where life happens—it can also be one of your most powerful financial tools. A Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) lets you tap into the value you've already built, giving you flexible access to cash when you need it most. But too often, homeowners overlook just how strategic a HELOC can be when used thoughtfully. From upgrading your living space to unlocking new opportunities, the right move can turn your home's equity into long-term gains. Here are four fantastic, smart, and practical ways to put a HELOC to work—and make your home work harder for you.  Home repairs and renovations. Using a HELOC for home repairs or renovations allows you to reinvest directly into the asset that's generating the equity in the first place—your home. Whether you're updating a kitchen, replacing a roof, or adding a home office, these projects can improve both daily comfort and long-term property value. A HELOC is especially appealing because it typically offers lower interest rates than credit cards or personal loans, and you only borrow what you need as expenses arise. The flexibility of a revolving credit line also makes it easier to manage phased renovations or unexpected repair costs. Another great use of a HELOC is to fund education. Education is an investment that can pay dividends for decades, and a HELOC can be a cost-effective way to cover tuition and related expenses. Compared to private student loans, HELOCs often offer lower interest rates and more flexible repayment options. Homeowners may use a HELOC to fund a child's college education, graduate school, or career-advancing certifications. The ability to draw funds as needed works well with semester-based tuition schedules. For families seeking an alternative to high-interest education loans, a HELOC provides flexibility without locking into rigid terms. A third great use is for important life events or major purchases. Life's biggest moments—such as weddings, medical expenses, starting a business, or purchasing a recreational vehicle—often come with substantial costs. A HELOC provides access to funds when timing matters, without requiring you to drain savings or sell investments. Because it's a revolving line of credit, you can borrow exactly what you need and repay it over time. Many homeowners choose HELOCs for major purchases due to lower interest rates compared to credit cards. This approach offers a practical way to cover large expenses while maintaining financial flexibility. A fourth great use is to use it for debt consolidation. A HELOC can be a powerful tool for simplifying and lowering high-interest debt. By consolidating credit cards, personal loans, or medical bills into one lower-interest payment, homeowners can potentially save thousands in interest over time. Managing a single monthly payment also makes budgeting easier and more predictable. Since HELOC rates are usually much lower than unsecured debt, more of each payment goes toward reducing the principal balance. For those feeling overwhelmed by multiple debts, a HELOC can provide a clear path toward financial breathing room—when used responsibly.  A HELOC isn't just about access to extra cash—it's about flexibility, opportunity, and smart financial planning. Whether you're reinvesting in your home, investing in education, managing life's major expenses, or regaining control of debt, the right use of a home's equity can create meaningful long-term benefits. As with any financial decision, careful planning and disciplined repayment are key but when used wisely, a HELOC can help turn the equity you've built into a powerful resource for your next chapter.  If there are any other tips or topics you would like us to cover, let us know at tcupodcast@trianglecu.org. Like and follow our Making Money Personal FB and IG page and look for our sponsor, Triangle Credit Union on social media to share your thoughts.   Thanks for listening to today's Money Tip Tuesday and check out our other tips and episodes on the Making Money Personal podcast.

In today's episode, we look at the latest merger in the mortgage industry. Plus, Robbie sits down with Seroka's John Seroka for a discussion on how brands are discovered by prioritizing credible, structured, and widely validated information over traditional SEO, making it critical for companies to build consistent digital authority and trust signals. And we close by examining how mortgage-backed securities (MBS) have been stacking up as an investment vehicle over the past couple of weeks.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.Thank you to Figure. Figure is shaking up the lending world with their five-day HELOC, offering borrower approvals in as little as five minutes and funding in five days. Figure has hundreds of partners in the Banking, Credit Union, Home Improvement, and of course, IMB space embedding their technology. 

What does it actually feel like to be on the cusp of retirement and wonder if you're doing it right? This week, Jean sits down with two listeners, Nancy and Melissa, who are both asking the same underlying question: How do I make sure I don't run out of money in retirement, while still actually enjoying my life? First, Jean talks with Nancy, 68, a soon-to-be retired nurse with $850K saved, a pension, and Social Security on the way. Nancy wants to renovate her bathrooms before she stops working, but she's torn between using her HELOC or tapping her nest egg.  Then Jean hears from Melissa, 53, who, along with her husband, has $1.2M+ saved across tax-deferred, Roth, brokerage, and treasury accounts, and wonders if she's taking on too much risk. Jean helps her zoom out, look at the full financial picture, and think through what a bucket strategy or annuity could mean for her peace of mind. In this episode: HELOC vs. refinance vs. pulling from savings; how to think through home improvement financing in retirement The 4% rule and when it makes sense to use it RMDs, IRMAA penalties, and why timing your withdrawals matters more than you think What 72% stocks actually look like when you account for your entire net worth Why hybrid long-term care policies might be worth a look How guaranteed income can actually free you to invest more aggressively with the rest Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if the most important factor in choosing a financial advisor isn't performance alone, but alignment? Many people assume the primary role of a financial advisor is to maximize returns. While wise investing certainly matters, new research suggests something deeper may be at work. When financial advice aligns with your values, it doesn't just affect your portfolio—it can reshape how you think about money altogether. That was the focus of today's conversation with Sharon Epps, president of Kingdom Advisors, who shared insights from a new study conducted in partnership with Pinkston Research. What the Research Sought to Discover The study set out to compare the experiences of clients working with values-aligned advisors—specifically Certified Kingdom Advisors® (CKAs)—with those of clients using more traditional advisory relationships. The goal was simple: determine whether shared values actually change the financial planning experience. The findings were compelling. When values line up, the advisor-client relationship becomes more than a transaction. It becomes a trusted partnership. Shared Values Build Trust Faster One of the clearest takeaways from the research was the role that trust plays in how beliefs and priorities are shared. Seventy percent of CKA clients said shared values were the most important factor when choosing an advisor. By contrast, 64% of the general public said investment returns mattered most. That difference is significant. When clients feel understood—not just managed—they often experience what Sharon described as a “trust dividend.” Communication deepens. Confidence grows. Relationships become stronger and more enduring. Does Values Alignment Mean Sacrificing Performance? That's a fair question—and an important one. The answer, according to Epps, is no. Values-based investing has been widely studied, and many strategies have demonstrated competitive long-term performance. The key remains the same as with any sound financial plan: discipline, diversification, and wise decision-making. In other words, it's not a choice between faith and performance. You can pursue both. A More Complete Financial Conversation So what actually feels different when meeting with a Certified Kingdom Advisor®? Sharon explained that the conversation extends beyond numbers on a page. CKAs often ask about: Life goals Family relationships Personal calling Hopes for the future Generosity priorities The research reflected that difference: 87% of CKA clients said they discussed hopes and dreams with their advisor, compared to 47% of general clients. 85% discussed family relationships, compared with 32% of those with general advisors. 88% said their advisor also addressed technical areas such as taxes and debt, compared with 59% of general advisors. That means values-centered planning doesn't replace technical excellence—it expands it. It becomes whole-life planning. From Ownership to Stewardship Perhaps the most meaningful shift happens internally. As people begin viewing money through a biblical lens, they often move from an ownership mindset to a stewardship mindset—the belief that everything we have ultimately belongs to God and has been entrusted to us for His purposes. The study found that 63% of CKA clients reported being motivated by a desire to be faithful stewards. That inward shift often leads to outward action. Nearly half of those clients said they had significantly increased their giving, compared with just 23% of general clients. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). Our financial decisions don't just reveal our priorities—they also shape them. Choosing an Advisor Who Shares Your Values A financial advisor does more than help manage assets. The right advisor can help you make wise decisions that reflect your deepest convictions. Performance matters. Expertise matters. But alignment matters too. Because when your values and financial guidance move in the same direction, money becomes more than a tool for accumulation—it becomes a means of faithful stewardship. If you'd like to connect with a Certified Kingdom Advisor® in your area, visit FindaCKA.com. On Today's Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions: I'm 72, disabled, and living on Social Security with $37,000 in credit card debt from covering basic expenses. I own my home and car outright, but can't qualify for a HELOC. How can I realistically get out of debt? Our bank says we should keep our HELOC open after the mortgage is paid off to help prevent fraud. Is that wise or unnecessary? My 36-year-old daughter wants to know how much she should keep in an emergency fund—$1,000 or three to nine months of expenses? My wife and I want to make funeral arrangements now. Is a pre-need insurance plan through a funeral home better than setting money aside ourselves? And does our trust naming our son as executor cover this? I bought a home in 2003, rented it for years, moved back in, and sold it this year. Will I owe capital gains tax on the profit? Resources Mentioned: Faithful Steward: FaithFi's Quarterly Magazine (Become a FaithFi Partner) Christian Credit Counselors (CCC) Christian Community Credit Union (CCCU) | AdelFi Your Money Counts: The Biblical Guide to Earning, Spending, Saving, Investing, Giving, and Getting Out of Debt by Howard Dayton Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) | Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) | 211 Medicare Savings Programs | The Medicare Extra Help program (Part D Low-Income Subsidy/LIS) 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 workday 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.

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Ryan is using a simple but powerful strategy to build his rental portfolio, and it all starts with a HELOC.Instead of going through traditional financing, Ryan uses a line of credit to buy properties, using what appears to be cash. That gives him a huge advantage when making offers. After closing, he funds the renovations with the same credit line, focusing on cosmetic upgrades like flooring, fixtures, and paint to dramatically increase value.Once the property is stabilized, Ryan completes a cash-out refinance, pays off the HELOC, and repeats the process.On this episode, Ryan breaks down the exact system he's using and explains what he believes are the two key steps to building wealth with real estate.We also get into:How he qualified for his HELOCCreative ways to access lines of credit (even outside of real estate)A full breakdown of one of his dealsPurchase price, rehab costs, rent, and mortgage numbersHow he budgets for expenses and manages riskhttps://rentalincomepodcast.com/episode569Thanks To Our Sponsors:MidSouth HomeBuyers – Turnkey Rentals In Memphis, Little Rock, and Dallas. Instant Cash Flow On Day One. (5% Management Fee for 5 Years, and $5,000 towards closing costs).Flock Homes - Retire from real estate investing and landlording (whether it's one problem property or your whole portfolio) through a 721 Exchange. Ridge Lending Group - Making the investment mortgage process simple and stress-free. Sign up for a free 30-minute investor strategy session.Rental Accounting Software Made Easy. Free 30 Day Trial.

Five years ago, Martin Castro-Silva was working at a bank, earning $80,000 per year. Not a bad gig, but one thing was eating at him—he was missing the moments with his two kids, three and one years old at the time. It wasn't until Martin picked up a pattern that everything changed—all his wealthy clients at the bank were in real estate, and one was willing to show him the ropes. So, using the limited savings he (and his mom!) had, he took a chance with zero investing experience. He knocked his first deal out of the park and replaced HALF of his salary while working on the side. This had to be it. THIS was his ticket to freedom.  Now, in 2026, Martin has an income-replacing machine of a real estate business—he completely controls his schedule and has put his family in their dream home. He'll talk about exactly how he found, funded, and profited on his first house flips, the huge trap that most beginners will easily fall into, and the reason why telling everyone you invest in real estate is one of the smartest moves you can make. Ready to replace your salary like Martin? He did it with just two deals per year—so why can't you?  In This Episode We Cover How to replace your salary with active real estate deals (even in 2026!) Using a home equity line of credit (HELOC) to fund real estate deals faster  Quit your job for real estate? What Martin asked himself before he walked away The big mistake that cost Martin thousands of dollars on his house flip (easily avoidable!) The best way to find real estate deals that's 100% free (but requires some talking) Afraid to buy your first real estate deal? Martin has some advice for you!  And So Much More! Check out more resources from this show on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BiggerPockets.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠h⁠ttps://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/real-estate-1261 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

❓ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Have a money question? Ask Ramsey is here to help.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠