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A
IRR for everyone knows is really a calculation of money in and money out. You invest money with me, it's what am I going to give you back and how fast am I giving you back your now your original capital you invest, but also your return. You look at the alliance medical fund, Dan, and you say, okay, well, 24% your track record. If you invested a million dollars, you're going to average return back with your capital about 240,000 every single.
B
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Money Mondays. We are here inside of an RV motorhome parked in beautiful Newport Beach. I think we're right across from Fashion Island Mall here in front of Ben Reinberg's office. Very excited to have him here. He's done over $500 million in commercial real estate and technically he's done billions of dollars in transactions. I'm really excited to dive deep into his mind to ask about how to make money, how to invest money, how to give it away to charity. As you guys know, these podcasts always run for less than 40 minutes because the average workout is 45 minutes. The average commute to work is 45 minutes. So this episode will be between 35 and 38 minutes for your listening pleasure. So without further ado, Mr. Ben Reinberg, give us the quick two minute bio so we can get straight to the money.
A
Thanks, Dan. Been in commercial real estate for three decades, strictly as a principal. I started when I was 23 years old. I am 54, headquarters in Chicago. From Chicago, we've built over 12 million square feet of office industrial in our career. We've done billions of dollars transaction. We actually own more than half a billion dollars of commercial real estate. We own whether it's office, industrial, retail. We just launched a multifamily division. We just launched a hard money lending division which was in high demand from our investors. And so, long story short, I am a real estate, commercial real estate expert. And then I'm also getting into tech. We have some tech companies. We're heavy into AI now. And then obviously you see my personal brand, which we launched two and a half years ago, is growing. We have a new TV show which is coming out and launching and you're going to be one of our esteemed guests coming up, which I'm excited for season two. And other than that, just, it's great. It's great to be in California. Here's my west coast office right outside it. And I love it. I love the weather, I love the people. And it's been a great rebirth for me to move out to California and launch our west coast presence. So that's what I do. That's, that's part of my hobbies.
B
I love it. Well, I'm going to break down and ask you a lot of questions within there. So on the make money side, why did you go the commercial real estate route? Not residential, not storage units, not RV parks? Why do you like the commercial real estate space, Dan?
A
I love this question because I get asked this frequently. When I was a young man and coming from Chicago, some of the biggest icons in real estate, especially commercial real estate, live in Chicago. The Crowns, the Pritzker family, the Sam Zell, you just name it. The biggest icons in commercial real estate were from Chicago. And when I was young, I didn't come from money. And so I said, well, how do I accumulate wealth like these people do? And I did my research. There was no Internet at the time. We go to the library and read encyclopedias and articles and what we had to do. And I realized commercial real estate had the most billion billionaires at the time when I was a kid and growing up and even in my 20s. And I said, well, that's who I want to be. And I always modeled Sam Zell. I thought I was going to be the next Sam Zell. Being from Chicago, I started buying big office campuses. And then when the Internet became more prevalent and even with the pandemic, you could see more people wanted to work from home. So I took a step back and I said, well, the office space is probably not going to be a great asset class to double down on. So we grew in industrial. And then 20 years ago, now my three year career, I met with my investors and I said, well, office space is going to be challenging. Even downtown office space is challenging around the country. I said, I think we should get into medical. The human body's not getting out of style. Barack Obama was threatening with, you know, with health care and getting rid of certain programs. I said, no matter what, Dan, the human body's never going out of style. People are always going to need to go see the doctor. And even during the pandemic, when we talked about telehealth and this conversation at telehealth, you can't go get a colonoscopy, you can't get surgery unless you're in person. And so we knew that and we said, you know what, this is a great niche. We became one of the leaders in medical office space. And then 10 years ago, we got into a niche called veterinarian office. And we realized a lot of People own pets. People are fascinated by pets. We know, we've seen. We took a tour of your beautiful ranch and you're the perfect case study. I mean, we own, own different hospitals and horse and cattle surgery centers and just a phenomenal side of the business. And it ties into our fund that we're raising money for our medical and veterinarian fund. And why it's doing so well is because those sectors, no matter what, are pandemic and recession resilient type real estate.
B
So when you're raising capital for a fund, what does someone should be looking for? How do they decide what type of real estate fund to invest into? What should they be looking for?
A
It's a great question. I'm a big fan of diversification. So if you take the Alliance Medical Fund as an example, because that's we're raising money for. If we're going to have 20, 25 assets in a fund and they're going to be different uses within the medical office space, it's a lot of diversification. That's why we set up funds. I look for. What I look for is I ask investors, what are your struggles? What have you struggled with? What are you trying to achieve? What's the desired outcome in the future and what are you looking to accomplish? At the end of the day, when I understand your struggles, I could help you with the asset class you want. We are, we're like economists in my company. We know before things happen. We're constantly researching. We're looking at the real estate market, we're looking at interest rates, we're looking at government administrations, we're looking at the different states that will invest in worst population growth. What I say to people is, yes, you're investing in asset class. Okay? And hopefully that makes sense. You whether it's industrial or multifamily, and you understand the asset class. It's also the sponsorship. And I say this a lot because you're investing in people when you invest. I invest in tech companies, I invest in things I don't understand. It's always the end result is the person running the show. So I say to people, I said, look, what you need to do is really understand how do they solve challenges. Okay. When you're in a tough environment, how are they going to get through it? Okay, anyone can pay you a quarterly preferred return. But when the chips are down and things are tough, how are people going to get through those times? Because tough times don't last. Tough people do. So I invest in people. I do look at the asset class. I look at the investment strategy and I do my homework. So my suggestion, if you're out there and you're going to invest in a fund or a syndication or a residential home or whatever it is, do your homework, ask questions. How do you get through challenges? What's your acquisition criteria? What's been your track record, you know, for 30 years? We have a high 20s, 8% IRR track record, which is phenomenal in the medical office space, which is conservative with mid-20s. So that tells a story to investors that says, you know, Ben Reinberg companies have 200 plus years of leadership, team experience. They're not going anywhere. This is his passion. This is what they built their wealth on and their foundation. And that's who you're investing with, great quality people that could solve challenges. And so that's what I always recommend to people because people call me from all over the world saying I want to invest in this and that. What do you think? And that's the first thing I go to is the people.
B
When you say, I'm going to ask you to break down a couple of things. When you say 20% IRR, what does that mean?
A
Right? So IRR for everyone knows, is really a calculation of money in and money out. You invest money with me, it's what am I going to give you back and how fast am I giving you back now your original capital you invest but also your return. So it's a time value money equation. So what it really means when you look at the alliance medical fund, Dan, and you say, okay, well, 24%, your track record, if you invested a million dollars, you're going to average return back with Your capital about 240,000 every single year during the life, Trevor, during that, of that investment. So I take it for granted because I know how hard we work and I know what our expectations are. But to investors it's a phenomenal deal. So I love what we do. I invest in everything we do. I'm probably the biggest investor in Alliance Medical Fund and I do it because it's the core of our business and our company, our company is based off transparency, integrity, consistency and expertise. If you work at alliance, you have to adhere to those standards because that bleeds into our investors. I want our investors to have the seven star experience. I pride myself on it. It's that white glove service. It's that attention to detail and everyone's pulling the wagon or the train in the same direction. We're at alliance and that's why it works. Because when, you know, investors come first, it's a marathon business. I don't care what anyone says in the world where it's like, well, I'm gonna fix and flip and do all this. And you know what? If you're in commercial real estate, it's a marathon business, okay? It's plan on being it for 30 years, 40 years, 50 years. You're going to build a tremendous amount of wealth. It's a wonderful business, but you have to commit. And people say to me all the time, Dan, well, how have you been in the business long enough? It's focus, persistence. It's continuing to show up to work every day. I don't need to work, but I do it because I love it. I also enjoy changing people's lives and creating impact. And I could do that through business and through commercial real estate.
B
So I also mentioned the word syndication. What's the difference between investing to a fund versus into a syndication for like one specific building, for example, project?
A
It's a great. It's a great question. So a syndication could be one investment you're investing in. And so it's a certain structure geared towards that project or that investment.
B
Like one apartment building, right?
A
It could be one apartment building, one office building, an industrial complex. It could be a syndication. Could be you have two or three assets that you're. And you have one entity, okay, that you're investing in. And it's got a small portfolio, which we do. We might have a medical portfolio, and let's say it's in Savannah, Georgia, and we'll call it Alliance Savannah llc and let's just say has three or four properties and medical properties. You can invest in Alliance Savannah and you'll own three to four properties on your investment. A fund. There's four benefits to a fund and why we create funds and why we do. There's pros and cons of both when you invest in a fund, okay, Number one, the cost of capital is usually cheaper. Good economies scale. Number two is diversification, which is important to investors. So, for example, if you invest in Alliance Medical Fund and you're going to have, let's say you have 500,000 in the fund and you're over 20 assets, that's great diversification because your 500,000 owns all the assets in the fund, right? That's the benefit. The other, the other thing is scalability. What people don't realize about fund, this is really important is that we might have a property in Lions Medical Fund. We sell it and we have an $8 million gain. And I say, Dan, you Know what? Instead of returning your capital back, we're going to do a 1031, buy three other properties. I took one property, added three. So more diversification, more free equity in the fund, and now I'm scaling. Okay. And then the fourth benefit is purchasing power. When we go out to the brokerage committee, my acquisition staff, and we go out to the sales community in commercial real estate, they know we can provide certainty. Certainty is everything in our business. You know, Ben Reinberg's company has a great track record. He has the ability to close, he has ability to get debt, he has ability to raise money. And he knows what he's doing because he's been there and done that. So certainty is so important in our business. And so all these come out when you have a fund and you have options. You know, every deal is different. There's not one deal that's ever the same in commercial real estate or anything. And so for us, we look at, with our years of experience, say, is this a better syndication or a better fund? Is this something where. How are we going to structure it? Because people ask me, like, how do I structure this deal? And a lot of its experience, I might structure it where it's when I give you your money back, you're diluted. I might give you your money back, and you own now 50% of it. So we did a deal in Las Vegas a few years ago, bought it for $9 million. Famous surgery center. When the shootings happened, they went to this surgery center hospital to deal with people that needed blood. And we renewed the lease, increased the rents. United Healthcare is our tenant. We turned a $9 million property into a $25 million valuation. Okay, we got appraised. So what did I do? I said, okay, we're going to pull money out tax free. We're going to pay off our investors 9 million bucks. We're 50, 50. Every single quarter, which is this month, we distribute, literally, Dan, $300,000 every quarter in cash flow. Now, mind you this, you have no capital in the deal. So how are we going to. How are we going to calculate that return? So that's just one of many that we have in the portfolio. So I love commercial real estate. I love building wealth. I haven't found a better business. It's very transparent. You can go kick the bricks and mortar of everything we own. What we do in the fun, which is unique, is we send out what's called a flyer or a teaser. So before we buy it, we say, dan, we're buying a building right now in Altamonte, Florida. It's a surgery center. Here's what we're buying. Here's location. Here's the physician group. This is why we're buying it. My goal is you never have to call our office for questions. My goal is you never have a complaint. Okay. My goal is you might want to talk to me and kibitz with me because you might. You're interested in the business. How did you do this? Why did you do this? Stuff like that. So. And also, a lot of our investors call for referrals because they say, well. Because we ask them, we say, well, who else will enjoy this benefit? We are a tight knit family in our investors. We don't let everyone in the door. And when you do come in the door, you usually don't want to leave.
B
Sure.
A
And so 24%.
B
I'm not going anywhere.
A
Yeah, well, you know, there you go.
B
You have to kick me out.
A
That's right.
B
Okay. So we talked a bit about the making money. So I like to talk about investing when, as you build wealth and someone out there is listening in their career. They go from 100 grand a year, they start making 140, 180, their house goes up 500 grand. All of a sudden they got some extra capital. They got six figures, maybe even more capital. How do they decide on that first investment of like, should I go invest into the commercial thing? Should I try to buy the fourplex? Should I. Should I just invest into a fund and let an expert do it? Like, how do they think about that?
A
Okay.
B
When you first start making real.
A
First of all, phenomenal questions is such an important question, and I'm glad you asked it because I was that person. We were all that person when we were starting to make money. First of all, number one is live below your means.
B
Yeah.
A
Okay. Build up your nest egg. Don't. You don't need the fancy car, you don't need fancy clothes.
B
Six bedrooms.
A
Yeah. You don't need a large house. You know, rent. Live modestly when you're young. And even today, like, I live fairly modestly with the success I've had. And so you know, when you do that, you have, you have what I call availability of capital to deploy dry powder. Dry powder, you know, whatever disposable income, whatever you want to label it. Right. And so what I would do, and I'm biased. Okay. I like transparency, my investments. So, you know, you can invest in a mutual fund. That's what my father told me. Put in a mutual fund, blah, blah, blah. I can't control what the board director's decisions in these companies are. Now, like we talked about, you invest in Apple and Netflix and all these great companies and we all use their products and their services and that's okay to do too. But I would say diversify. Take a small amount of money, invest in hard assets like real estate, commercial real estate, whatever you're looking to do, get some cash flow in the door, try to invest in things, are going to create cash flow so you can continue to build wealth. I like investing in real estate, especially commercial, because we have great tax benefits and I'm also a cpa. So for me I think it's important. And so you have to have a good relationship with money money. When you're younger, I want everyone out there to understand money is a tool, okay? There's your health, there's resources. And you have to understand and build a good relationship with money. Because if you're not on the same page with the language you use and your mindset and your resources, you'll go broke. So it's really important that you continue to develop yourself, develop a relationship with money. But know it's a tool. It's a, it's a way to get access to certain things. It's a way to be able to survive if you need to. But you have to have that relationship and understand like, okay, well, if I'm low on money, I'm confident enough, I'll make it back and I'll always continue to develop my skills. What a lot of people don't do is with the relationship of money is they don't continue to develop and grow as a person in order to. As the environment changes like when the Internet came on and now we have digital currency out there, we have different political affiliations and administrations in office. You have to continue to grow and develop into yourself. And so for the younger people out there listening is my advice to you is start investing when you're young. Invest in hard assets, diversify. Don't just invest in commercial real estate. Buy a mutual fund, okay? And then if you have some high risk capital, you know, go buy your Bitcoin, go. I own that type of stuff. I do some crazy stuff and liquid pools and all this crazy stuff. I understand I invest in technology companies, but start your career investing in something that cash flows. That's why I like real estate, because I like the ability to kick the bricks and mortar and I advise young people to do that too with tax benefits. But whatever you do invest with smart money, I always, you want to Align yourself with smart money. Okay, so for example, if I was going to invest in an event company or some of the other niches you have, or I had a poker question, all the thousands of talented things you do, Dan, I'm calling you and I'm saying, all right, how am I going to invest in this company? We're going to invest together. Or maybe it's your investment. I'm investing with smart money. I don't have to have the answers to everything, right? But when it comes to commercial real estate, the reason why people invest with alliance is because that's what we focus on, that's our expertise. They're not investing with us to invest in a crypto fund. They're investing in commercial real estate and hard assets. So invest with smart money. Be conservative, diversify your capital, start slow, do your research and continue to develop yourself. And you'll see, when you get into your 40s, life becomes a lot easier.
B
So I'm going to break down what I call the 40, 40, 20 theory. I've been doing this for many, many years. And you can adjust the numbers based on the type of investment that you like, that you feel comfortable with. I want to give you the main idea. So I look at 40% low risk, where I want to make between 5 and 9% for the year, 40% medium risk, where I want to make Between 10, 30% for the year and 20% high risk. That's that shot at glory, that's cryptocurrency, private equity, angel investments, things like that. That if I get it right, woohoo, 4x8x12x, something crazy happens. And if I get it wrong or it takes a long time, the low risk and the medium risk will hopefully cover the high risk. In the low risk category, this is things like mutual funds. This is the S&P 500, which has averaged 11% a year for the last 92 years. Sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down. Over the long term, The S&P 500 has won. Right now, CDs at your bank are offering 5.1%, which is insane. And bank of America, chase, Wells Fargo, etc. So you could just have. If you don't even understand how to invest, take five grand, ten grand, fifty grand, whatever you got saved up, just at least get 5% a year. Just so you're battling with inflation at your own bank so there's no risk involved. By the way, if Wells Fargo, bank of America or Chase, something happens to them and they go bankrupt, we got way worse problems in our economy. If a trillion dollar bank goes bankrupt and then the medium risk side, this is cash flowing. Businesses, specific stocks. I like the obvious ones, the Apple, Google and Netflix, Walmart, household name companies, Amazon. If you got spending a ton of money on Amazon or you go to Walmart all the time, maybe you should buy a little bit of stock. If you drive a Tesla, maybe you should buy some of the best performing stock of all time.
A
You know what you said, something so fascinating, I think is so important for your listeners is that we're dealing with record inflation. Okay, the government might say 8 to 9%. It's really in the teens. We look at it on a detailed basis. So you want to get your money working for you. You're already losing money if you're leaving it in the bank. So for example, if you invest in taking example, like commercial real estate, hard assets and you can average, let's say 15% of your money, maybe you're breaking even. But at least get your money out there and invest conservatively and try to at least match inflation or get as close as possible to be able to make sure you're not losing. Because the US dollar has been really depressed and hopefully that will turn around. But right now you really have to think about what am I doing? If my money is left in the bank and I have inflation going on, my, my dollar is not worth as much, so I better do something with it.
B
So it happens to be today, and this podcast is coming out literally next week where the Fed finally cut the rate was the first time in four years. Yeah, walk us through that. How much did that change? Why is it so important?
A
Was the actual cut? I heard they cut half a percent. Was a half a percent. That's what I thought. Okay, so here, here's the benefit of the rate cut. Okay. Number one is let's say you're in residential and you're a mortgage broker. Well, your loans are going to be a lot more attractive. Number one, that net effect is people are going to buy more houses around the country, especially in more depressed areas. They're going to be able for it. Banks are going to start loosening banks, especially in our business. We've seen it because it's really is a preview of what's to come. Banks have tightened the last year and a half and now they'll have more liquidity from the federal government. What they'll allow them to do is get money on the street. That means there'll be more transactions, more acquisitions, there'll be more SBA loans, more people starting businesses so it has a direct impact in the economy of why they're doing it. They're trying to give it a kick because they know inflation, they're battling inflation. They're saying, well, what else can we do? Because the value of dollars down, goods and services are so expensive in this country. We're not producing any energy, okay. And everything we do, every product, everything around us is dealing with petroleum. And so if we don't produce energy and we're a country that's importing in this country, we're in a situation where everything is too expensive. People can't afford to buy homes, send their kids to great private schools if they want to. It's really gives people more advantages and opportunities to get involved in business. Also, if you have a floating line of credit, you're going to see savings on that. So there's so many different benefits of that rate cut. And that rate cut produces growth, and that's the benefit of when they do that.
B
Third topic, charity. Why do you think it's important for businesses and or just family households to incorporate philanthropy into their life?
A
Well, it's important to me. It's important to a lot of my colleagues, Dan, because you work so hard to get to a certain point in your life, and it's a way to give back. And so not only do I give back through charity, I also give my time.
B
Yeah.
A
And part of that was when we decided to launch my personal brand, it wasn't about me. It was about how am I going to serve and create impact and help people around the world, whether it's through investing in commercial real estate, teaching about businesses, talking about how to overcome hardships and different strategies as you go through your career. What can I give back to people and not expect anything in return? And so charity is very important to me. One of the things we're looking at is I've always had something where I want to. You know, I'm from Chicago, and Chicago is very near and dear to my heart. And the south side of Chicago has the most homicides in the United States. A rough area. And I said, I want to do a show where I could take a young man or woman from the south side of Chicago and I could teach them commercial real estate. What would happen to that family, in their lineage, their DNA? All of a sudden, he's able to hire his colleagues, he starts building wealth, he creates a business within his community, and then all of a sudden, he has the opportunity to employ people. That, to me, is giving back. That's sharing your knowledge, not Being selfish and the ability to help people grow, grow within your expertise. So I always look at what is my expertise in life, what are the lessons I learned and how can I share that knowledge with people? I can give money to a thousand organizations, but when I can give my time to help people, to me, that's priceless.
B
How do we get more wealthy people to understand getting involved in charity? And the reason I ask that is sometimes people think it's just a check, right? Like, oh, okay, I'm. If I donate this percentage, it's a write off, right. How do we instill it into their hearts and into their minds? What do you think? Just from social circles.
A
I'll give you an example. For me, my middle son Ethan had Tourette's when he was a kid. And I didn't really understand what it was and I wanted to learn about more. So I got involved in the National Tourette's Association. They're from New York. They also have a location in Chicago. They have huge events. And it allowed me because it was something near and dear to my heart. And I think the way to get someone that's produced wealth or has money to get involved in a charity is it's got to be. It's got. You got to have that connection. So, for example, if there's a lot of people that have cancer or passed away from cancer, it's a horrible disease, or it could be diabetes, or it could be, you know, just Parkinson's or whatever it is out there, that's when you're able to connect with people. I feel when a charity or a charitable organization can connect on some level with people, that's how you'll get them involved. I think it's very challenging because you're dealing with human nature and people feel like, hey, I'll write a check here, right here. You know, being Jewish, you know, especially in Chicago, we donate to juf and. And all these different charities out there. But I would say to really get someone attached is find out what's going on in their life. That's how you can sell them. Be like, hey, I heard, you know, God forbid, you know, your son passed away from cancer and we have this pediatric cancer Society. I thought you'd be a good cause, you could share your story.
B
Sure.
A
That's connecting with people. And I think when you just ask someone to stroke a check and there's not that connection, it becomes challenging.
B
Last and final question. I ask this to every guest, almost every guest, and I've never gotten the same answer. I have a Very strong feeling I'm not going to get the same answer today. Ben Reinberg, in 100 years from now, 200 years from now, after modern technology, you might have bionic arms and different limbs and finally time to pass away and you accumulate billions of dollars, hopefully. What percentage of your net worth do you leave to those children?
A
To my children, I'm hopeful that I don't have to leave any to them because. And I'll tell you, I'll tell you. I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. It's not that they. It's not that they can't have it, but what kind of lesson am I teaching? I want them to my kids. I'll give you an example. I always, you know, I did very well in my career. And when my kids got into high school, I put them on a budget, and I did that for a reason. So I would say, hey, Joey Reinberg, you're getting $100 a month for gas, going out with friends, and that's it. And it's for 30 days. And I guarantee you, Dan, when day 26 or 27 that month came and it was at $4, I would just be looking at the bank account and Chase and saying, and seeing Joey Romberg want to eat at home a lot more or the behavioral change. But guess what? It was those little skills that teach you the value dollars. I've always taught my kids that to be grateful. Just because dad's wildly successful doesn't mean you are, number one. And number two, you have to earn it. And I've always showed my kids through my actions of earning it, how I treat people. I'm a very humble guy, Dan. For me to get on social media a couple years ago was a big stretch for me. I come from humble beginnings. I'm humble and I want my kids to see that. And that was a struggle. I got on social media because my kids are going to start seeing all this. And so I wanted to add value when I got online. And so for me to answer that question is I would anticipate giving them nothing because I've instilled the skill set in them and the foundation that they could be more successful than me. And that's my plan with them. And so for me, I would say nothing. And hopefully, if you're listening to this, you guys are going to work even harder and maybe build your resources and your niches. And they will. They've been giving tremendous opportunities, my kids, to flourish and extremely proud of them, and they're phenomenal kids. And they're going to do very well and they're not going to need me. You know, I'm kind of like gravy to them at this point. So.
B
So, Ben, hopefully we can come back here to get you on. I mean, I would have you host the podcast with me because you're so good at all these answers and questions. So love to have you back on the show multiple times throughout the year. And since you're only an hour away, we'll just drive back the Motorhome to come visit you.
A
I love the motorhome.
B
It's fun, right?
A
Who doesn't love the Motor Motorhome?
B
It just removes friction, makes it easy for people. I just show up at your office, bada bing, bada boom. Tonight, we're launching a mortgage company, Elevator Funding tonight, the same day as the rate got cut for the first time in four years. Maybe that's an omen. So, yeah, elevator funding.com will be live for you guys tonight. Yeah, really important. Check out Ben Reinberg across social media platforms. He does really great content. He obviously has his own show, his own podcast, his own. He's got all these things that are going on in his world. So you can get great content. From what you heard today, this is the type of episode that you share with your friends, especially people in the real estate category. Make sure to spread this around with your friends. As you guys know, we've been running this ad free for over a year and a half. We've been staying top five in the charts for over 80 weeks in a row because of your support. So liking commenting, subscribing, sharing, those things all help. Leaving a review, everything like that helps. And so if you can, especially on this episode when you have such a great guest share this episode, check out Ben Reinberg across social media. I'm going to work on getting him back onto the podcast for future episode and we will see you guys next Monday.
The Money Mondays: He Built a $500M Real Estate Empire with NO MONEY - Ben Reinberg 💸 (E88)
Release Date: September 23, 2024
Host: Dan Fleyshman
Guest: Ben Reinberg
In Episode 88 of "The Money Mondays," host Dan Fleyshman welcomes Ben Reinberg, a seasoned commercial real estate mogul who has built a $500 million real estate empire without initial capital. Recorded in an RV motorhome parked in Newport Beach, the episode delves deep into Ben's journey, investment strategies, insights on philanthropy, and personal philosophies on wealth building.
Ben Reinberg opens up with a comprehensive two-minute bio, highlighting his three-decade-long career in commercial real estate. Starting at the age of 23, Ben has been a principal in various ventures, accumulating over 12 million square feet of office and industrial space with billions in transactions. He emphasizes the importance of diversification, mentioning his recent ventures into multifamily divisions and hard money lending, alongside his foray into technology and AI.
Ben Reinberg [01:15]:
"I've built over 12 million square feet of office industrial in our career. We own more than half a billion dollars of commercial real estate across office, industrial, and retail sectors."
Ben also shares his passion for expanding his presence to the West Coast, enjoying the vibrant California lifestyle while continuing to grow his business and personal brand.
Dan probes into why Ben chose commercial real estate over other sectors like residential or storage units. Ben attributes his decision to his admiration for Chicago's real estate icons like Sam Zell and the lack of initial capital, which made commercial real estate the optimal path to wealth accumulation.
Ben Reinberg [02:41]:
"Commercial real estate had the most billionaires at the time I was starting out. I wanted to emulate icons like Sam Zell and build substantial wealth through this avenue."
Ben discusses the evolution of his focus within commercial real estate, moving from office campuses to industrial spaces, and eventually to medical and veterinary offices. He underscores the resilience of the medical sector, highlighting its necessity regardless of economic fluctuations.
A significant portion of the conversation revolves around investment vehicles, specifically funds and syndications. Ben elucidates the advantages of each:
Syndications are tailored for single projects, such as one apartment or office building.
Funds offer diversification, scalability, and better purchasing power by pooling multiple assets under one investment.
Ben Reinberg [09:51]:
"A fund allows for diversification across 20 or 25 different assets, each contributing to a robust and resilient investment portfolio."
Ben shares Case Studies, including a Las Vegas surgery center where strategic leasing and management turned a $9 million property into a $25 million asset, demonstrating the power of effective fund management.
Dan asks Ben to break down the concept of Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Ben explains that IRR represents the profitability and efficiency of an investment, emphasizing his fund's impressive 24% IRR.
Ben Reinberg [07:47]:
"With a 24% IRR, if you invested a million dollars, you'd average a return of about $240,000 annually, demonstrating the phenomenal performance of our medical office fund."
He stresses the importance of transparency, integrity, and consistent performance in maintaining investor trust and achieving sustained success in commercial real estate.
Transitioning to personal investment advice, Ben outlines strategies for individuals who have recently acquired substantial capital through career advancements or asset appreciation.
Key Recommendations Include:
Live Below Your Means: Maintain a modest lifestyle to build a solid financial foundation.
Diversify Investments: Spread capital across various asset classes, prioritizing hard assets like real estate for cash flow and tax benefits.
Invest with Smart Money: Partner with experienced investors and experts to maximize returns and minimize risks.
Continuous Learning: Develop a strong relationship with money, understanding its role as a tool for growth and survival.
Ben Reinberg [15:26]:
"Start investing when you're young. Invest in hard assets, diversify your capital, start slow, do your research, and continue to develop yourself."
Addressing recent economic changes, Ben discusses the Federal Reserve's rate cut and its implications for the economy and real estate market.
Ben Reinberg [21:53]:
"A rate cut stimulates growth by making loans more attractive, increasing liquidity, and enabling more transactions and acquisitions in the market."
He elaborates on how lower interest rates can enhance purchasing power, encourage home buying, and support business expansions, ultimately fostering a more dynamic economic environment.
Ben passionately talks about the significance of incorporating philanthropy into personal and business lives. He shares his initiatives, such as mentoring youth in commercial real estate from Chicago's South Side, aiming to empower communities through education and economic opportunities.
Ben Reinberg [23:42]:
"Giving back is about sharing knowledge and creating impact without expecting anything in return. It's about helping people grow within your expertise."
He emphasizes that meaningful philanthropy stems from personal connections and genuine desire to make a difference, rather than mere financial transactions.
Concluding the episode, Ben provides a thought-provoking perspective on wealth inheritance. He expresses his intent to empower his children with financial skills rather than leaving them a substantial inheritance.
Ben Reinberg [27:50]:
"I'm hopeful to leave nothing because I want my kids to have the skills and foundation to be more successful than me. It's about teaching them the value of money and how to earn it."
His approach underscores the importance of financial education and personal responsibility in sustaining long-term wealth and success.
Dan wraps up the episode by commending Ben for his insightful contributions and expresses eagerness to feature him again. He highlights Ben’s forthcoming ventures, including the launch of Elevator Funding, and encourages listeners to connect with Ben across various social media platforms for more valuable content.
Dan Fleyshman [30:08]:
"Check out Ben Reinberg across social media platforms. He does really great content, and this is the type of episode you share with your friends, especially those in the real estate category."
Diversification is Crucial: Spreading investments across various assets and sectors mitigates risks and enhances returns.
Invest with Expertise: Partnering with knowledgeable investors and leveraging their experience can significantly boost investment success.
Philanthropy Adds Value: Giving back fosters community growth and personal fulfillment, creating a lasting positive impact.
Financial Education is Essential: Equipping oneself with financial knowledge and skills is vital for sustainable wealth building and personal prosperity.
On Commercial Real Estate Choice:
"Commercial real estate had the most billionaires at the time I was starting out. I wanted to emulate icons like Sam Zell and build substantial wealth through this avenue."
[02:41]
On IRR Explained:
"With a 24% IRR, if you invested a million dollars, you'd average a return of about $240,000 annually, demonstrating the phenomenal performance of our medical office fund."
[07:47]
On Investment Advice:
"Start investing when you're young. Invest in hard assets, diversify your capital, start slow, do your research, and continue to develop yourself."
[15:26]
On Philanthropy:
"Giving back is about sharing knowledge and creating impact without expecting anything in return. It's about helping people grow within your expertise."
[23:42]
On Legacy:
"I'm hopeful to leave nothing because I want my kids to have the skills and foundation to be more successful than me. It's about teaching them the value of money and how to earn it."
[27:50]
This episode of "The Money Mondays" offers a deep dive into Ben Reinberg's remarkable journey in commercial real estate, his investment philosophies, and his commitment to philanthropy. Ben's insights provide valuable lessons for both seasoned investors and those just beginning to build their wealth. By emphasizing diversification, strategic partnerships, and the importance of giving back, Ben Reinberg exemplifies how to create a lasting legacy through smart investments and meaningful contributions to society.
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