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The Sage Investor

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Rating
★★★★★
5
from
14 reviews
This podcast has
45 episodes
Language
English
Publisher
Brian Spear
Explicit
No
Date created
2025/12/30
Latest episode
2026/10/20
Average duration
44 min.
Release period
8 days

Description

You’ve worked hard, invested wisely, and built real momentum. But if you're like many high-net-worth investors… you still feel exposed. Maybe it’s rising tax burdens. Or fragile cash flow. Or the growing sense that today’s markets run more on emotion than fundamentals. Over 10 years and thousands of conversations with investors, Brian Spear discovered something surprising: most aren’t chasing the highest return. They’re chasing clarity. Control. And peace of mind. The Sage Investor is a podcast for wealth builders who want to think deeper, move smarter, and invest with intention. Hosted by Brian—private equity executive and co-founder of Sunrise Capital Investors—this show translates decades of real-world experience into actionable frameworks for lasting wealth. At the heart of this show is our blueprint, the Sunrise C.A.P.I.T.A.L. Strategy: 💵 Cash Flow First 🧩 Add Value 🛡️ Protect the Downside 🧠 Invest, Don’t Speculate 🏛️ Tax Efficiency ✅ Assurance of Outcome 🕊️ Legacy Tired of market noise, tax surprises, or sleepless nights wondering if your wealth is truly safe? This show is for you if you're ready to: ❌ Stop guessing and start investing with a durable strategy ❌ Break free from the anxiety of unpredictable returns ❌ Escape the tax traps that quietly erode your net worth ❌ Avoid speculation and wealth fragility masked as opportunity And instead… ✅ Build a portfolio that cash flows in any market ✅ Invest with clarity, not confusion ✅ Protect your downside—and your peace of mind ✅ Leave a legacy built on principles, not hype Whether you're a seasoned operator or rising Limited Partner, you'll get a front-row seat to the thought process, tools, and mental models behind real people building real wealth—in the real world. The Sage Investor is rooted in the lessons of the timeless thinkers: Buffett. Munger. Rockefeller. Zell. This is a calm, clear counterpoint to the hype-driven investing landscape. Because as Warren Buffett reminds us: “Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” Tune in. Slow down. Think deeper. Become a Sage Investor.

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Boring Cash Flow Wins: Why Buffett, Lynch, and Costco Bet on “Boring” | Ep. 44
2026/10/20
Peter Lynch, the unmatched mutual fund manager of his era who routinely beat the S&P 500, made no secret of his fondness for boring businesses.  “A company that does boring things is almost as good as a company that has a boring name, and both together is terrific.” Welcome back to The Sage Investor, with this week’s Sage Evergreen Principle: Boring Cash Flow Wins. It’s no surprise that investors like Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and big businesses like Costco routinely seek the dullest, sleep-inducing income streams that often throw off exorbitant amounts of cash flow, all while retail investors chase the next shiny object. The least sexy businesses imaginable—parking lots, mobile home parks, parts manufacturing—are never thought about by most people. Yet, they bring in durably wonderful cash flow year after year, making their owners wealthier than a hot stock pick could. Today, I’m teaching you the three signs of a boring business that produces durable cash flow, and I'll share a real-life example of how we locked in a decade of escalating income on the most boring business you can imagine.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Why Boring Cash Flow Wins, and swinging for the fences isn’t worth the financial risk Buffett’s $40M bet on a boring business that turned into $1.9B  Three signs of a boring business that most people overlook, but you shouldn’t  How we purchased a decade of locked-in cash flow on a boring (but not simple) investment  What to do today to pinpoint the boring businesses in your portfolio (and double down) — Cashflow Is Oxygen: How Businesses (And Portfolios) Survive or Suffocate | Ep. 42 Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Chapters:  00:00 Boring Cash Flow Wins 02:52 Stop Swinging for the Fences 05:20 3 Signs of Boring Wealth 07:43 Buying a Decade of Cash Flow 11:27 Buffett, Lynch Bet on Boring 13:46 See's Candies, Costco Profit on Boring 17:38 Find Boring In Your Portfolio Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
Why Alternative Assets May Deserve a Wider Slice of Your Retirement Portfolio | Ep. 43
2026/10/13
A traditional retirement portfolio just won’t cut it for many high-net-worth individuals. Whether you built a business and sold it for a respectable profit, bought rentals and shifted to passive investments, or had a big liquidity event, the equities market is a rollercoaster that may not deserve 100% of your net worth. With alternative investments, real estate funds, syndications, angel investing, and more, you’re investing in what you know, like, and trust.  So, how do you know you trust the person running the alternative asset? Ron Assise spent decades building insurance agencies before going out and starting his own. When he was offered the chance to sell his business to a much larger agency, he chose not just to take a payday, but to keep some equity as well. That retained equity compounded an already serious sum of capital, and it later paid off with an even bigger return. Ron knew business, he knew real estate, and he knew his money didn’t deserve to ebb and flow with Mr. Market's whims. Today, we’re talking to Ron about alternative investments, the difference between building and managing wealth, the “gut check” for vetting an operator or sponsor before putting a penny into a deal, and how to keep a confidence-boosting home-run return on one deal from turning into a capital loss on the next. Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Why alternative assets may deserve a larger portion of your retirement pie Vetting a syndication or fund operator, and the character test that highlights sponsors worth backing Ron’s Sage principle on why you should never invest in what you don’t understand  How to turn a profitable business exit into an income stream that supports you (and future generations) How successful founders can go from builder to preserver of wealth — Connect with Ron on LinkedIn Bet on the Jockey: Why a Great “Deal” Doesn’t Guarantee Returns | EP. 19 Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Chapters:  00:00 Intro 03:18 Invest as Early as Possible 05:26 Selling the Business (But Keeping Equity) 09:55 Building vs. Managing Wealth 13:13 Funding Alternative Investments 15:57 Ron's Portfolio Allocation 20:05 Vetting Your Investment (and Operator) 28:38 When Passive Deals Go Sideways 39:40 Working in Retirement 43:16 What the Money Is REALLY For 47:10 Ron's Sage Principle Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
Cashflow Is Oxygen: How Businesses (And Portfolios) Survive or Suffocate | Ep. 42
2026/10/06
In his 2014 Berkshire Hathaway shareholder letter, Warren Buffett wrote something so true it’s stayed in my mind ever since.  “Cash, though, is to a business as oxygen is to an individual: never thought about when it is present, the only thing in mind when it is absent.” Buffett watched 50 years of businesses grow, thrive, struggle to survive, and eventually find themselves in the graveyard of once-great enterprises—all while Berkshire Hathaway kept a treasure chest of cash on hand. Whether it’s business cash flow, real estate cash flow, or your personal cash flow covering your mortgage, grocery bill, and vacations, cash flow is the single most important factor for surviving any market, downturn, or internal emergency. Today, we’re kicking off our Evergreen Principles series, detailing the 21 Sage Evergreen Principles across seven pillars that support the CAPITAL Strategy. After 35 consecutive quarters of distributions through pandemics, interest rate hikes, and everything in between, we’ve learned firsthand that cash flow is the oxygen of any business, and what happens when you sell that oxygen for a quick payday. Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Why cash flow (not profit, revenue, or earnings) is the most crucial metric in business  The cash flow discipline Henry Singleton used to compound Teledyne's income streams while the market thought he was crazy Can your nest egg really survive a down market when your retirement plan is selling off your assets? The appreciation gamble that many real estate operators are feeling the effects of  How Henry Ford used quick cash flow to stay afloat, and how GE eventually had its oxygen supply cut off   — The CAPITAL Strategy: The Playbook for High-Net-Worth Investors | Ep. 40 Listen to The Real Estate Investing for Cash Flow Podcast The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Chapters:  00:00 Cash Flow Is Oxygen 01:27 Singleton's Ingenious Cash Flow Strategy 04:57 Cash Flow Is a FACT 06:05 Will Your Nest Egg Survive? 09:54 Deploy Your Dollars Now 12:04 The Cash Flow Machine (MHPs) 14:56 Don't Cut Off Your Oxygen 18:22 The Appreciation Gamble 20:39 Buffett's Cash Flow Commandment 21:51 Ford vs. GE (Power vs. Implosion) 25:56 Look at Every Dollar Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
After Nearly $500M in Acquisitions, This Is When We Walk Away From a Deal | Ep. 41
2026/09/29
Everyone wants to talk about the deals they did. Nobody wants to talk about the deals they walked away from—and those are usually the ones that make you the most money. Every acquisition has skeletons in the closet. Some are fixable. Some just aren't worth the effort, no matter how much you've already fallen in love with the deal. Today I'm speaking with my partner and CIO of Sunrise Capital Investors, Kevin Bupp. Kevin runs acquisitions at Sunrise, turning us from a two-man operation into nearly $500M in properties that fit our buy box and protect our investors' downside. Even after decades in this business, we still get stuck. On a recent deal, the numbers looked good and the problems had a workable fix, but it wasn't something we could stomach, so we walked away, even after $60,000 in pursuit costs. Walking away was painful. It was also discipline, not defeat. Kevin and I talk about how to run acquisitions with principle instead of projection, what it means to protect the downside on every deal, and what happens when a deal's mechanics shift while you're already under contract. Build your system and your team around protecting the downside first, and the upside takes care of itself. Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Why walking away, even after tens of thousands in pursuit costs, is discipline Why a solvable problem isn't always worth solving (when to let the deal go) Don’t win or lose, win or learn, and use the expensive lessons to produce dividends  Why properties that were once golden geese can stop being worth holding The people are the power: how your team decides the outcome of any real estate deal — Hear Kevin on Real Estate Investing for Cash Flow Subscribe to Kevin’s Channel on YouTube  Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Chapters:  00:00 Intro 02:14 The "Infill" Upside 05:25 Control Your Investment's Outcome 09:25 Challenging Value-Add (Worth It?) 12:28 When to Walk Away (Real Example) 19:32 Sunk Costs (Gained Knowledge) 21:32 Never Think Short-Term 24:12 When the Budget Gets Blown Up 30:02 Is the Value-Add Worth It? 36:48 Controllable Often Beats "Fixable" 38:28 Selling What Used to Work 42:19 Your Team Controls Your Destiny 48:37 Kevin's Sage Acquisition Principle Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
The CAPITAL Strategy: A High-Net-Worth Investor’s Playbook | Ep. 40
2026/09/22
I grew up sharing a pullout couch as a bed in the living room of a mobile home in South Side, Chicago. 30 years later, I sit at the other side of the table—a steward of nine figures in mobile home park communities, treating our residents with the same respect and dignity I wished for my mother, my brother, and my sister when I was a child.  How does someone starting from nothing build up to seven, eight, or even nine figures in wealth, and once you have that wealth, how do you ensure it’s being protected, grows passively, is tax-efficient, and structured so your family never goes through what I did? The answer is the CAPITAL Strategy. The CAPITAL Strategy was formed from seven pillars and 21 Sage Evergreen Principles, carefully built on hundreds of years of wisdom from the world’s greatest investors and innovators, with one clear mission: generate cash flow in a tax-efficient manner for you and your family. At Sunrise Capital Investors, we’ve used the CAPITAL Strategy to grow to nearly half a billion dollars in assets under management, with zero capital lost and over 30 consecutive quarters of distributions. Over the coming months, I’ll break down this strategy in detail, covering all 21 Sage Evergreen Principles so any high-net-worth investor can create tax-efficient cash flow to fund their freedom, legacy, and ability to impact the world.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  The CAPITAL Strategy explained: The high-net-worth investor’s guide to investing for tax-efficient cash flow Escaping the “messy middle” that so many wealthy investors get trapped in The four problems you’re probably facing as someone with $5M - $30M in assets Who should not be using the CAPITAL Strategy to build wealth  How to build a legacy whose bedrock is wisdom, not just passing down wealth  — The CAPITAL Strategy Breakdown Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Chapters:  00:00 I Started From Nothing 02:29 The CAPITAL Strategy 03:18 Learn From the Greats 04:35 You're Successful. Now What? 10:19 The "Pillars" of a Legacy 12:04 What's Coming Next 13:58 This ISN'T For Everyone Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
Stop Growing Your Business (Start Growing Your Profits) | Ep. 39
2026/09/15
Your company is growing too fast. You built something customers love, and demand is peaking week after week, month after month; you’re riding on the excitement and adrenaline. But here’s the problem—you can’t sustain this. Your revenue is rising, but your profits are stagnating, if not dipping. You hire on more talent and pay for more tools as the business grows, but it never ends.  How do you steer the ship in the right direction so business growth becomes profit growth? Latane Meade, CEO at Allied Title & Escrow, learned this the hard way, so you don’t have to. He built multi-million-dollar sports and social clubs, with tens of thousands of attendees at single events, doing worldwide tours because of international demand. In the midst of his hyper-fast growth, he received an offer for the company but refused it. Now looking back, scaling up and selling would have been the best bet. But one business growth burnout didn’t stop him. He’s created more businesses, including the most fun title company in the United States. Today, we’re talking to Latane about how he got Mark Cuban’s number purely through creating his own luck, why growing too fast can fumble your entire business, the one thing every founder and CEO should be doing now, and how to grow personal wealth that isn’t tied to your business’s outcome.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  How to grow your business fast, while having fun, and securing profits  The “boring” businesses that make money and crave creative entrepreneurs  Why networking with other successful leaders should take up half your day  Growing your personal wealth with low-stress, low-involvement investments  How to teach your kids to love the struggle that comes with hard work  Want Mark Cuban’s personal cell phone number? Do what Latane did — Connect with Latane on LinkedIn Allied Title & Escrow Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Chapters:  00:00 Intro 01:13 Becoming Mark Cuban's Apprentice 04:41 Growing (Way) Too Fast 07:49 Boring, Fun, Profitable Businesses 10:57 You SHOULD Take Profits 13:40 Every Founder MUST Do This 17:39 Share Everything of Value 20:10 Growing Your Personal Wealth 26:22 Be Careful Where You Allocate Capital 28:25 Teaching Your Kids the Struggle (for Greatness) 34:55 Create Your Own Luck! 36:31 Latane's Sage Principle Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
After the Exit: Turning a Business Sale Into Passive Cash Flow for Generations | Ep. 38
2026/09/08
Almost overnight, Travis Wallace went from private schools and weekends at the ranch to his family struggling to stay afloat. Midway through his childhood, Travis’s wealthy grandfather passed away, leaving 100% of his estate to his fourth wife. The rest of the family was cut out, and the money was cut off. This forced Travis to choose: rebuild the life he loved as a child or settle for less. Travis turned the chip on his shoulder into a drive to build a durably wonderful janitorial business with consistent cash flow. Paired with Travis’s minimalism and hunger to invest, the wealth only began to grow. But now, at 61 and full of energy, Travis has sold the business and the income stream that came with it, pivoting to passive investing to fuel not only his ambitions to give, but his children’s. But Travis isn’t walking into retirement without some scar tissue. Syndications went south, distributions paused, and silent sponsors threatened the capital he worked so hard to acquire. Now, on the other side, he’s got clear criteria for who to invest with, which assets are the most durable, and how he’ll teach his children to steward their money when it inevitably gets passed down.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  How to transition from a successful business owner to a steward of your passive investments  Travis’s sure sign that a sponsor will do their absolute best to protect your capital The estate plan that keeps money in the family and how to pair it with the wisdom your heirs require Why durable cash flow beats IRR or quick flip deals any day of the week  The danger of a silent sponsor and why communication is key in passive investing — Connect with Travis on LinkedIn Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions. 00:00 Intro 01:00 Cash (Flow) Is King 02:16 Family Wealth Vanishes 05:36 Investing Every Leftover Dollar 09:53 You Cannot Fear Failure 12:04 A Sponsor Must Do This 16:08 A Silent Sponsor Is Dangerous 20:53 Pivoting From Owner to Passive Investor 32:47 Keeping Wealth (& Knowledge) in the Family 40:45 Travis's Sage Principle
Asset Management 101: Spotting Six-Figure Opportunities in Your Portfolio | Ep. 37
2026/09/01
Every property has a piece to play in your portfolio. A great deal might not be a great fit for what you’re trying to achieve, so how do you know which properties match the profile that will build your wealth? That’s where an asset manager comes in—the architect of a profitable, scaling real estate portfolio where operations and finance are on one page, and sizable (sometimes over six-figure) NOI opportunities are found in properties you already own. Real estate asset management catches blind spots that often get missed elsewhere in the organization, helps confirm the properties being bought fit the overall strategy, and gets operators and investors on the same page. Sam Simonian, Sunrise Capital Investors’ Chief Asset Manager, has played the CFO and COO roles, and combines both to help our portfolio scale efficiently. Today, we’re sharing real lessons we learned that increased NOI by six figures on a single property, how to benchmark your portfolio so it's growing the way you want it to, allowing your organization to scale without your constant oversight, and how passive investors should read reports from operators. Whether you run a portfolio, passively invest, or want to optimize any property you own, asset management deserves a closer look. Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Asset management 101 and how it spots the biggest opportunities (and traps) for your portfolio  What to do when the strategy for a property changes and is no longer valid  Spotting six-figure blind spots that can have extreme effects on your NOI and valuation  Why we don’t benchmark our properties against industry averages (and what we do instead) Passive investors: This is what to look at in your financial updates from operators  — Connect with Sam on LinkedIn Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
3 Questions That Create Durably Wonderful, Cash-Flowing Businesses | Ep. 36
2026/08/25
Too many entrepreneurs have a great business idea, but no real business strategy. You could create a revolutionary new product or service, one with massive potential for demand, but it won't reach its full potential without the strategy to back it up. A good idea gets you into the business, but a good business strategy keeps your business producing cash flow for decades, even centuries, to come. If you understand the frameworks I’m about to share, you can build a business that can not only withstand the barrage of potential competitors, but time itself.  These three frameworks have been tested and taught at the best business schools on earth, from Harvard to Stanford, and put in place in the biggest businesses in history. Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett use these guiding principles to build businesses that crush competitors, even when competitors don’t know they’re competing.  I’m outlining three fundamentals of business strategy that have allowed us at Sunrise Capital Investors to grow, build a moat, and create durably wonderful cash flow for over 15 years.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  How to turn your great business idea into a tangible strategy that gives you the best shot at lasting success  The “five forces” that must be addressed before your business enters a new market  Finding your “blue ocean” and becoming the irreplaceable choice for customers  Building your business “moat” that stops competitors from stealing your market share  How to evolve your business strategy so your wealth grows even as the economy changes — What I Learned from Harvard’s Most Elite Real Estate Investor Group (YPO) | Ep. 28 Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
From Landlord to LP After Realizing He Only Had So Many “Christmases” Left | Ep. 35
2026/08/18
Time can make you wealthy, but the same time ticking away is the wealth once you’re ready to retire. While compound interest trades time for growth, passive investing gives you your time back to enjoy the wealth you spent so long growing. And with enough cash flow, you can have it all—time, freedom, and money to spend, donate, and save how you’d like. That’s Steve Hostetter’s why, and for many successful active investors, it’ll strike a chord. Steve built a sizable rental portfolio producing six figures in annual cash flow, but getting close to retirement, the tenant phone calls and repairs took away time that was arguably more valuable. After a light-bulb moment, Steve sold his 11-unit rental portfolio, didn’t pay a dime in capital gains thanks to his passive investments, and now lives off passive income, free from the landlord life. Steve didn’t get it all right. He made an “unforced error” early in his career that would have set him up even more successfully. But his constant goal of doing what was best for him, not keeping up with others, allowed him to scale a portfolio while raising a family, sell it to invest for passive income, and take advantage of strong tax advantages along the way.  Have a rental portfolio you wish could keep cash-flowing without the time commitment? You’ll be happy to hear what Steve has to say.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Why more time, not a bigger net worth, is the greatest goal of the passive investor  How Steve sold his rental portfolio without paying a dime in capital gains tax The crucial error Steve made early in his career that cost him compounding for decades  How many holidays with your family do you have left to truly spend? Why the sponsor, not the deal, is the most important investing decision for an LP — Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
5 Questions to Ask Before Your First Passive Investment | Ep. 34
2026/08/11
Passive investing opportunities have become significantly more accessible in the past decade. Instead of what was once a closed-off country club type of exclusivity in private real estate investing, the deals being sent your way are now coming in the dozens. So how, in a crowded market where every GP is wrestling for your attention and your hard-earned dollars, do you separate the signal from the noise—the stewards of capital from those looking to make a quick buck? Before you invest capital on behalf of your family’s future, you need to answer five critical questions. If you can say yes to all five, you’ll be able to confidently invest not only in passive real estate investments, but the sponsor behind those deals. What are the five questions to ask before investing that unlock a worry-free path to wealth accumulation? Scott Corbett, Sunrise Capital’s Chief Growth Officer, has worked with GPs and LPs for the past 15 years, seeing the often not-so-spotless behind-the-scenes work of real estate funds and syndications. Scott didn’t become an advocate of Sunrise Capital once he came on the team; he asked to join us after years of witnessing the character and conviction behind the deals getting done.  The Five “Yes” Framework Scott has developed over the past decade and a half of working with passive investors not only gives you the green light to move forward with an investment, but the confidence that your money is being guarded while growing.  Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  The Five “Yes” Framework every passive investor must answer before investing their family’s capital Track records aren’t created equal—how to know your sponsor can survive hard times How to publicly check how your sponsor has navigated bad deals, down markets, and economic turbulence  The real reason Scott asked to come on to Sunrise Capital Investors as an outsider  Why passive real estate investors can often retire with less—even with the same passive income — Connect with Scott on LinkedIn Recommended Resources: Are you a high net worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
The “Trap” That Costs High-Income Earners Decades of Freedom | Ep. 33
2026/08/04
One word changed David Phelps' life in an instant. “Leukemia.” At the peak of his career, earning a high income and owning his own dentistry practice, his daughter, just a toddler at the time, had her life on the line. David made good money; he had a life worth envying, yet none of it could give him more time with his daughter.  But David had one thing many of his fellow dentists did not—an income-producing asset portfolio. He sold his practice, dedicated his entire life to ensuring his daughter entered remission, and finally, recovered. That’s when David realized he broke out of the high-income trap—he had achieved true freedom: freedom of time. Now, leading Freedom Founders, David assists other high-net-worth individuals in exiting the golden handcuffs and entering a new stage of freedom, not just of time, but of creativity. The wake-up call in David’s life was clear—income-producing, durable assets support a life where you make the choices. A business or well-regarded career, no matter how successful, is still a fetter to freedom. Are you able to escape the high-income trap, too? Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  What truly funds your freedom in life and why it is not a bigger paycheck  The “semi-passive” assets that David invested in to regain control of his time The common mistake successful founders and business owners make that costs them decades  Are you building a life of just extraordinary income, or extraordinary optionality?  Stop waiting for life’s wake-up call—you’re never too early to invest for durable freedom — Connect with David on LinkedIn Freedom Founders David’s YouTube  The Freedom Founders Podcast Think and Grow Rich Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
Extreme Ownership: Why Personal Responsibility Breeds Better Outcomes | Ep. 32
2026/07/28
This is the most expensive mistake in investing. A deal goes sideways and your return shrinks. Who do you blame first? Your partners, the market, your management team, your residents—there’s an obvious answer, but it’s a painful pill to swallow—it’s you. What at first seems like a siloed feeling of guilt turns into a worldview that changes everything you do for the better. It’s time to take extreme ownership. Excuses ruin outcomes, blame games cause teams to fall apart, and at the end of the day, no lesson is learned. So how do you turn every failure, every blind spot into a system that keeps everyone responsible and makes you wealthier along the way? This is the principle of extreme ownership, and it’s one that changes every business owner and investor’s way of thinking. The three-step framework of extreme ownership changed my life and Sunrise Capital for the better, allowing us to make far more accurate decisions with more certainty, knowing all team members are rowing in the right direction. When failures occur, we’re swift to improve, and that mindset creates the best risk-adjusted returns we could ask for. What happens to your investments when you take the same point of view? Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Three steps to apply the extreme ownership principles in your life, business, and investing Understand this: You can delegate management, but you can never delegate ownership The “failure” from 15 years ago that turned into $500M+ assets under management Transforming mistakes into systems that build wealth faster, safer, and with more certainty  The six “failure layers” that can help you pinpoint where things fell apart  Why you (yes, even the business owner) could be causing your own system to break — Recommended Resources: Are you a high-net-worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult with a qualified professional before making any investment decisions.
A Single Mobile Home Park Bought Me 3 Decades of Freedom | Ep. 31
2026/07/21
A single mobile home park investment changed Kip Lewis’s life forever. He knew nothing about mobile home park investing and had never even thought of the asset class before, but through boots-on-the-ground operations and diligent value-add, Kip turned a $500,000 park into something worth millions.  He quit his job to go all-in. But, within a few years, he was almost on the brink of losing it all.  Kip began investing before he was even a teenager, trading time mowing lawns and chopping firewood for CDs at the bank and stocks he knew little about—back before it was a tap away on your phone. The drive to create something bigger, something freedom-enabling, led Kip to real estate, and shortly after, buying a mobile home park with durable cash flow, strong value-add potential, and overlooked income streams.  Kip is proof that with a single mobile home park, hands-on management, and the will to turn something from decent to extraordinary, diligent investors can use this asset class to build a legacy that outlasts them—whether through passive or active investing. Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  How even a single mobile home park can lead to lasting freedom for the investor willing to put in the work Turning an underperforming, neglected mobile home park into a cash-flowing, durable income stream  The operational moves Kip made that flipped his park’s performance around  Resisting the urge to sell a business that funds your life and your freedom  How to incentivize your team to work harder than you ever could, building a business that lasts
Fractional vs Full-Time CFO - How to Unlock New Levels of Financial Clarity Like We Did | Ep. 30
2026/07/14
Most real estate businesses use accounting as a way to confirm what they already know, or, at the very least, pay their taxes. But the best businesses, those in the top 5% or 10% of operations, use financial systems not only to see problems before they arise, but also to plan for growth years, even decades, in advance. That’s what we’ve done here at Sunrise Capital Investors, and today, our own CFO, Mike Hart, is helping you do the same. Mike has a 30-year track record working with the best in the business—from billion-dollar REITs to CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), one of the largest accounting firms in the country. At first, Mike came on as a fractional CFO, then, after seeing the durable growth of Sunrise, joined us full-time. This decision has helped Sunrise unlock new levels of financial clarity, see years ahead, and turn expenses into assets. When do you need a CFO? That’s the exact question Mike is tackling today, and how operators of all sizes can use the numbers you already have to grow your bottom line, forecast long-term returns, scale your portfolio as efficiently as possible, and get ahead of the hurdles headed your way—all using data you’ve been staring at this whole time. Sage Wisdom from Today’s Episode:  Fractional CFOs vs. full-time CFOs: Who should (and shouldn’t) hire full-time? How to forecast years of growth, opportunities, and dangers in advance  When do you need a CFO: The clear signs your business will benefit from an expert  You’ve got the numbers, here’s what to do with them to make a difference on your bottom line The problem with aggressive growth and why slowing down can be more profitable than speeding up My four-step framework for taking the numbers and turning them into action — Connect with Mike on LinkedIn Recommended Resources: Are you a high net worth investor with capital to deploy in the next 12 months? Build passive income and wealth by investing in real estate projects alongside Brian and his team!  Learn more from Brian and listen to past episodes of The Sage Investor  Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

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5 out of 5
14 reviews
★★★★★
Douglissimo 2026/10/21
Very open with SOLID FACTS
Excellent, informative, and honest about facts. Really knows his subject and communicates at an extraordinary level… thank you!
★★★★★
BKCato 2026/10/20
Excellent Podcast … great information
We have invested with Sunrise Capital and have been very happy with their operations and level of communication. Brian’s podcast reinforces solid inve...
★★★★★
ninamichelle99 2026/09/09
Helps you rethink your approach
This podcast has become a regular part of my week. Brian gives detailed advice in a simple manner, which has opened up new perspectives that have impr...
★★★★★
Rastafariana 2026/09/04
Easy to listen to and learn
Really like his background and how he explains life and investing in general. Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Zamora39 2026/09/03
Solid financial content!
Straightforward, useful information without making things overly complicated. Great podcast!
★★★★★
Heustace 2026/08/28
Great Podcast
Great podcast! The podcast is always informative and full of useful insights.
★★★★★
acamillehay 2026/08/27
Sound advice!
Brian shares some super helpful nuggets of wisdom on real estate. Great listen!
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