Real Estate’s Interest Rate Hangover: What Happens When Cheap Debt Dies
Release Date: 10/29/2025
The Liquid Lunch Project
What happens when a grown-up economist says the quiet part out loud: the U.S. is acting like it can break the rules forever? Andrés Velasco joins Matt and Luigi for a sharp, no-spin talk on debt, tariffs, copper, central banks, globalization, and why countries that treat boom times like a Vegas weekend usually end up crying in the shower. From Chile’s “save it, don’t blow it” playbook to America’s very expensive habit of pretending deficits don’t matter, this episode puts real-world economics back in plain English. 🍸 Episode Highlights: Latin America is doing better than the...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
What if the thing you’ve been calling “branding” is actually the backbone of your business? Dan Grech joins Matt and Luigi to make the case that a founder’s story is not decoration, not nice-to-have, and not something you slap on a homepage after the real work is done. It’s the thing that holds the whole machine together. From getting fired out of journalism to building BizHack Academy, Dan breaks down how story drives revenue, hiring, trust, and the ability to keep going when business gets ugly. 🍸 Key Highlights: Getting fired pushed Dan into business. Most founders are...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
You think the IRS is scary? Cool. Now imagine TikTok is your tax attorney. Pietro E. Canestrelli (JD, LL.M.) jumps in to kill the “one weird trick” tax myths and explain how people actually get wrecked: audits, missing returns, bad CPA advice, and the quiet fact that you’re the one holding the bag. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: TikTok “tax hacks” are basically a DIY fraud starter kit. “Register it in Nevada” is not clever. It’s a trap. “Everyone should be an S-Corp” is lazy advice. Period. If the IRS says they don’t have your return… it’s not filed. ...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
It’s March. Everyone’s arguing about brackets. So we built one for business. But instead of basketball teams, we’re matching up what founders lean on when things get real: Discipline vs. motivation. Vision vs. execution Speed vs. strategy. Branding vs. operations. Because when revenue dips and momentum stalls, you don’t get to rely on everything. You lean somewhere. This episode is a pressure test. What actually survives when your business hits a slump? 🏀 This one covers: Why motivation fades in long seasons Why discipline carries weight when things get quiet The...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
Some people are not bad at learning. They were just trained inside the wrong system. Russell Van Brocklen joins Matt and Luigi for a conversation that starts with dyslexia but quickly turns into something much bigger: how highly capable people get mislabeled, misunderstood, and boxed into models that do not match how their brains actually work. If you run a business, manage people, or have ever felt like you think differently than the world expects, this episode will feel strangely familiar. Inside this episode: Why dyslexics often function as specialists, not generalists How traditional...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
Your Website Is Dead. You Just Haven’t Checked the Pulse. Contractors love tools. But hate marketing. And that’s exactly why they’re losing jobs in 2026. If you’re an HVAC company, plumber, electrician, or builder still treating your website like a digital brochure… you’re invisible. Wes Towers, founder of Uplift 360, joins us to talk contractor marketing, local SEO, and why most trades businesses wait until work dries up before they panic. This one isn’t about “branding.” It’s about survival. 🍸 What we hit on: Why contractors avoid marketing when business is good ...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
What if the investment you’ve been ignoring is ignoring recessions, too? Stocks are floating at all-time highs. Everyone’s calm. That’s usually when things get weird. Matt opens this episode with a blunt take: when the market turns, investors don’t get creative. They panic into real estate. The problem? Most people only know one version of it. So we brought on Matthias Gruenwald, a former German corporate exec who quietly built a real estate business around mobile home parks, the asset class most investors joke about and then completely misunderstand. This isn’t a hype episode....
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
What happens when politics, credit cards, housing markets, and Florida border tolls all walk into one podcast? 🍸 In this episode, Matthew and Luigi attempt to make sense of: Trump’s credit card rate cap Inflation versus liquidity Housing incentives and “portable mortgages” A bizarre Florida “toll tax” Small business tax realities Tell us: Should the government cap interest or shut the hell up? DM us or scream into the comments. 🔔 Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe so you don’t miss future conversations on business growth, funding, strategy, and the stuff most people...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
If your business falls apart when you leave for vacation, congrats. You built a trap, not a company. This episode isn't another cheerleading session for overworked founders. Jake Isaacs joins Matt and Luigi to rip into why most entrepreneurs are exhausted, isolated, and low-key addicted to chaos. From building real communities to training kids for capitalism early, Jake lays out how Gathering the Kings is more than a buzzword mastermind; it’s a system for staying sane. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: Why most entrepreneurs are the misunderstood “weirdos” of their...
info_outlineThe Liquid Lunch Project
Question: What do you want to do with your life? If your planner doesn't have an answer, you're doing it wrong. This week on The Liquid Lunch Project, Matt & Luigi sit down with Jason VanDevere, founder of Goal Crazy Planners and author of Dream Driven, to talk about time, discipline, and why the old-school paper planner might be the ultimate productivity hack for entrepreneurs. Jason went from turning down the family empire (think: 5 car dealerships) to building his own path around purpose, passion, and parenting, all without losing his damn mind. 🍸 What you'll hear in this episode: ...
info_outlineIs real estate dead? Or are we just in the hangover phase after cheap money?
In this episode of The Liquid Lunch Project, Matt and Lou sit down with August Biniaz (founder & CIO of CPI Capital) to rip the lid off today’s real estate climate. We go deep on how interest rates broke the model, how Canadian mortgages force you to “rematch” every five years, and why “build-to-rent” is catching heat. The real bombs drop when we talk operator risk, investor communication, and where the real opportunities still lie in the U.S.
🍸 What you'll hear in this episode:
-
How skyrocketing interest rates have throttled leverage across residential & commercial deals
-
Why commercial real estate loans are shorter term (3–5 yrs) vs residential’s long tail
-
The big differences between U.S. and Canadian mortgages — and why Canada forces refinancing every five years
-
Build-to-rent: the next wave in multifamily, with case study in San Antonio (duplexes, pre‑sales, cash flow)
-
How CPI structures deals: equity investors only, GP guarantees, and how they protect LPs
-
Why operator/jockey matters more than the deal itself
-
The communication secret sauce: monthly property reports, weekly investor emails, webinars, open access
-
Where August would place a bet if he had to pick just one U.S. state (Florida + Texas make his shortlist)
💡 Notable Takeaway:
“Our reporting is very robust … we provide monthly reporting … quarterly financials … we have an investor portal.”
👤 About our Guest:
August Biniaz is the founder and Chief Investment Officer of CPI Capital, a real estate fund focused on syndication and development across North America. He also hosts the Real Estate Investing Demystified podcast and is a recognized voice in the real estate investment community. August is deeply immersed in structuring deals, scaling projects, and building trust with investors.
🔊 Why Listen:
Don’t gamble with your capital. Listen in to get a real‑world dose of how the smartest operators are playing real estate in 2025.
🔗 Connect with August:
📞 Want help prepping your business for growth or sale?
Hit us up at https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/bookings/call-with-credit-banc-pod
🎧 Subscribe. Rate. Share. Repeat.
📧 Want even more? Subscribe to The Weekly, our Friday morning newsletter, for all the latest in the world of finance, tech, small business, and more.
Available on Substack: https://theweeklyfromshieldadvisory.substack.com/
Connect with us on Instagram:
➡️ @matthew.r.meehan
➡️ @luigi_rosabianca,
➡️ https://www.instagram.com/theliquidlunchproject/