Money Tree Investing
Commercial real estate veteran Ben Reinberg shares how he uses hard assets and smart debt to strengthen his investing portfolio. He shares his journey from starting in his early 20s to building a national hard-asset portfolio across industrial, office, retail, multifamily, and medical real estate. We talk the importance of the “ability to hold” assets through cycles by avoiding over-leverage, maintaining reserves, and structuring smart debt. Ben outlines where commercial real estate sits in the current cycle, highlighting looming debt maturities, distressed opportunities, and the potential...
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Silver crashed! Today we focus on a historic bout of volatility in precious metals following months of extreme, unhealthy gains. We figure out if the selloff was driven by the announcement of a new Fed chair or severe technical overextension, crowded positioning that triggered profit-taking, shorting, and forced de-risking. We also talked the implications of a potentially growth-leaning but inflation-conscious Fed, ongoing structural risks like debt, deficits, and sticky inflation, and why monetary policy alone can’t solve them. We reviewed the January market performance, and noticed...
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Jean-Baptiste Wautier is here to talk growing global debt and the impact on the economy. He draws on decades of private-equity and macro experience to discuss accelerating global change, arguing that rising debt, AI, and political polarization are reshaping the economic and geopolitical order. We discuss Europe’s recent market strength, China as an unavoidable, though risky, investment given its scale and AI ambitions, and gold and crypto as hedges rather than true currency alternatives. He also warms that global debt dynamics will force restructuring in places like Japan and parts of...
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Douglas Heagren | Follow on Facebook: Follow LinkedIn: Follow on Twitter/X: For more information, visit the show notes at
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Shellee Howard is on the show today to talk how to do college without crushign debt for your kids. She shares how her journey as a “mom on a mission” led her to help families navigate the college process strategically, emphasizing early preparation, self-discovery, and return on investment rather than prestige alone. She explains why overcrowded school counselors fall short, how students should clarify their values, talents, and career goals before choosing colleges, and why college should be viewed as a business decision and a stepping stone to adulthood, and not a status symbol. With the...
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
We're in the middle of a run it hot economy. Today our discussion ranged from geopolitics into markets, including precious metals. Silver’s recent surge is best understood as a reversion toward historical gold–silver ratios rather than a knowable fundamental catalyst. Silver’s parabolic move looks unstable compared to gold’s healthier, slower uptrend. But no one can truly know why prices move, so investors should be clear about why they own precious metals since that purpose should drive allocation size and risk tolerance. We also talk macro conditions, the U.S. may be pursuing an...
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Barbara Friedberg | Follow on Facebook: Follow LinkedIn: Follow on Twitter/X: For more information, visit the show notes at
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Douglas Heagren | Follow on Facebook: Follow LinkedIn: Follow on Twitter/X: For more information, visit the show notes at
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
Arrash Yasavoli discusses how you should jump on investing in bitoin in 2026! Arrash's path from data engineering at LinkedIn into quantitative trading, crypto, and building Glitch, a SaaS platform that gives broader access to advanced trading strategies gives a unique perspective into possible 2026 investing plans. We also talk Bitcoin’s role as a potential store of value, the divergence between Bitcoin and altcoins, the growing importance of real utility and valuation in crypto projects, the rise of ETFs and stablecoins as bridges to mainstream adoption, and more. We discuss... Barbara...
info_outlineMoney Tree Investing
There are a lot of year end surprises in store with the 2025 wrap up. The year has come to an end and we are here to discuss everything from year-end reflections and personal anecdotes to a broad market outlook. We focused on the recent surge and volatility in precious metals, especially silver, explaining how futures-market leverage and exchange rule changes (like margin requirement hikes) are used to cool speculative excess, why parabolic price moves are unhealthy, and why investors should be cautious in the near term even if long-term fundamentals remain bullish. We also talked government...
info_outlineCommercial real estate veteran Ben Reinberg shares how he uses hard assets and smart debt to strengthen his investing portfolio. He shares his journey from starting in his early 20s to building a national hard-asset portfolio across industrial, office, retail, multifamily, and medical real estate. We talk the importance of the “ability to hold” assets through cycles by avoiding over-leverage, maintaining reserves, and structuring smart debt. Ben outlines where commercial real estate sits in the current cycle, highlighting looming debt maturities, distressed opportunities, and the potential for attractive buying conditions over the next few years.
We discuss...
- Ben Reinberg explains how he built wealth starting in his early 20s by focusing on hard assets, particularly commercial real estate, as a long-term strategy for cash flow and financial control.
- He emphasizes the importance of becoming a true expert in a specific asset class rather than spreading focus too broadly.
- He shares lessons from his first industrial deal, including managing tenant loss, repositioning assets, and creating value through active ownership.
- A central theme was the “ability to hold,” meaning structuring investments to survive any market cycle without being forced to sell.
- He stressed using smart debt, avoiding over-leverage (generally keeping loan-to-value around 65%), and maintaining ample reserves.
- The discussion highlighted why medical office real estate is recession- and pandemic-resilient, with high tenant renewal rates and stable cash flow.
- Reinberg explained how inflation, tariffs, and rising costs affect tenants and property operations across different real estate sectors.
- The episode explored how real estate acts as an inflation hedge through rent growth, escalators, and long-term asset appreciation.
- They discussed the current commercial real estate downturn, driven by higher rates, falling values, and large amounts of debt coming due.
- Reinberg argued that the next few years may present some of the best commercial real estate buying opportunities in decades.
- He warned investors to be cautious, underwrite deals conservatively, and focus on tenant quality and market fundamentals.
- We have an optimistic outlook for 2026–2028, expecting lower rates, increased liquidity, more transactions, and improving economic stability.
Today's Panelists:
- Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
- Barbara Friedberg | Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance
- Douglas Heagren | Mergent College Advisors
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/moneytreepodcast
Follow LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/money-tree-investing-podcast
Follow on Twitter/X: https://x.com/MTIPodcast
For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/hard-assets-and-smart-debt-ben-reinberg-788