Blog Archive
News and Links - 2022-09-17
This week: "The Merge" is here; Turbulence ahead for housing? The cult of Planning
News and Links - 2022-08-23
This week: How cognitive biases affect investing; healthy correction in housing or imminent bubble?; the shift in focus from growth to profitability
News and Links - 2022-07-30
This week: How to spot investment bullshit; What it's like to lose $135K in crypto; 10% of all homes sold last year were flips
Revisiting my Hedonova Review
Some red flags emerge around a promising alternative investment hedge fund
News and Links - 2022-06-07
This week: Is inflation peaking? š¬ A chess prodigy's algorithm for buying houses; Avoiding "pizza crust" problems
News and Links - May 24, 2022
This week: The math behind optimal decision-making; 96%(!) of housing markets are overvalued š„š„š„; the 3 eras of startup valuationsš¦
News and Links - May 15, 2022
This week: Private-credit investment platform Percent reviewed; the VC pullback begins; housing market 2022 vs. housing market 2007
News and Links - March 31, 2022
This week: Invest in mortgages on the blockchain; invest in off-grid Bitcoin mines; top 10 US cities for rent growth
News and Links - March 14, 2022
This week: Why gas prices matter; the JOBS Act turns 10 š; A web3 explainer
š 5 of Our Favorite Books about Business and Investing
Recommended reading to help make you a better investor
News and Links - Feb 28, 2022
This week: The end of the 5-day workweek; an "elder Zoomer's" take on FinTech; Hedge funds and startup valuations
News and Links - Feb 14, 2022
This week: An anatomy of Bitcoin price manipulation; Schrodinger's Balance Sheet š¤; An "ultra short-term note" from YieldStreet
News and Links - Feb 7, 2022
This week: A skeptic's "case against crypto"; millennial demand is surging for family-friendly neighborhoods; how to spot potential fraud in real estate investments
News and Links - Jan 30, 2022
This week: Invest in fine wine for under $100; Fantasy startup investing; real estate investors warming to the cannabis sector
News and Links - Jan 16, 2022
This week: Passive income from franchises; downtown apartment demand rebounds (and then some); Invest in 20 tiny cabins
News and Links - Jan 9, 2022
This week: Invest in merchant cash advances; What's the best time of day to invest?; A skeptic's look at "web3"
News and Links - Dec 19, 2021
This week: Grocery-anchored real estate investments; firms band together to fix the Cap Table; Ray Dalio changes his mind about Bitcoin
News and Links - Dec 11, 2021
This week: Republic acquires Seedrs; Investors are holding multi-family units longer; WTF is a DAO?
News and Links - Nov 21, 2021
This week: Invest in a portfolio of video games; throwing a penalty flag on the š Packers' "investment" offering; big investors see big opportunity in climate-tech startups
News and Links - Nov 14, 2021
This week: Roofstock launches fractional SFR investing; 5 red flags when investing in startups; rents continue rising
News and Links - Nov 6, 2021
Study says women are better investors than men š©ā; Reg CF tops $1B in capital raised; the race to redevelop offices into apartments
News and Links - Oct 22, 2021
This week: Bitcoin hits all-time high on ETF news; the top 25 markets for multi-family rentals; when does "fake-it-til-you-make-it" cross the line from hustle to, well, *fakery*?
News and Links - Oct 16, 2021
This week: Get into an alternatives hedge fund for $1,000; the "industrial bio" revolution; family offices dial up their startup investments
News and Links - Oct 8, 2021
This week: A platform for financing small-business inventory; massive capital flows into startups in Q3 (see also: Q2); the taxman cometh for crypto.
News and Links - Oct 1, 2021
This week: A new review of $10 real-estate investing app HappyNest; DeFi demystified (with bonus hamster! š¹); the double-edged sword of rising home prices for investors
News and Links - Sept 24, 2021
This week: Investing in exotic collectibles; single-family rentals come of age; the pernicious influence of the "financial-literacy industrial complex"
News and Links - Sept 17, 2021
This week: A review of art-investing platform Masterworks; Are we in a housing bubble? š¤· Blockchain sensibly explained
News and Links - Sept 10, 2021
This week: A fresh look at Streitwise; 3 industry insiders duke it out on LinkedIn; 70% of family offices plan to invest in crypto.
Interview with Matt Rodak, Fund That Flip founder and CEO
Wide ranging interview with the founder and CEO of Fund That Flip, a real estate investment crowdfunding platform focused on residential rehab projects
Interview with Charles Clinton, EquityMultiple co-founder and CEO
An insider look at how COVID-19 has impacted real estate investment crowdfunding, along with some perspective on what's ahead for the ecosystem.
Interview with Artem Milinchuk, FarmTogether Founder and CEO
Learn why nearly $2T in US farmland is going to change hands, how plant-based proteins are shifting crop patterns, and why investors are rushing to the safety and stability of farmland during the pandemic
Interview with Anthony Zhang, Vinovest Founder and CEO
Insightful conversation on wine investing for novices, lessons learned as a serial founder, and what's broken about the definition of an accredited investor
How (and Why) to Invest in Farmland in 2021
If you're looking for a truly diverse real estate portfolio, there's good reason to at least consider farmland. These 4 platforms offer easy access to everyday investors.
Worried about the stock market?
There will always be times like this in the stock market, and they're good reminders of why it's important to diversify your portfolio, ideally into the kinds of assets that donāt move with the stock market
Retiring Crowdfilings.com (and where to go instead for researching Reg CF issuers)
We're closing down Crowdfilings, but here's 6 great sites investors can use instead for tracking and learning more about Reg CF investments
Q&A with EquityMultiple CEO Charles Clinton on their Opportunity Zone investment program
Opportunity Zone investments offer substantial tax benefits while ostensibly helping to spur development where it's most needed. EquityMultiple CEO Charles Clinton talks about their approach to the program
How to Invest in Crowdfunding and Other Alternatives using an IRA or 401K
Most 401K and IRA plans limit investment options to a list of mutual funds, but there is a way to take control so you can diversify into real estate, startups, and much more
The 4 Numbers You Need to Know Before Investing in a Subscription or SaaS Business
Recurring revenue is a wonderful thing, but not all subscription businesses are created equal
3 Harsh Realities Highlighted by RealtyShares' Stumbles
The cold, hard math behind the customer-acquisition arms race in investment crowdfunding
What the SeedInvest Acquisition Says about the Future of the Equity Crowdfunding Industry
Four takeaways from the SeedInvest acquisition
How Crowdfunding Companies Trade Transparency for Access to Capital (And Why Thatās a Good Thing)
Some say the JOBS Act has reduced IPO activity, but itās also improved access to capital for a lot of small businessesāand increased transparency and disclosure along with it
The Banality of the Bitcoin Bubble
Bitcoin's a bubble, but bubbles are a common feature of capitalism, quickly diffusing technological innovations. How to learn what matters most about this new technology without losing your shirt.
4 Keys to Crowdfunding Due Diligence from 4 Industry Insiders
Recap with video of a lively panel discussion on crowdfunding due diligence featuring four industry experts on real estate, startups and alternative assets
Lessons Learned from Crowdfunding Investments Gone Bad
An unvarnished look at how different crowdfunding platforms communicate when investments don't perform as expected
Reg CF Filings Data Part 2: The Precarious Nature of Startups Up Close
A closer look at some data points underscoring the risks inherent with investing in startups raising money through Regulation Crowdfunding
Reg CF Fundraising to Date in 5 Charts
Hereās 5 charts visualizing some of that data that help provide some insight into the state of Regulation Crowdfunding as we near the 18-month mark
2017 Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Crowdfunding for Non-Accredited Investors
Non-accredited investors have more options than ever before to participate in real estate, a category of investments that is actually larger than the entire stock market
InstaLend Founder and CEO Sohin Shah on Building a Real Estate Crowdfunding Business With 100% Individual Investors
In this Q&A, the serial entrepreneur and active angel investor shares his unique perspective on the evolving investment crowdfunding landscape
Are Crowdfunding Sites Safe Places to Invest?
Mergers, consolidation, āpivotsā, restructuring, lawsuits, and even bankruptcies ā there will no doubt be more of all of these within the investment crowdfunding ecosystem, so know what that means for you as an investor
5 Ways Anyone Can Invest in Cannabis Startups
For those looking to get in early on this budding industry, hereās 5 places to look for ways anyone invest in cannabis startups through investment crowdfunding
Republic CEO Ken Nguyen On Reg CF Crowdfunding and How Investments Are Like A Vote In Society
The AngelList alum talks with us about how Republic is built to scale with Reg CF, why his team is like family, and how learning by investing in startups can be like getting an "MBA-lite"
Having Someone Else Pay Your Mortgage Might Not Be the Deal It Sounds Like
It's invoked regularly and enthusiastically as evidence of the superiority of real estate investing, but that leverage may not be worth as much as you think
Why Investment Crowdfunding Sites Ask So Many Personal Questions
Crowdfunding sites are designed to feel a lot more like online shopping than a bank, but theyāre still beholden to a range of bank-style requirements for collecting customer data
Non-Accredited Investors Have More Equity Crowdfunding Options Than They Realize
35 states now allow non-accredited residents to invest in local crowdfunding deals, often with higher limits than at the federal level
4 Ways to Try Crowdfunded Impact Investing for as Little as $100
Crowdfunded impact investing has opened up a range of new choices for everyday investors to fund specific social and environmental outcomes
Bootstrap Legal CEO Amy Wan on AI for Fundraising Docs, ICOs, and the Brave New World of Investment Crowdfunding
Amy shares her unique perspective across the investment crowdfunding ecosystem, from real estate to startups to blockchains -- squarely at the intersection of technology, finance, and the law.
Can "microVC" Crowdfunding Help Women Founders Close a $300B Funding (and Gender) Gap?
New data from PwC highlights the headwinds female founders face from traditional financing routes, but also shows how crowdfunding is helping to level the playing field
Bitcoin and Ether as Alternative Investments
It's a bit like the Wild West right now in the world of cryptocurrencies, but is there also a case to make for them as alternative investments?
9 Free Tools That Will Improve Your Investment Crowdfunding Due Diligence of Startups
Use these tools to round out your perspective on a startup as part of your investment crowdfunding due diligence
A Q&A With Holdfolio CEO Jacob Blackett
On Holdfolio's novel approach to offering fractional debt and equity investments in portfolios of single-family homes to accredited and non-accredited investors alike
Know Your Alternative Investing Style: Are you a Zebra or a Lion?
Are you out for blood when investing? Or just steady income? It all comes down to what's right given the combination of your circumstances and psychology.
Why You Should Care About Real Estate as an Investor (Even If You Donāt Care About Real Estate Investing)
Residential real estate is bigger than the stock market, and bigger than GDP. Even if you aren't a real estate investor, it's a part of our economy you can't afford to ignore
EquityMultiple CEO Charles Clinton on the Evolution of Online Real Estate Investing and the Critical Role of Investor Education
A chat with EquityMultiple CEO Charles Clinton, with his perspective on real estate, crowdfunding in general, and the āstress-testā component of their due diligence process.
31 Ways to Invest in 2021 Using Crowdfunding for Non-Accredited Investors
From real estate to startups to art and fine wine, non-accredited investors have a lot of choices among online crowdfunding and alternative investment platforms
A Look Inside My Crowdfunding Portfolio
A list of all of my online crowdfunding and alternative investments, across more than a dozen different platforms (spanning Real Estate, P2P loans, Angel/Venture, litigation finance and more).
AlphaFlow CEO Ray Sturm on Real Estate Crowdfunding and the Importance of the Individual Investor
AlphaFlow CEO Ray Sturm on his journey through the crowdfunding ecosystem and the future of equity and real estate crowdfunding.
The Due Diligence Skill That Will Make You a Better Crowdfunding Investor
A vital skill for any crowdfunding investor is the ability to quickly narrow down your choices to focus your valuable time on the only best opportunities.
5 of the Best Equity Crowdfunding Sites for Beginning Investors
Equity crowdfunding sites are opening up a smorgasbord of choices for investing in startups and small businesses to adventurous everyday investors-- from mobile apps to gourmet pet-food delivery to broadway musicals to cafes and breweries. This post will cover some of the best equity crowdfunding sites for trying your hand at startup investing while keeping the amount you're risking as low as possible.
How Crowdfunded Investing Helps Democratize Capitalism
Crowdfunded investing offers the influence once reserved for the wealthy, helping pick which companies get funding to launch products or grow their business.
This One Due Diligence Question Will Make You a Better Crowdfunding Investor
Before you pull the trigger on a particular investment, make sure you know which kind of entity is behind it, so you can make an informed judgment about the level and quality of due diligence thatās gone into the offering.
Are You Investing to Win or Investing to Not Lose?
The word "diversification" comes up a *lot* around crowdfunding and alternative investments, but there are important differences in what it can (and canāt) do to your risk and reward potential, depending on the type of investments youāre making.
Decoding the Alphabet Soup of Crowdfunding Regulations
Navigating and deciphering the inscrutable alphabet soup of the relevant crowdfunding regulations, rules, laws, and requirements is about as much fun as ā¦. well, navigating and deciphering an alphabet soup of laws, rules, and regulations.
3 Reasons Why Technology as We Know it is About to Get Boring
The concept of sequential waves of technological innovation ā first emerging and disrupting the status quo, and then gradually becoming the status quoāis familiar to students of Schumpeterās ācreative destruction.ā But while itās useful to know that these waves happen, even more useful from the perspective of planning and investing is spotting when one may be about to crest and the next begin.
Baby Steps: Getting Started with Crowdfunded Real Estate
You can read and research all you want, but thereās no substitute for rolling up your sleeves and actually doing the thing youāre trying to learn about. And early on during that process, I know thereās a very good chance Iāll make a mistake, so the focus is on maximizing the amount I can learn while minimizing the downside even if I screw up. In this post Iāll talk through three of my early investments, and talk through what Iāve learned from each as Iāve ramped up my knowledge, my comfort level, and the amounts invested.
Would you Loan Money to an NBA Player? A Closer Look at YieldStreet and its Uncommon Investment Offerings
YieldStreet is worth a closer look, offering a wide range of sometimes-exotic investments with relatively short hold times.
Seeking Optionality: Lowering Risk While Benefiting from Uncertainty
Most of us have heard of "stock options", but it turns out that formal, structured options (especially those that involve pre-determined amounts of money and signed contracts) are the exception, rather than the rule. We don't usually label it as optionality, but it abounds all around us -- and much of the time it doesn't cost a thing.
How an Immortal Vampire Would Budget for Netflix: What a $7 Subscription Can Teach You About Saving for a Looooong Retirement
Treating your money as if it needs to last forever is something that University endowments have been doing for a long time, and there's some useful lessons to learn from treating your own nest egg the same way (whether you're an immortal vampire or not) .
If Big-Company Mergers Are Bad Investments, Could the Opposite be True of Spinoffs?
In a world of high-frequency trading, the methodical approach and glacial pace of spinoffs is a welcome option, and one that stands a good chance of giving the patient investor a strong edge.
3 Simple Shortcuts for Quick Financial Calculations
How to quickly calculate growth rates, convert hourly wages to a salary (and vice-versa) and estimate the monthly mortgage payments based on a home's price
Consulting or Freelancing? Consider a Solo 401k
The Solo 401K is a little-known but ideal choice for many freelancers and consultants, especially couples who both occasionally moonlight.
How To Pad Your Checking Account to Build An Emergency Lifeline
You will sleep better having a $1,000 cushion in your checking account, and it's a powerful way to build some savings momentum while putting yourself on 2.5X firmer footing than almost half of Americans.
How to Handle Joint Accounts and Bills with your Spouse or Partner
Money is one of the most important topics to tackle when beginning a long-term relationship, so I'm sharing the system my wife and I worked out for managing our accounts (after some trial and error -- sorry honey!), and it's held up well now for almost 15 years.
3 Ways to Start Investing Like a Millionaire using $1,000 or Less in 2017
Access for amateur investors to alternative investments has exploded in recent years, riding the wave of fintech and several key regulatory changes.