Our Family Invests Podcast

Whitney Elkins-Hutten is a partner in over $800 million of real estate and her team just crossed $560 million in loans originated through their debt fund. She breaks down the risk-tiering system she uses to sort a portfolio into cash, debt, and equity, so market volatility doesn't take her by surprise.She explains why she's valuing cash flow more than ever, how uninterrupted compounding at 9% can quietly outperform a "perfectly executed" real estate deal, and a tax mechanic on debt funds that almost nobody talks about. She also names the specific red flags to watch for in private credit right now: leverage stacking, high loan-to-value funds, and operators who cherry pick their best loans out from under investors.And apparently an $800M portfolio still leaves room for high-altitude half marathons, which might explain the discipline.How to sort a portfolio into risk tiers before the market forces you toWhy uninterrupted compounding can beat a "perfect" equity deal over timeThe tax structure that lets debt fund income offset passive lossesRed flags in private credit and debt fund dealsWhat her $560M debt fund targets and how it's structuredWhy she's leaning into cash flow over growth right nowConnect with Whitney Elkins-Hutten: passiveinvestingwithwhitney.com, ashwealth.com, or her book Money for Tomorrow, available on Amazon.Subscribe to The Weekly Compass, our free weekly newsletter with short practical tips for building wealth, aligning your family, and living intentionally: https://OurFamilyInvests.com/newsletter

Anna Lecat moved to China alone at 17 with no idea where the country even was, then built her first manufacturing company there at 19 in rooms with no other women. That same skill, building trust across difference, is what she teaches now as a conflict and intimacy consultant and author of Loving Conflict.Anna joins Mike and Caroline to break down how to fight better in marriage, business, and parenting without losing the relationship along the way. She walks through how to spot conflict before it surfaces, why calming yourself comes before calming anyone else, and how her weekly family meetings (with her own three kids holding her accountable too) turned conflict into a skill instead of a threat.What you'll learn:How to notice conflict building before it boils overWhy self-regulation comes first, every timeHow Anna earned trust with Chinese business partners at 19The family meeting structure that teaches kids to handle conflict for lifeWhy "loving conflict" only sounds like a contradictionWhat the best leaders learn from practicing how to followAnna's line from this one is worth sitting with: every conversation you don't have still sends a bill.Subscribe to The Weekly Compass, our free weekly newsletter with short practical tips for building wealth, aligning your family, and living intentionally: https://OurFamilyInvests.com/newsletter

Sharon Lechter co-authored Rich Dad Poor Dad, the personal finance book that sold over 27 million copies in 51 languages. But it started as a brochure written to help sell a $200 board game, the one her husband Michael first saw scrawled on a roll of butcher paper in his law office.In this episode, Sharon and Michael trace the full arc: a 1992 credit card scare that turned into Sharon's lifelong financial literacy mission, the chance meeting with Robert Kiyosaki that built the Rich Dad empire, and what came next when Sharon walked away after ten years and the Napoleon Hill Foundation came calling. She revived Think and Grow Rich for a new generation and personally rescued Outwitting the Devil, a manuscript that sat in a drawer for nearly 75 years. Michael also breaks down what builders need to know about protecting their ideas, whether that's a board game, a book, or something still in beta.What You'll Learn:- Why "stop digging" is the real first step out of debt- The difference between exchanging time for money and investing it- What "Henrys" are and why high earners stay broke- How a brochure became a 27 million copy franchise- What to know before talking to an IP attorney- Why Outwitting the Devil almost never got publishedSubscribe to The Weekly Compass, our free weekly newsletter with short practical tips for building wealth, aligning your family, and living intentionally: https://OurFamilyInvests.com/newsletter

Chaz Wolfe sold the things most entrepreneurs spend a lifetime building. By 29, he was a multi millionaire who had scaled an Edible Arrangements franchise from one location to seven across three states. Then his wife pulled him aside and said she was still there. That conversation changed how he ran every business after it.On this episode of Our Family Invests, Chaz walks Mike and Caroline through what it actually took to step out of the operator seat in seven locations at once, the daily phone reminder he uses to send his wife a specific appreciation text, and why he bought his 12 and 10 year old kids a vending machine business instead of waiting until they were older. He also talks openly about not meeting his own father until he was 23, raised instead by his mom, his sister, and a houseful of women, and how that absence shaped the kind of husband and dad he decided to become.Chaz now runs Gathering The Kings, a mastermind for family driven entrepreneurs built on one idea: most high performers isolate when they don't have to, and a room full of people who actually understand the weight changes everything.What You'll Learn:The system he used to get out of day to day operations across seven locationsHow a daily phone reminder changed the way he shows up for his wifeWhy most entrepreneurs isolate, and what changes when they don'tWhat it looks like to build a business with your kids before they're teenagersThe three layers of freedom Chaz works toward with his coaching clientsSubscribe to The Weekly Compass, our free weekly newsletter with short practical tips for building wealth, aligning your family, and living intentionally: https://OurFamilyInvests.com/

For 31 years, Neil and Lori Rogers believed their non-verbal autistic son Craig was listening, even when the world had stopped expecting him to respond. In this episode, they share how a method called Spelling to Communicate finally gave Craig a way to express thoughts that had been there his entire life.Craig was diagnosed with autism at two and a half. Neil and Lori spent three decades trying everything: diet changes, sensory therapy, speech and occupational support, even founding a nonprofit for special education in their school district. Nothing cracked the barrier until 2022, when Craig, then 31, sat down with a simple letter board and spelled out "black holes" in response to a question about Stephen Hawking. An eye-tracking study later confirmed these kids are choosing their own letters, not being guided.Within months, Craig spelled his first words to his younger brother: "Cam, I love you." He told his practitioner he doesn't want to be called autistic, because to him that word means stupid. His words: "I am a human with apraxia."What Else You'll Learn: Why apraxia, not intelligence, is the real barrier for many non-verbal autistic peopleHow an eye-tracking study validated these kids are spelling their own thoughtsWhat changes in a marriage when a non-speaking child is finally heardWhy Craig rejects the word "autistic" and what he prefers insteadSubscribe to The Weekly Compass, our free weekly newsletter with short practical tips for building wealth, aligning your family, and living intentionally: https://OurFamilyInvests.com