I love the educational aspect of private lending. I could talk for hours on why, for those who are risk averse, investing in position loans, low loan to value, is an excellent way to preserve and grow your family's generational wealth. but it won't give you the double-digit, sexy returns, right? So, for those looking for equity, that's where that syndication component comes in. In syndications, on our website, you'll find my pitch deck

You should then determine which market you will be investing in. Now, most people will scratch their heads and say, “Edwin, are you talking about the Stock Market or the Real Estate Market?” In the world of sophisticated investors, we understand that there are THREE markets you can invest in. Yes THREE. While the general public understands the term “Market” refers to the Stock Market, I want to expand and deepen your understanding. Think of each of these Markets as an “umbrella” and under these umbrellas there will be different primary assets, sub-assets, and strategies to invest in these markets.

Unsurprisingly, finances are a top priority for people approaching retirement age. Knowing how much you need to retire comfortably and confidently is extremely important. Yet, it can be challenging, as inflation and the increase in the cost of living will quickly erode your ability to retire. So, how can you address your concerns effectively and efficiently?

In this podcast, Edwin Epperson, guest on the Abundant Journey, discusses his journey from Green Beret to customizable private debt fund manager. He discusses the hardship of military service and the event that made him take a second look at continuing in the service. He dives into the benefits of investing in debt and why it is a critical component for any sophisticated investor to add to their portfolio.

Debt is also very well known by every investor. Most investors see debt as a way to leverage their existing equity. For example, if an investor has $1,000,000 in equity, they could generally leverage that equity 4x. So, in this case, someone could get a loan for $4,000,000, put down their $1M, and buy a $5M property. Simplistic, but the point is made.

I believe that education is critical. Knowledge and awareness of these 5 categories will go a long way in helping you truly diversify your investments, stay ahead of the investing cycles, and be able to pivot when one strategy or market begins to turn. Over the next five blogs, I will deep-dive into each category (to the best of my ability) and lay some groundwork for you so that you can elevate your investing game, make wiser, more informed decisions, and truly become sophisticated with your investments.

More so, investing in real estate comes with TWO types of insurance protections: property insurance and title insurance. When one of my partners decides to invest in real estate through Blue Bay Fund I, there is an essential type of insurance that provides protection that is not available to real estate buyers. From a passive investor’s perspective, this is a great thing to know. It gives them confidence and builds trust that their invested capital in Blue Bay Fund is the safest investment they can find. This ensures that whatever opportunity my investors are participating in, they are correctly and fully protected, with the total weight of the courts backing their interest in the investment.

It is a hard balance to generate passive income from private mortgage investing yet at the same time maintain the freedom of time you are looking for. One of the best ways for an investor seeking passive income via passive investing is to invest through a company like Blue Bay Fund, which allows us to handle all the trouble of running a private lending business.

Where can you find these types of passive investments? You can research online for debt funds, as well as crowdfunding sites to invest in loans. You can also visit your local real estate clubs and network with active investors and builders to finance their projects. However, in most cases, you must have all the money the borrower requests to make the loan. Does the investor need $1M to build a new SFR house? Well, you need $1M in cash to be able to make the loan. If you invest through a crowdfunding platform, you may be able to invest in a slice of a loan, but you cannot research and conduct your due diligence on that loan. You have to invest “blindly” into these crowdfunding loans, trusting that the crowdfund manager properly underwrote each loan and mitigated the risks appropriately