The Wealth Elevator Podcast: Real Estate, Taxes, Investing

📚 Unlock the secrets to building wealth! My book and 12-module Masterclass cover everything I’ve learned about passive investing and creating financial freedom. Watch it on-demand for FREE: http://thewealthelevator.com/master 🤝 Join the Hui Deal Pipeline Club and get a one-on-one call with me to discuss your investment goals: https://thewealthelevator.com/club Lane interviews economist Richard Duncan (author of The Dollar Crisis and The Money Revolution and publisher of Macro Watch) about how ending the gold standard in 1971 shifted capitalism into “creditism,” enabling massive US trade deficits, disinflation, falling rates, and explosive growth in debt and Fed balance sheet expansion that prevented depressions in 2008 and during COVID. Duncan contrasts post-2008 low inflation with post-COVID inflation driven by supply-chain blockages, and argues credit-driven liquidity has inflated asset valuations while accelerating AI breakthroughs and fueling China’s rise via persistent US deficits. They discuss the US–China AI and defense race, energy and nuclear power needs, and risks from higher inflation and rates amid stretched valuations. Duncan introduces “cognitism,” a coming system driven by exponentially expanding AI intelligence, and highlights sectors tied to AI, semiconductors, energy, data centers, robotics, and defense, plus key macro indicators to watch. 00:00 Meet Richard Duncan 00:44 Macro Watch Discount 01:03 From Gold to Creditism 05:09 Why Old Theories Fail 06:28 Credit Growth and 2008 08:31 COVID QE and Inflation 10:54 Debt Wealth and AI Boom 14:00 China AI Arms Race 17:12 Energy Nuclear and Chips 22:07 Stretched Valuations Risks 31:58 Cognitism Explained 37:36 AI Skills and Sectors 41:13 What to Watch Next 47:40 Wrap Up and Subscribe Connect with me: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanekawaoka/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthElevator Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthElevator Lane Kawaoka is a developer and multi-family syndicator who owns 10,000+ rental units and is the leader of “Hui Deal Pipeline Club” which has acquired over $2.1 Billion AUM of real estate by syndicating over $200 Million Dollars of private equity and most importantly distributed more than $45M back to our investors since 2016. Check out our Top-50 Investing Podcast, The Wealth Elevator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

📚 Unlock the secrets to building wealth! My book and 12-module Masterclass cover everything I’ve learned about passive investing and creating financial freedom. Watch it on-demand for FREE: http://thewealthelevator.com/master 🤝 Join the Hui Deal Pipeline Club and get a one-on-one call with me to discuss your investment goals: https://thewealthelevator.com/club The speaker reviews real-life (anonymized) multifamily deal examples to help investors spot misleading underwriting and marketing tactics. Key topics include “manufactured” IRR boosts from aggressive refinance assumptions, unrealistic exit/reversion cap rates (and the difficulty LPs have validating prevailing market cap rates), and mismatches between large CapEx plans and modest rent-bump projections that may signal weak market fundamentals or hidden reserves. They discuss how cap rate compression can inflate paper returns despite being uncontrollable, why comparing discounts to 2021 pricing can be irrelevant, and how debt structure (fixed vs floating, term length, IO, extensions, prepayment penalties) affects refinance and exit risk. Additional red flags include preferred equity ahead of common equity, side-letter complications in the capital stack, and early distributions funded from reserves rather than operations, which can mask weak DSCR. 00:00 Cap Rate Question Setup 00:42 Market Shift Overview 01:21 Manufactured IRR Tricks 03:32 Reversion Cap Rate Games 04:22 Finding Real Cap Rates 07:34 Rent Bumps Vs CapEx 09:35 Discount Hype Reality 10:48 Cap Rate Cycle Bets 11:58 Debt Structure Risks 13:24 Stacking Red Flags 14:54 Preferred Equity Ahead 17:23 Return Of Capital Trap 19:11 DSCR And Fake Cashflow 20:28 Cap Compression Review 21:53 AI Deal Checklist 24:52 Capital Stack Exceptions 26:25 Final Q And Wrap Connect with me: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanekawaoka/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthElevator Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthElevator Lane Kawaoka is a developer and multi-family syndicator who owns 10,000+ rental units and is the leader of “Hui Deal Pipeline Club” which has acquired over $2.1 Billion AUM of real estate by syndicating over $200 Million Dollars of private equity and most importantly distributed more than $45M back to our investors since 2016. Check out our Top-50 Investing Podcast, The Wealth Elevator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

📚 Unlock the secrets to building wealth! My book and 12-module Masterclass cover everything I’ve learned about passive investing and creating financial freedom. Watch it on-demand for FREE: http://thewealthelevator.com/master 🤝 Join the Hui Deal Pipeline Club and get a one-on-one call with me to discuss your investment goals: https://thewealthelevator.com/club The episode features Jack Raines, author of “Young Money,” discussing how growing up with money provides insider knowledge about elite career paths, target schools, networks, and promotion moves that can lead to high incomes, while students from poorer backgrounds often must choose safer banking or consulting roles to repay large loans and can’t take startup risks. Raines shares his own path from South Georgia and Mercer University football to Columbia Business School and venture capital, emphasizing education, early “prestige stamps,” and intentional living that matches life stages. The conversation explores status pressure on wealthy kids, anxiety and expectations in elite environments, and how socioeconomic differences can complicate relationships and marriage. It closes with Raines promoting his book and the host warning investors to avoid inexperienced operators by relying on trusted networks and semi-institutional sponsors. 00:00 Money Game Secrets 01:22 Meet Jack Raines 03:01 Small Town to VC 03:51 Entrepreneur Family Roots 06:58 Prestige and Network 09:49 Leaving the Southeast 11:31 Target Schools Reality 13:11 MBA as Golden Ticket 15:04 Pedigree for Family Firms 17:21 Spectrum of Wealth 18:32 Rich vs Poor Options 21:24 Capital and Quarters 22:36 Merit and Social Circles 25:39 Status Pressure on Rich 27:19 High Achiever Burnout 27:59 Pressure of Privilege 29:03 Expectations and Happiness Gap 30:18 New York Norms Shift 31:39 Parents and Independence 32:59 Stage Specific Living 35:30 Funding Kids Choices 37:59 Socioeconomic Marriage Friction 43:01 Money Mindsets in Couples 45:08 Young Money Plug 47:25 FOOM Investing Lessons 51:16 Community and Relationships Connect with me: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanekawaoka/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthElevator Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthElevator Lane Kawaoka is a developer and multi-family syndicator who owns 10,000+ rental units and is the leader of “Hui Deal Pipeline Club” which has acquired over $2.1 Billion AUM of real estate by syndicating over $200 Million Dollars of private equity and most importantly distributed more than $45M back to our investors since 2016. Check out our Top-50 Investing Podcast, The Wealth Elevator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do a cost seg go to theWealthElevator.com/costseg Lane hosts a monthly investor “lunch and learn” webinar replay on cost segregation with guest AJ Lyons of DIY Cost Seg, explaining how cost seg reclassifies non-structural property components into shorter 5- and 15-year lives to accelerate depreciation versus standard 27.5-year (residential) or 39-year (commercial) schedules, often pulling a significant portion of deductions into year one, especially when 100% bonus depreciation applies. They discuss who benefits (rental owners, short-term rentals, commercial, value-add renovations), timing (including doing studies after purchase via amended returns or Form 3115), CPA coordination, potential use cases like short-term rental material participation or real estate professional status, depreciation recapture considerations, pricing and fast report delivery, and audit defensibility and optional audit support. Lane also announces an accredited investor retreat Jan 15–17, 2027 and directs viewers to thewealthelevator.com/costseg and related resources. 00:00 Depreciation Big Picture 00:56 Retreat And Webinar Intro 02:15 Lunch And Learn Setup 03:37 Cost Seg Basics Explained 06:27 Bonus Depreciation And CPA Fit 09:39 Not A Loophole History 17:35 Who Benefits And Pricing 21:11 Fast DIY Process Walkthrough 23:26 Audit Risk And Support 28:01 Timing And Catch Up Rules 30:24 Q And A Recapture Value 38:39 Wrap Up And Next Steps Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

📚 Unlock the secrets to building wealth! My book and 12-module Masterclass cover everything I’ve learned about passive investing and creating financial freedom. Watch it on-demand for FREE: http://thewealthelevator.com/master 🤝 Join the Hui Deal Pipeline Club and get a one-on-one call with me to discuss your investment goals: https://thewealthelevator.com/club In this webinar, asset protection attorney Douglass Lodmell explains how investors and high-liability professionals should structure entities to reduce exposure, contrasting inside vs. outside liability and why LLCs are commonly used to hold rental properties. He discusses when to silo “dirty” assets like rentals and operating businesses, noting janitorial or similar high-risk businesses are typically kept separate and often run as an LLC taxed as an S-corp, while safer assets (brokerage accounts, stocks/bonds, many LP interests) can sit under a holding company such as an asset management limited partnership (AMLP). Lomel gives a rule-of-thumb of roughly $250k–$500k equity per rental-property LLC and emphasizes insurance as the primary defense. He explains why passive LP investors generally have no personal liability beyond their investment, outlines jurisdiction choices for LLCs vs. holding companies, and details adding an asset protection trust—favoring a hybrid “bridge trust” that can convert offshore if needed—along with considerations for homes, life insurance, crypto, and avoiding fraudulent transfers and tax-scheme promoters. 00:00 LP Liability Shield 00:35 Webinar Setup 01:18 LLCs and Liability Types 02:57 Why Passive LPs Win 04:21 Building a Holding Structure 07:28 Best States for Entities 09:20 How Many Properties per LLC 13:45 Siloing LP Interests 18:02 Dirty Assets and Side Silos 20:25 Doctor Lawsuit Scenario 21:40 Single Member LLC Tax Simplicity 23:55 Trust Layer and Collection Defense 27:03 Discovery Costs Reality 27:48 Settlement Leverage Assets 30:21 Negotiation Trump Card 34:15 Trust Options Offshore 38:04 Bridge Trust Sweet Spot 40:57 Layering LLCs Over Time 42:10 Insurance And Homestead 47:24 Crypto Placement Protection 49:17 Finding Hidden Crypto 51:30 Avoid Tax Trust Scams 55:12 Wrap Up And Contact Connect with me: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanekawaoka/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWealthElevator Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/TheWealthElevator Lane Kawaoka is a developer and multi-family syndicator who owns 10,000+ rental units and is the leader of “Hui Deal Pipeline Club” which has acquired over $2.1 Billion AUM of real estate by syndicating over $200 Million Dollars of private equity and most importantly distributed more than $45M back to our investors since 2016. Check out our Top-50 Investing Podcast, The Wealth Elevator. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.