[00: 00: 00 – 00: 00: 28]

I first invested, uh, in real estate shortly after college. So I was working a w2 job. Was able to save a little bit of money was able to partner with actually a family member who, um, you know, was in real estate. And with that investment, I was actually able to pay off my school loans. So I was like, okay, you know, the wheels are turning a little bit. I didn’t have to use, you know, all of my own cash. I didn’t have to have all the knowledge because I parted with somebody and that really kinda just was like a stepping stone for me.

[00: 00: 29 – 00: 02: 20]

Welcome to the share the wealth show where minority professionals can learn to escape the racial wealth gap and catapult themselves into abundance. Your host Nicole Pendergrass, who her net worth from being negative to multiple six figures. Join her on her investigative mission to expose secret strategies of the wealthy so we can all have the tools needed to build the life and legacy we were created to possess. Now it’s time for the show. Hello. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to another episode of the share, the wealth show. The show where we talk about how to build, grow, and protect minority wealth. So today we have with us, miss Fontina Stokes, and she is the CEO and founder of Secure Living which is a financially regulated real estate funding platform. So she has it’s a crowd fund. Oh, and I love it so much because a crowd fund is where you can come in. You can be sophisticated, non-credited. You can come in with all different types of investment minimums depending on what we talk about what that is in show, so you need to listen depending on your income or net worth. But even if your income and net worth are at a certain level, you still are able to invest. And she also hosts this for real estate professionals and operators if they want a place to start helping to raise funding. So it kind of works on both sides of the platform. It’s for the operators to get on her platform and it’s for the individual passive investors who wanna start growing their wealth. So the company’s mission is to make real estate investing more affordable and more accessible to the average household. Now, doesn’t that mission sound so much like what I talk about all the time? Oh, I love what she’s doing.

[00: 02: 21 – 00: 03: 27]

And she wants to provide alternative funding to real estate professionals. Uh, as a real estate investor herself, she experienced firsthand the challenges of getting started with the real estate and acquiring the capital to do so. So she ditched her comfy 9 to 5 and focused all of her energy and creating more equitable investment opportunities for the average person. This year, Secure Living became registered with the SCC, which is the Securities and Exchange Commission, and as a member of FINRA. So this episode is just great. It gets to the core of the mission that we have here at Sherry Wealth and with my own real estate investment company, no more best. So I need you to listen in I need you to reach out. She leaves her phone number at the end for you to call her. Please do that. Please call her. Please follow her. get on the website, sign up in the portal so at least you will be notified when they have more funding opportunities, and you can see how much you’re able to put in each year. So in any case, stay tuned and enjoy the show.

[00: 03: 28 – 00: 05: 31]

Listen. I know you’ve been digging in, studying everything you can, listening to all the podcasts, reading all the books, even going to meetups. You basically have a degree from YouTube University. Right? But you still feel stuck. You don’t know how to actually implement what you’ve learned. You’re nervous about taking the next step. And what the economy like it is, especially with a downturn roaming, you’re even thinking maybe you should just wait it out. I know you’ve heard that real estate makes more millionaires than any other asset class, but you know what else? Mira millionaires are made in a downturn than any other market cycle. So now is the perfect time to jump in and really get started. I’m super bullish on growing my portfolio this year, and I don’t want you to miss out. So I’ve decided to start the micro family investing accelerator. This is a mentorship program where I personally guide you through my 5 proprietary pillars. So you can learn how to buy your first commercial multifamily property, and scale while not biting off more than you can chew by focusing on 5 to 20 units. That’s what I call micro family. And so you can also get hands on guidance from an experienced micro family investor, me, who’s been right where you are nervous about how to start. And so you can also create the cash flow needed to give you freedom and options to build the abundant life that you were destined to live. So I’ll be limiting the first cohort to 5 students because They’ll have direct access to me, and I will be heavily invested in their success. The first group is gonna start in January, so If you’re ready to grab 2023 by the horns, schedule a free discovery call with me today. The link is in the show notes. Let’s hit the ground running in 2023. I look forward to seeing you on the inside, and now let’s get back to the show.

[00: 05: 32 – 00: 06: 46]

Okay. We are ready to rock and roll people. You do not know what we just are going through. Behind the scenes of podcasting, let me tell you, and this was completely my fault. Like, I had to I ended up getting on here late, and then I have, um, Fontina over here going crazy with her microscope. because I couldn’t hear her. But all the time, it was my fault, because I had my mic set to my blue yeti, which or I had my audio set to blue yeti, which is not Audio is just a mic. And I that’s why I couldn’t hear her because my settings were wrong. And okay. I’m sorry. All good. All good. This is great. It is, you know, a little late for us here now. But in any case, I’m just super excited to have a — conversation with you today because this is one of my biggest kind of missions, right, is to bring affordability and accessibility to real estate investing in, but before it, I don’t even I’m gonna jump far ahead. I don’t get I don’t wanna jump too far ahead. Tell everyone a little bit about your background and your journey to getting to what you’re doing now and what you are doing now because I’m haven’t spilled the beans yet.

[00: 06: 47 – 00: 08: 04]

Okay. Yeah. Sure. So first off, thank you for having me. Uh, I’m going to be here, and I live your content. So really excited just to be able to speak about what I do My name is Fontina Stokes. I’m the CEO of Secure Living. We are a real estate focused, um, funding portal. So, uh, we help real estate, uh, professionals, real estate investors who are looking for capital. We help them fund their projects, um, using investments from the average into or, uh, the crowd, let’s say, if you wanna look at it as a method of crowdfunding. Um, so we help them offer real estate securities. And then on the other hand, we help the average person invest in real estate. So you and I, we share the same mission, um, in that way. So I was really pumped, uh, when we connected and had a conversation and now here we are. And how did I get started with this? So let’s go back to the very beginning. I first invested, uh, in real estate shortly after college. So I was working a w 2 job. Able to save a little bit of money and then was able to partner with actually a family member who, um, you know, was in real estate. And with that investment, I was actually able to pay off my school loans. So I was like, okay, you know, the wheels are turning a little bit. I didn’t have to use, you know, all of my own cash. I didn’t have to have all the knowledge because I part of somebody. And that really kinda just was like a stepping stone for me.

[00: 08: 05 – 00: 09: 08]

So fast forward, I’m still investing in, you know, some properties and, was able to have family fund some of my deals. So we we partner together, and I’m like, there’s so many people wanna get invested want to, um, invest in real estate, right? They may not have, uh, the resources, the time they might not have $70,000 or $100,000. But they have 5. They have 10. You know, they can contribute, um, a little bit. And that’s really what, uh, kinda kick started the journey to start secure living. And, uh, all the research that goes behind, how can I legally, uh, get people, you know, involved in real estate and, um, kinda issue those securities So, um, that’s kinda, you know, the short story where I got to where I am. Okay. Perfect. Yes. And people, please know when you see individuals offering opportunities. There is a lot of legality that goes behind that. It’s not just like slap something together. There are legal protections and regulations that we have to go through and abide by if we don’t want to go to SEC tax jail and earn rails.

[00: 09: 09 – 00: 10: 24]

Um, but okay. So I wanna actually re rewind a little bit. Um, that fur so before we get to the very first investment you did where you paid off your student loans. What even got you thinking about real estate as a method or something that you wanted to be involved in? What did you go to school for? What were you thinking you were gonna do? Mhmm. So, uh, I went to school for business. So I have MBA and, uh, business administration to focus on marketing. Um, and, you know, throughout my career, I was able to, uh, work in the field of marketing, uh, which I, which I like. But I think You know, when it comes to real estate, you see a little bit of freedom, right, when you get that, um, you know, that income flowing in, whether it be you know, monthly or whether you have some fix and flips that you, you know, you sell and, you know, build up your net worth. Um, but for me, it was always about having the freedom, um, and maybe giving myself a little bit more flexibility, not really have to rely we owe one source of income. So, um, that was always a target to get involved in real estate, even though I didn’t know how it was gonna happen. Right? It just so just so happened that there was an opportunity that I was able to kinda jump on the bandwagon.

[00: 10: 25 – 00: 11: 22]

So that was really a blessing. Okay. And so what how did you even get introduced? Did you, like, always know real estate? Investing in real estate was possible? Cause I know when I first got introduced to it because I thought that that was something that, like, big corporations and businesses and people did. Like, I didn’t know individuals could actually do it. So once I out, then I was like, oh, this is for me, but I had that moment. You know, did you ever have that moment, or did you I know said was family. So did you were you just always around that as a possibility? Like, he knew it was possible. I did know it was possible. I just didn’t know it would be possible for me. Let’s put it that way. Um, you know, when I was younger, I dabbled, um, in the stock market, I still do, but then I didn’t really know what I was doing. That was more, accessible to me, you know, and my mindset back then. Um, and then I realized, okay, you know, real estate is accessible to me too. And, um, and that’s what I wanna do, make it accessible for others this as well.

[00: 00: 15 – 00: 12: 20]

Okay. What was that first project? Was it like was it a flip? It was a flip. It was a flip. Nope. And it was it was interesting, you know, like, all kinds of deals pop up. Um, we knew somebody. And the, the property was going to go, uh, was gonna be foreclosed on. So we were like, you know what? Um, we can help this person save their credit. We can, if we can fix up this property, get the proceeds, and then they can walk away, you know, kinda freaking. Let’s put it that way. So, um, it didn’t be in a fixed input. Yep. Okay. And then you say you got involved with other family members on other projects, just continuing the real estate investing. Were those all flips too? No. Some of those, um, were long term long term holds. Um, and then those family members ended up getting purchased out, um, during a refinance. type of situation. Okay. Okay. Mhmm. Um, so alright.

[00: 12: 21 – 00: 13: 54]

Now we can fast forward back to with secure living than what you’re doing now. Um, so how long have you when did you open secure living? So as of, uh, March this year, we’re financially regulated by the SSC and a member of Finland. So that allows us to, um, operate throughout the US to take investments, um, from US citizens over the age of eighteen. And of course, to, on the other hand, work with those real estate, uh, professionals looking for funding. Okay. And so you actually have a deal on the platform now. Right? How do you meet the operate of that deal, or did they have to, like, apply, or did you already know them? Like, what were the what’s the regulations for a deal to be eligible to be on your platform? Okay. Yeah. That’s an excellent question. So I am talking to real estate investors all day every day. Um, so whether it be LinkedIn or referral or any other, uh, social media platform, that’s one way to just get connected or just uh, you know, people that I already, you know, have in my network. Um, also, we do have a process where people we don’t know can submit deals on our site. So there’s a form for that. Um, I think this company I think it was via social media. I think maybe even Instagram. Um, and then we had been kinda communicating with them for 6 months or so to kinda see you know, which deal would be the right deal to host on the platform.

[00: 13: 55 – 00: 14: 35]

Um, of co of course, for us as a company, we don’t accept every opportunity. There’s a vetting process. We wanna make sure that it makes sense for investors, that it makes sense for us, it makes sense for the operator, um, or the issuer or sponsor. We use those terms interchangeably. Um, but that’s kinda how we got connected with them and then started the vetting process. Okay. So can you, I guess, tell us a little bit about what this opportunity is? And if people are interested in it, um, how do they get involved? Like, what does that look like? Are there return projections already there? You know, like, given the nitty gritty.

[00: 14: 36 – 00: 16: 29]

Yeah. Sure. So this, uh, this deal is located in Houston, Texas. Um, it is for, uh, townhomes that are being constructed from the ground up. So the operator is called CSF Construction. They’ve bought land all over Houston. Um, some of their projects are a much larger, uh, than this one. Some future projects they have, but this is, you know, what they’re working on currently. So they are anticipating, uh, an 8% or a wider, uh, offering dent in the form of a promissory note. The holding period for investors is uh, 8 to 12 months. So, um, a shorter time horizon. Yeah. The easiest way to get information about the dealers to go to our website So www.secureliveandrei.com. And there, uh, as an InvestNow button, that’ll kinda take you to, uh, we call the marketplace page. So, um, what we envision is, you know, our site will be like when you go to Amazon and you’re browsing for an item your shoe shopping, you know, you can really pick and choose the investment opportunity that fits, uh, your needs best, whether it be the ROI, the time horizon, whether it’s equity or debt or some other type of issuing. And when they hit that InvestNow button, they’ll be taken to that offering where they can see all the details, um, you know, about what I just mentioned, um, the terms of the offering, the addition to the market, they can see information about the company whose behind it, who’s running the show, past projects, um, to get like a holistic picture. So our goal is to really make real estate investing, um, simpler. So we’ve packaged together all the information So people can really get a comprehensive view of what they’re investing in or, you know, what they want to invest in. And there’s also an option there to contact or leave messages directly for the operator. So, um, you had that communication back and forth. So it’s, it’s pretty good.

[00: 16: 30 – 00: 17: 38]

Oh, I didn’t even know that because I know with syndications, you know, you are speaking directly to operator because, you know, they’re raising the capital. And then at the same time, like, you have access directly to them, but I realized through, like, a crowdfunding platform. I always felt, and that was just my limited knowledge that there was, like, this wall, you know, the crowd hand platform was the intermediary between me and the operator, and I wouldn’t have access to the operator through crowd funding platform. But You’re a cry. And I don’t know. Is that normal for crying? That that is, yeah, that’s normal. And it’s actually, um, regulation. So something that that we have to do also something that we want to do because we wanna provide that transparency and have people be able to reach out directly and say, hey, I got a question about X Y Z. And, um, you know, that operator respond, it just adds a level of comfort. Yeah. Um, confidence. Yeah. Okay. It’s like I wanted to, like, hop on a networking call with an operator just to get to know them and kinda feel out their personality. That would be potentially possible by contacting them through the portal.

[00: 17: 39 – 00: 19: 01]

So basically there’s a few ways that investors could get updates. So Um, one, of course, we just provide updates. So there’s an update section where we would add information about the project, any videos, things like that. Um, of course, we also do monthly newsletters to give, uh, updates about projects. So investors will update that way. And then there’s the comment tab at the bottom, um, of each offering. So that would be where an investor could leave a comment and have the operator or the issuer respond. Okay. And then with this offering, particularly, it’s debt you said. So mhmm. Someone’s gonna get that guaranteed 8% return, um, what happens because I know all real estate, you know, investing, investing in anything, there’s just always a risk, right? Absolutely. Mhmm. What happens if, for some reason, they don’t fulfill their promise because I know on if you’re getting debt on other types of real estate, Normally, like, you’re basically in the position of the mortgage company. You have, like, the 1st rights of being able to team the National property, blah blah blah. So how does that work. If especially if it’s ground up construction, I would assume the buildings would be done by then, um, is there are there any claims for the investors against the property if they don’t get their 8% and then their payout in the age of 12 months or whatever.

[00: 19: 02 – 00: 20: 27]

Mhmm. So Exactly. I mean, you explained, you know, debt the way it works in the form of a promissory note. So this is, um, you know, contractually in the, um, in the operating agreement or subscription agreement, um, there is, uh, that section in there. I think what’s a little bit different from some syndication is that. In this case, um, you know, the investor is buying securities of that project. So they couldn’t put a lien on the construction company, for example, that that won’t happen, um, through how, uh, our company operates. But what we do is we make sure that we’re dealing with, um, real estate investors that are a little bit more sophisticated. Um, and what we discuss are alternative ways where investors could get their money, let’s just say in in case of, um, you know, build up, um, build to sell, construction, and maybe they decide, okay, um, they didn’t sell for as high or it won’t sell for as high as it bought, you know, then they could refinance, then they could turn it into a hold. So there’s some, um, let’s say contingencies or other strategies that could be implemented to, uh, safeguard the investor. Okay. Alright. Perfect. Are there any are you looking for other, um, opportunities that might be equity, or are you gonna stick toward debt, what types of properties are your is your crowdfunding platform looking to start acquiring?

[00: 20: 28 – 00: 21: 59]

Mhmm. So, uh, this just happens to be debt, but we also have an equity, uh, project that we’re onboarding currently, um, with a company located in Charlotte, North Carolina. But we also support profit sharing and convertible notes. So, um, we’d like to keep it flexible um, for, you know, the real estate company for the issuer. So they have, you know, options to issue those securities in a way that that fits their company best. Okay. So convertible notes, explain that. That that would be, for instance, if, a company is issuing debt, and then they decide, okay, actually, at some point in the future, an investor can convert that debt into equity. So that’s, you know, a possibility, um, or with profit sharing, Um, you know, the issuer is saying upfront how much of a profit they’re gonna share with investors. Um, so, yeah, there’s some different strategies that can be implemented. Oh, okay. So is that something like the operator would decide at a certain point, like, oh, I think we’re gonna exchange or convert these shares into, um, equity from debt, or is that, like, up to the individual investors, if it happens to be a convertible note type of deal, then it does the individual, like, the passive investor beside that, or is that something that the operator has to open up to everyone?

[00: 22: 00 – 00: 23: 08]

So, um, we require that in the beginning, the operator does specify the type of security. So, um, debt, equity, convertible notes, for example. But when it comes to convertible notes specifically, um, at that specified time, the individual investor would decide okay, um, you know, I’m just gonna take the debt, get my 8% or whatever. Let’s just say it’s 8% and run with it, you know, or they, uh, could decide, okay, I’m gonna convert this into equity. Okay. Mhmm. I’m asking all these questions, but I’m very interested. And I don’t know how the inner workings of crowd fun works. But this was great. I’m wondering else, like, I know you are. Let’s convert a little bit, I guess. I wanna get into kind of your, not personal life, but, like, I know that you are a mom from your — Yes. — like, Uh, do you wanna say anything about that? I wanna put your I mean No. That that’s a that’s fine. Yeah. Sure.

[00: 23: 09 – 00: 24: 21]

So, uh, I do have a six-year-old daughter, my first child. Uh, so that’s been exciting, managing everything, and very challenging. Um, just being a little bit naive to motherhood, you know, I thought I would have more time. So, uh, it’s complete it’s complete opposite, but I do have a great support system around me with my family and my husband. Um, so, you know, at the end of the day, you just get it done. You, you go out and you get it and you do what you need to do and you take care of your family. And, um, yep, I think, you know, working moms are like superhero, shove in all these balls, and it works. Okay? you know, that’s what I really want to get into. It was just like, how because I get that question a lot. Like, how do you do it all? You know, how do you handle young I guess, basically, in my head, they’re still toddlers, even though I, I guess, 5 or 6 is not really a toddler anymore, but in any case. It’s like that in between stage. I don’t know what at stage is called. Um, but how long since your daughter is 6, When did you say 6 months? 6 oh, 6 months. And I thought, in my head, I was like, that’s why you just had a baby. Yeah. 6 months. Like, maybe I didn’t know about you’re on. Okay.

[00: 24: 22 – 00: 26: 10]

So, yes, I was gonna say how long have you have you been working on the business since your daughter was born, but, of course, you have because you thought — Yeah. Let’s go. Madam. Um, but before that, what was your kind of thought process, uh, around building a family and having this business. Like, when did you first even have this idea? So I know you guys got, you know, officially regulating it earlier in the year. But how long before because there’s a big there’s a lot of back work that goes into getting to this point, you know, how — That time. — time have you spent just like putting the pieces together and how did that fit into What you thought, like, family life would be like with juggling, you know, running a business. Sure. Mhmm. So, you know, that y’all had talked about where we had family and friends fund some of the project. That was in 2020. So after that was successful, we were able to return, around 20% to them on their investment. So that’s what, um, when I say we my husband and I, so that’s what, kinda got my wheels turning a little bit about, okay, how can I really, um, how can I open this up to other people? That is the goal. I want people to be able to have other sources of income, be able to build wealth. Um, so I looked into having to fund, um, that what you’re looking into, then I learned about some of the regulations, about having Accredited and non-accredited and, um, you know, investors and, you know, how far you can go outside of your network. And because we didn’t want to really limit Um, any noncredit investors are kind of, you know, worry about the different caps, um, associated with that. That’s when crowd funding kinda came about.

[00: 26: 11 – 00: 27: 19]

So it’s been it’s a bit of process, especially, you know, for me, what I envisioned this to be in the beginning is a little bit different than reality. And that’s fine. I think when you are starting a business or starting any type of venture, you know, you kinda meet those folks in the road where you say, am I still gonna push forward this way? You know, there’s some stumbling blocks here. Um, but the road is windy. It’s not straight. And then You just stay on that path. Yeah. Definitely. And I’ve been talking about that a lot recently, and I don’t know why that’s just want my heart to just always be I feel like I’m preaching at people. Mhmm. Like, come on. This is everything is hard. You just have to pee out your heart. Like, comfortable right now is going to be hard for you later, or you can be harder on yourself right now and make yourself live com more comfortable later. You know? And then there’s — Right. In any decisions and any goals that you have, there’s always gonna be robots. There’s not gonna be, like, step 1, 2, 3, and now that’s it. Like, there’s always something that comes up. Absolutely. I can handle that better than others.

[00: 27: 20 – 00: 28: 27]

Um, so I think What was the net? I just had a next question in my head that I wanted to ask you about the crowd funding. Oh, you said that something, um, was a little bit different in how you envisioned it at first and what is Actually, reality, do you remember what one of those, like, an example of something you thought would happen that’s not? helping me. Well, well, you know, originally, I was thinking about a fund. And until I realized, you know, that we really couldn’t have that many non-accredit investors. Um, so that that’s a lot that’s a lot different, then when I had kind of set out to do. Um, that was that’s one of the main things. What was the goal? What did you set out to do? Well, well, originally, I thought, okay, with the fund, you know, we could target whoever we wanna target. And that’s just, you know, not having all that information, uh, but, you know, you don’t know what you don’t know, and then you then you know it. Then you wanted to yeah.

[00: 28: 28 – 00: 29: 50]

So what is your what’s your, like, 5 or 10-year plan for, um, secured living? So I know you wanna be the Amazon of real estate crowd. I, like, opportunities this marketplace. Exactly. That, like, a more of real estate investing marketplace. Um, how many deals you’ve envisioned having on your platform at one time, how much from investors do you, you know, envision kind of raising or bringing that opportunity to? Like, what’s your overall, like, big picture plan for it? Mhmm. So we look at, um, we look at transactional volume. So, like, how many investments, um, we’ve done on the platform So, um, just like short term, next year, we wanna be somewhere between, you know, 9 to 12000000, funded. Um, and long term, a big goal for us is to, uh, transition into becoming a broker dealer. So, um, right now, we’re not able to list our own, um, projects in our portfolio. Because it’s a conflict of interest. Um, but when we become a broker dealer, we’ll also be able to, um, you know, list our own products in our own portfolio.

 And that’s something, um, that’s a long term goal for us, maybe in the next 3 or 5 years.

[00: 29: 51 – 00: 31: 23]

So once you become a broker dealer. Are there certain different regulations you have to meet in order for that to now not be a conflict of interest? Uh, there’s some, um, licensing that’s required. Okay. So there’s actually, let’s say, a little less regulations, um, also with marketing and that sort of thing, um, because you do tend to have a little bit, um, more accredited investors So, um, I mean, we know what the SEC thinks about accredited investors being more sophisticated, right? So whether that’s true or not, this is, you know, not a here or there, but, um, that does influence the regulations for broker dealers. Okay. Interesting. That that that was a lot. No. No. No. That that’s very interesting. It’s something that I just never thought of and never knew. Is there anything that I haven’t covered that you wanna still share about, like, what you’re doing, the product you have now, like. What you maybe need to help you move to the next level, it may be that we have a listener out there who actually, you know what? That’s one of my final push. I might as well do it now. But okay. Maybe you have a listener out there, um, who is plugged in to maybe a resource that you might need. So it was for secure living’s next step or next goals or whatever you your big picture goals. What is the number one thing you need now to take you guys to the next level?

[00: 31: 24 – 00: 32: 29]

So we are always looking to expand our network. So both with individual investors and also, um, with sponsors or issuers, those real estate professionals who need funding. So right now, you know, we’re, we’re talking to as many people as we can. Um, just trying to get people kind of, you know, plugged into the company, whether it be, you know, to sign up for our newsletter or, you know, we’re scheduling calls just to kinda build those relationships. And that’s really a phase that we’re in right now is that relationship building. So if anybody is interested in crowd funding for real estate securities, then they should definitely give us a call. Okay. So you have a newsletter. Now I need to sign up for that so that can be kept abreast of when things are happening. But I don’t know that way. Because I’m still gonna keep in contact with you anyway. And I’m gonna start connecting you to, you know, all the people that I know. I know we talked about that before. But I just love this as an opportunity, especially because like you’re saying, all the things I’ve been starting to do research on funds. And I don’t know. It is a lot more complicated than you think or the certain uh-uh.

[00: 32: 30 – 00: 33: 56]

It’s actually just depending on what type of regulation you go with who you can and can’t let invest in your fund depending on the type of regulation. There’s people there’s a lot of big goals that you’re not that. Yep. No. I think you decided to go with the crowd fund. So now what’s different with the crowd fund than a regular fund when it comes to because with a crowd fund, you are allowed to raise from non-accredited investors, and then you can raise publicly. Okay. So that’s what I would say. So with the 506 C regulation for funds and syndications, those are only for accredited investors, and you can you can advertise publicly. So if someone’s not a credit and you see all these deals, you know, floating around, you’re not gonna be able to invest in that because you’re not a credit. Mhmm. In order to find out about the accredited deals, you have to be, I mean, on the non-accredited available deals, you have to be on someone’s Email this. You have to have a personal relationship with them, and it can’t be publicly advertised.

 So unless you’re actively going out there and meeting operators, never gonna find out about the deals that you can actually participate in. And that’s why I try to break down to people all the time so that they know, like, if you’re non accredited, please get out there, start having conversations, meet people. But you are allowed to raise non accredited and do it publicly. So why is that? What is different between, like, what the, I guess, the requirements that the non-accredited investors need to have in order to invest? Are there any, like, what’s limitations?

[00: 33: 57 – 00: 35: 36]

Mhmm. Okay. So, basically, what happens when somebody registers on our site, you know, that they’re gonna set up an account, the basic information, if you were setting up any brokerage or bank account. And then there’s, uh, the next phase where it’s gonna ask if you’re accredited, yes or no. So, uh, this is a requirement, um, that that we have to ask. Basically, if you’re accredited, you put yes, and there’s no limits on your investment amount. But if you are non-accredited, so you put no, it’s gonna ask you your annual income and your network. And basically, the SEC has put in some safeguards to protect the investor. And we also think that this is beneficial, obviously, if somebody makes $50,000 a year, we don’t want them trying to invest $20,000 a You know, that’s, you know, I’m not very wise. So, um, there’s some automatic messages that the investor will receive as they try to invest on their investor limits and what their max is for the year. So I think that’s kinda one of those main differences, you know, as as it safeguards the investor. And another area is really in marketing. So we are, um, impartial when it comes to the deals on our platform. Obviously, we’ve already we’ve vetted those professionals. Right? We’ve vetted the deals. We’ve looked at the market. We looked at the ROI. So we present those offerings, um, in, impartially. So we don’t show favoritism 1 or the other. Um, so we have a little bit more restrictions about what we can say about the deals, but what we do is we help those operators or those issuers, um, to market their projects as well. So it works best when it’s a joint effort. Right?

[00: 35: 37 – 00: 36: 52]

Um, we have a network of investors, but they also need to bring, um, their network as well. That’s, um, you know, when the deals are most successful. Okay. So back to the, um, the net worth and income requirements, Um, is there, like, a what’s the percentage? Is there a certain percentage of that that they’re allowed to invest annually? Is that what the limit is? Yeah. Exactly. Um, I believe I believe it’s 10%. Okay. Um, and it goes off 10% of whatever is higher, the net worth, or, um, other net income? The annual income. Um, yeah. Okay. Okay. That makes sense. And I guess that does get you, like, get your feet wet and get you used to, like, investing without throwing the bag at the, I don’t know. I don’t know what analogy of. Just throwing the cat down the drain. I don’t know. Whatever you had has to know what I’m talking about. filed out with a dirty bathwater, something like that. No. Yeah. It gives it gives a little room to be able to Yeah. To play a little bit. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Cool. Nice. Oh, this is so good. This is so much great information. I’m eating it up.

[00: 36: 53 – 00: 37: 57]

I really hope we will have all the links to be able to check out Secured Living’s website, um, to connect with Bontina, if you want to, to even look at specially to look at the deal that’s on the platform now and see if that’s something that you wanna be involved in. Uh, you know, like, they did a lot of due diligence, but you also have to do your own due diligence and sit and look at the deal and make sure you know, where it’s at, the timeline, and all that stuff kind of aligns. And I think this first one being something that’s like a shorter time frame, because most like, syndication and apartment deals are, like, you know, 3, 5, 7 years, but this being, like, 18 or 18 months to a year. How long is that Yeah. 8 to 12 months. Okay. Oh, yeah. I’m already extended in my head. But, yeah, that just definitely even better, I think, because you’re getting that asset return in this environment, um, you know, where just monetary and policy, all stuff is just going crazy. So at least you could have your money working a little bit better for you — Absolutely. — here. Yeah. So this is perfect.

[00: 37: 58 – 00: 39: 04]

Wait. Wait. Don’t go yet. Have you been looking for a way to get started in real estate investing, but you just don’t know how? You need the Launchpad. It’s brought to you by my company, Northwest Holdings, and the Launchpad is a free guide with a ton of resources I’ve compiled to help you invest into your 1st real estate syndication. It includes terminology, book resources, video explanations, all the information that you need. Don’t know what a syndication is. I got you covered. How to find a good operator? How to even tell if a deal is good or not without having to know how to underwrite it all? It’s all in there. The launch pad is designed to help launch you into the next stage of your investment career and get you invested into your 1st multifamily syndication as a passive investor, meaning you can be a landlord and own a piece of a larger apartment building but still go about your day to day life without having to stop and learn every single detail about what’s under the hood and how it all works. The link to the guide is in the show notes. Make sure you sign up today. Again, this is the free resource and guide. And if you had any questions at all, please feel free to reach out to me. Now, let’s finish up the show.

[00: 39: 05 – 00: 40: 27]

Okay. Actually, I’m gonna get to the final I don’t know what this is called. I just keep saying the final 3, and I think it’s more than 3 questions now. That’s a fun, the portion of our The questions that I ask, Emily, is best to our every guest on the show. Um, so the first one is Warren Buffett said that diversification is protection against ignorance. What do you think that means? Is that good or bad? What it was he trying to get at with that? So I absolutely agree that diversification protects against ignorance. Um, we also just don’t know what the market is gonna do. Right? So it, it does provide a little buffer in there. Um, so I think it’s good to be diversified, um, amongst asset classes, asset types, I do think that statement could be expanded upon a little bit. Um, another thing I think that’s important to think about when we talk about diversification is the investors age. You know, we don’t want, let’s say, I think it’s a little bit unwise if a thirty-year-old is invested 60% in bonds, let’s say, or if a sixty-five-year-old is invested 70% in stocks, you know, um, they’re in some ways that can also increase their risk. So I just think that that, uh, time horizon that person’s age is also important to think about when we talk about diversification.

[00: 40: 28 – 00: 41: 21]

Nice. Actually, you are the first person to actually input that extra tidbit, which I think is super smart. The age and your risk tolerance definitely forms type of investments you’re gonna be and how diversified you’re gonna be. Okay. In the game of monopoly, you’ve paid monopoly before? I have. I think I say that finished the game, but have played at times so long. How long? Any so long. I haven’t played in years. And then, like, a year or 2 ago, um, I was on vacation with my family and my I guess my brother and his family, like, wife and kids, they play monopoly all the time. And I was like, they want to play. So I was like, alright. You know, we’re on vacation, but I just already know, oh, this is like a 3-hour game. I gotta start your hours yet. Like, I had to end up just like, yeah. I had to end up.

 I don’t remember if I ever finished either. I kinda got almost to the end, like, the last round, but then my butt was hurting on the chair. I just too much. Okay. Anyway, now I digress. Alright.

[00: 41: 22 – 00: 42: 36]

So boardwalk or Baltic, what’s your first buy to win the game, your strategy, why are you doing that first? Okay. My first buy would definitely be Baltic. Um, I think, you know, Investment strategy should be scam able. That gives you, you know, some room to learn a little bit, to mess up a little bit, to make some connections with other folks. Um, so I think that’s a good way to go. Okay. I love that. Nice one. Other question, this is a new one. What does wealth mean to you? What does wealth mean to me? Wealth takes on a lot of different facets. Um, one, I think about, um, you know, the physical person’s health and well-being, um, I think that’s, of the utmost important, especially, you know, when, when you talk about wealth, it’s not only about, um, you know, money. Uh, you would need to be healthy and insane enough to do something with it. Um, but, uh, you know, also a lot of people, I think, use the terms rich and wealthy, sometimes interchangeably, and, and that’s really they’re not interchangeable.

[00: 42: 37 – 00: 44: 57]

For me, wealth is, uh, generational, you know, having something that you can pass down, having a solid foundation, safeguarding that that money. I know that or those assets, uh, that’s something that you’ve talked about on your show before. Um, and I think all of those kind of encompass, uh, wealth when we talk about generations down the line. Okay. Love it. Great. Great answer. Okay. Um, I asked you about taking your business to the next level because I was being, um, prison, you know, forward thinking, I guess. And then I guess get the last one, just tell your listeners how they can reach out to you. Okay. Perfect. So, um, we’re on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, at securelivingrei. The website is also securelivingrei.com, um, or also you can just us a call. Right? We’d love to hear from people. We’d love to talk to people. Uh, we’re located out of Charlotte, North Carolina, and that number is 704-562-0019. Oh, the phone number. Now who is gonna actually pick up the phone and call? That’s what I wanna know. I need you to tell me. I’ve heard you wanna share the lost y’all. I really need please call her people. I need to know that you guys are taking action. Okay. Thank you. Thank you, Nicole. Thank you. Sharing all your information and sharing the wealth Oh, I loved it. I love what you’re doing so much. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it. I appreciate being on here, and I look forward to seeing what you’re gonna be doing in these next few months and years. Thank you. Same here, and we will definitely be staying connected. Alright. Awesome. Thank you for joining us again for another episode. And we definitely discussed today strategies on how to, um, build, grow, and protect minority wealth. And we will see you next time. Oh, don’t forget to like and review the show if this has been helpful to you. If you’ve enjoyed it at all, and please share this episode with someone. We need to get the word out there about secured living and the opportunity that they’re giving to everybody. So please, please, please, make sure you share the show and rate and review the podcast. Thank you very much. Till next time.

[00: 44: 58 – 00: 45: 22]

Did you love this episode of share the wealth show? Be sure to connect with Nicole by following her on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Facebook. If you picked up any of the gems that were dropped by today’s guests, make sure you not only put them in your bag. But if you know of someone who would benefit from this information, don’t keep it to yourself. Share the wealth and make sure to leave us a rating and review. We’ll see you for next week’s episode. Subscribe so you’ll be notified.