519: Why the Wealthy Never Stop Buying Real Estate

If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you already know that I believe real estate is the single greatest wealth-building tool available to everyday investors like you and me. (Although, I’ll admit, Bitcoin is making a strong case to be in that conversation.)

But every once in a while, it’s worth stepping back and asking: Why has real estate created more millionaires than any other asset class—and why do the ultra-wealthy keep buying it, decade after decade?

It comes down to a unique stack of advantages that you simply can’t replicate anywhere else:

1. Leverage: Real estate is one of the few investments where banks are eager to give you money to buy an appreciating asset. You put down a fraction of the purchase price and control 100% of the property—and 100% of the upside. Leverage can be a double-edged sword in down markets, but it remains the most powerful tool in the arsenal of the rich.

2. Other People’s Money: Every month, your tenants pay rent that covers your mortgage and builds your equity. Essentially, they’re buying the property for you.

3. Appreciation (Natural and Forced): Over time, rents and property values generally trend upward. But here’s the thing—you can force appreciation by raising rents, cutting costs, and improving operations. On properties over four units, these improvements increase net operating income (NOI), which directly determines the property’s market value. That’s how sophisticated investors manufacture wealth on demand.

4. Tax Advantages (The Secret Weapon): The IRS lets you deduct a portion of your property’s value each year—depreciation—even while the property itself often climbs in value.

Now, here’s where things get truly magical: cost segregation combined with 100% bonus depreciation. These strategies let you front-load those tax deductions, often allowing you to write off a massive portion of your investment in the first year.

For example, let’s say you buy a property for $1 million and put down $300K. With a proper cost segregation study and bonus depreciation, you might receive a K-1 showing a $300K loss that same year. That’s a paper loss offsetting your taxable income—meaning money that would’ve gone to the IRS is now working to build your wealth instead.

And with Congress reinstating 100% bonus depreciation, this playbook for savvy investors is back at full strength. If you think about it, upfront tax savings alone can turbocharge your returns before you’ve even collected your first rent check.

This week on Wealth Formula Podcast, I sit down with Gian Pazzia, chairman and chief strategy officer at KBKG, to pull back the curtain on cost segregation and bonus depreciation. We’ll dig into:

• How cost segregation really works—and when to use it.

• How passive investors and short-term rental owners can take advantage of it.

• What to know about recapture taxes, 1031 exchanges, and long-term planning.

If you’ve ever wondered how sophisticated investors legally shelter huge amounts of income while building massive wealth, this episode gives you the inside track.

P.S. If you want access to the “Do it Yourself” Cost Segregation tool mentioned in this podcast, you can access it HERE. Use the code FORMULAPROMO to get 10% off.