Brick by Brick - Wealth Building Conversations

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, host Loren Wernette sits down with BETTER, a Triangle-based real estate firm focused on investment analysis and residential infill development.

The conversation explores BETTER’s journey into real estate and their strategic evolution from traditional fix-and-flip and fix-to-rent models into new construction, infill development, and build-to-rent (BTR) projects. As lending standards tighten and market volatility increases, BETTER explains why infill development inside established neighborhoods has become a more resilient and scalable strategy in places like Durham and the greater Triangle.

The episode dives deep into Durham’s changing urban landscape, including the impact of Expanding Housing Choices and SCAD (Simplifying Codes for Affordable Development). These policy shifts have reshaped zoning, density allowances, and development feasibility — creating both opportunities and new challenges for investors.

Listeners will hear real-world examples of subdivision processes, ADUs, and small-scale development projects, along with candid discussion around risk management, underwriting discipline, and market projections. Whether you’re a new investor or an experienced operator, this episode provides a grounded look at how smart developers adapt as markets evolve.

• Infill development is becoming one of the most durable strategies in Triangle real estate
• The shift from flips to new construction reflects changing lender and risk dynamics
• Durham’s zoning and housing policy changes have unlocked new development opportunities
• Understanding the full development process is critical before pursuing infill or ADUs
• Risk management and realistic underwriting matter more than ever in today’s market
• Long-term success comes from aligning strategy with local market demand and regulation

Learn more about BETTER’s by-right development philosophy on their website:

    https://www.betterpropertiesllc.com/ 

    Connect with BETTER on LinkedIn for investor insights and market analysis
    https://www.linkedin.com/company/better-properties-construction-realty 

    Follow BETTER on Instagram and Facebook for project updates and community events
    https://www.facebook.com/BetterP.LLC 

    https://www.instagram.com/betterrealtyllc

• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• Instagram

real estate investing, Triangle real estate, Durham development, infill development, build to rent, new construction, ADUs, urban development, real estate risk management, Brick by Brick Podcast

In this episode of Brick by Brick, Loren Wernette sits down with Rebecca Irey, the founder and CEO of Blue Skye Financial, to talk about the new rules of money, retirement, and financial independence. Rebecca shares her personal journey—from growing up on a ranch to building a national financial planning firm—and how that shaped her belief that the American Dream isn’t broken… most people just never got the roadmap.

Together, they dig into why traditional financial advice often fails younger generations, how entrepreneurs overlook their own retirement, and what practical, tax-efficient strategies actually create financial clarity.

• Financial education is the missing piece. Most people never learned the rules of money, which keeps them stuck.

• The American Dream still works—but you need non-traditional tools to get there today.

• Rebecca’s ranch-to-finance journey shows how money can create opportunity for anyone, regardless of where they start.

• Entrepreneurs are great at making money… but often horrible at planning for themselves.

• The traditional retirement system is broken for Gen Z and millennials, requiring new strategies.

• Leverage beats spending. Wealth is built by using money as a tool, not a lifestyle.

• Retirement isn’t an end. It’s about giving yourself the freedom to do the work you want to do.

• Long-term care planning matters—people are living longer, and ignoring this creates huge financial strain.

• Avoiding taxes legally is a civic responsibility, not a cheat code.

• Money is energy. Creating wealth helps you, your family, and society as a whole.

00:00 — Welcome & Introduction
03:12 — Rebecca’s upbringing on a ranch & her path into finance
10:45 — Why financial education is failing Americans
17:20 — The challenges entrepreneurs face planning for themselves
25:08 — How retirement planning has changed for younger generations
33:50 — Leveraging money vs spending it: what actually builds wealth
40:15 — Taxes, long-term care, and planning for longevity
48:30 — Rebecca’s message: a roadmap exists no matter where you're starting
54:10 — Final thoughts and where to connect with Rebecca

🔑 Key Takeaways🎧 Episode Chapters (Corrected & Structured)

Website: https://blueskyefinancial.com
Meet the Team: https://blueskyefinancial.com/meet-our-team/
Instagram: @blueskye_financial

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, Loren Wernette sits down with Garrett Maroon — founder of the 2:10 Collective, host of The Faithful Agent Podcast, and author of The Balanced Breakthrough. Garrett built a seven-figure real estate business entirely by referral, then intentionally restructured his life to protect his faith, marriage, and time with his kids.

Today, he teaches entrepreneurs how to build businesses that run on relationships, healthy boundaries, and purposeful systems — not hustle, burnout, or chaos.

Garrett shares the mindset shift that happened when his wife challenged him to build a company in under 40 hours a week, what most entrepreneurs get wrong about referrals, and how defining success around your values changes everything.

This conversation is real, practical, and packed with wisdom for entrepreneurs who want to grow without losing their life in the process.

• How Garrett shifted from the grind to a “life-first” business

• The power and simplicity of referral-driven growth

• Why boundaries create freedom (not restrictions)

• How to win at home and in business

• Integrating faith authentically into your work

• Why hiring and delegating early is essential

• The mindset change that helped Garrett reclaim his time

• How The Balanced Breakthrough helps entrepreneurs redefine success

00:00 – Intro to Garrett and 2:10 Collective
03:10 – From higher ed to real estate
07:42 – The 40-hour challenge that changed everything
13:55 – Building a referral-only business
20:18 – Setting boundaries and avoiding burnout
27:03 – Faith, family, and redefining success
34:22 – Systems that support a life-first business
41:50 – Lessons from The Balanced Breakthrough
48:15 – Final thoughts

Garrett Maroon — 2:10 Collective
Website: https://www.210collective.com
Bio: https://www.210collective.com/bio
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/garrettmaroon/
Podcast: The Faithful Agent Podcast
Book: The Balanced Breakthrough

Key TakeawaysChaptersGuest Contact

Episode: The Power of Open Banking in Today’s Economy
Guest: Peter Maher — CEO of Ovanti USA & Founder of Flote

In this episode, I sit down with Peter Maher to break down one of the most impactful shifts happening in today’s financial landscape: open banking—and how it’s completely reshaping the way lenders understand financial health.

Peter leads Ovanti’s U.S. division and is the founder of Flote, the company’s U.S. rebrand that focuses on using real-time cashflow instead of outdated credit scores to evaluate financial wellbeing. The result? More accurate decisioning and far better access for consumers who've traditionally been boxed out by old credit systems.

We dig into:

• Why credit scores no longer tell the full story

• How open banking gives lenders real-time insight

• The evolution from Ovanti to Flote for U.S. expansion

• How Flote plans to disrupt payday lending and lease-to-own models

• Why financial innovation should protect—not exploit—consumers

• What the future of financial accessibility looks like in an open-banking world

Key Takeaways

• Open banking provides a clearer picture of financial health.

• Ovanti’s U.S. rollout is operating under the new brand: Flote.

• Flote uses cashflow-based underwriting rather than credit scores.

• Legacy credit systems are restrictive and often misleading.

• Open banking is gaining real traction in the U.S. economy.

• Flote’s mission revolves around transparency and consumer-first design.

Sound Bites

• “Open banking is the future of finance.”

• “Credit scores don’t define financial health.”

• “Financial innovation shouldn’t come at the cost of the consumer.”

• “Real-time cashflow tells the real story.”

• “Flote is redefining accessibility in modern finance.”

Chapters
00:00 – Meet Peter Maher & the origins of Ovanti
00:05 – What open banking really is
00:10 – The problem with traditional credit scoring
00:18 – The Flote approach: cashflow over credit
00:28 – Financial accessibility and the future of open banking

Connect with Peter

• Ovanti Global — https://www.ovanti.com/

• U.S. Leadership Bio — https://www.ovanti.com/ovanti-us-leadership

• Flote Partnerships — https://getflote.com/

• LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/ptmaher/

• Partnerships Email — [email protected]

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, I sit down with Hugh Massie — Founder & Executive Chairman of DNA Behavior International and Chairman of the Behavioral Economics Institute. Hugh has spent more than a decade helping leaders, investors, and organizations make better, faster financial decisions by understanding the behavioral patterns that drive money.

We get into how your hard-wired behavior shows up in your business, your investments, and your stress responses — and why “behavior makes money” isn’t a catchy phrase, it’s a real framework for reducing risk and improving performance.

We cover:

• How behavioral patterns directly influence financial outcomes

• What he learned transitioning from CPA to a leader in behavioral economics

• How AI is reshaping personalized financial insights

• Why leaders make predictable mistakes under stress

• How to align money decisions with natural behavioral strengths

• The mission behind Boys Without Fathers and what it’s taught him about identity, money, and leadership

Whether you're a lender, operator, or investor, this conversation will change how you think about risk, decision-making, and team dynamics.

DNA Behavior
https://dnabehavior.com

GoDNA.ai (app)
https://www.godna.ai

Behavioral Economics Institute
https://www.behavioraleconomics.com

Boys Without Fathers (nonprofit)
https://www.boyswithoutfathers.org

LinkedIn — Hugh Massie
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughmassie/

YouTube — DNA Behavior
https://www.youtube.com/@dnabehavior

Podcast — The Behavioral Economics Podcast
https://open.spotify.com/show/4m023IsfGpY2ZnJSqEwOef

Guest Links & Resources

Dave Seymour—once a broke firefighter—rebuilt his life through real estate, becoming the star of A&E’s Flipping Boston and the founder of Freedom Venture Investments.

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, Dave shares how he went from struggling to make ends meet to managing multimillion-dollar commercial and development deals. His mantra, “Educate, don’t speculate—then implement,” has guided his journey from crisis to credibility, and now he’s teaching others to do the same.

In this episode:

• The turning point that pushed Dave from broke to bold

• Lessons from the Fire Service: discipline, risk, and teamwork

• How education turns speculation into strategy

• Why Legacy Alliance and Freedom Venture focus on teaching action, not theory

About the Guest:
Dave Seymour is the Founder and CEO of Freedom Venture Investments and creator of Legacy Alliance, where he helps professionals master the path from active income to passive wealth. Featured on A&E, CBS, ABC, CNBC, and FOX News, Dave is also the author of Inflation Nation, a practical guide to beating inflation through real estate and private equity.

Guest Links:

• 📘 Inflation Nation — InflationNationBook.com

• 🎬 Inflation Nation Documentary — InflationNationMovie.com

• 🛒 Amazon — Paperback/Hardcover

• 🎓 Free Legacy Wealth Masterclass — LegacyWealthMasterclass.com

• 🌐 Main Hub — YourLegacyAlliance.com

• 💼 Freedom Venture — freedomventure.com

• 🧭 Ultimate Alternative Investment Guide — uaiguide.com

Connect with Dave:
LinkedIn | Instagram | X/Twitter | Facebook

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, Loren sits down with Caleb Christopher, founder of Creative TC, a firm that specializes in managing nontraditional real estate transactions — from creative finance structures and seller-financing to title and escrow services.

Caleb opens up about the moment in 2024 when his business nearly collapsed, and the mindset shifts, leadership lessons, and operational pivots that helped him rebuild stronger than ever. Known for his ability to ask the right questions, Caleb shares how curiosity, transparency, and calculated risk-taking guide his work in one of real estate’s most misunderstood niches.

• The story behind Creative TC and how it serves investors, agents, and attorneys in creative finance deals

• How a near-failure year became the foundation for new growth

• Why asking great questions is Caleb’s “low-key superpower”

• Lessons on leadership, ethics, and protecting your business in high-liability spaces

• What’s next for Creative TC and the future of creative finance in real estate

📍 Guest Links
Website: creativetc.io
Title & Escrow Division: creativetitle.io
Instagram: @fcalebchristopher
LinkedIn: Creative TC company page

🎙 Host: Loren Wernette
Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations explores real estate, private lending, and business growth strategies — one conversation at a time.

Episode: Building Wealth Without Borders: Global Investing & Tax Freedom
Podcast: Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations
Host: Loren Wernette
Guest: Mikkel Thorup, Founder & CEO of Expat Money®

Summary:
If you could design a life without borders—where would you live, and how would you invest?

This week, Loren sits down with Mikkel Thorup, Founder & CEO of Expat Money®, to discuss the strategies wealthy investors are using to legally reduce taxes, gain second residencies and citizenships, and diversify into international real assets like real estate, agriculture, and timber.

From Panama to Portugal, Mikkel explains how to build a global wealth plan that increases freedom, reduces risk, and creates long-term security. He shares lessons from living in over seven countries, visiting 100+, and helping hundreds of clients protect and grow their assets overseas.

You’ll Learn:

• The legal ways to dramatically lower your tax burden

• Why global diversification is key to financial freedom

• How second residencies and citizenships unlock opportunity

• The best regions for tangible, income-producing investments

• Practical steps to start your own offshore strategy

Listen Now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.

Guest Links:
🌐 ExpatMoney.com
🎧 Expat Money Show
🎫 Expat Money Summit
🔗 LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook

Contact: [email protected]

Are you struggling to find consistent real estate deals? Wondering how to scale your investing business without spending a fortune on direct-to-seller marketing?

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, I talk with Matthew Carrigan, founder of REI Cornerstone, about one of the most effective strategies in today’s market: agent outreach.

Matthew shares his “earned and learned” story—how he discovered agent outreach while working under a mentor, then replicated the model to build a six-figure business. With 3–5 years of experience and annual revenue between $100K–$500K, he now teaches investors how to use agents as a scalable, profitable source of deals.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• What agent outreach is and why it works for investors

• How to create repeatable systems for outreach and deal flow

• Step-by-step tips Matthew uses with Facebook groups and GoHighLevel to build trust with agents

• How investors can scale using relationships instead of cold marketing tactics

• What’s next for REI Cornerstone and the future of agent outreach in real estate

👉 If you’re asking yourself “How do I get more real estate deals in today’s market?”—this episode will give you the answer.

📌 Connect with Matthew Carrigan:

• Facebook: Matthew Carrigan

• Facebook Group: REI Cornerstone

• Instagram: @matthew__carrigan

In this episode of Brick by Brick Wealth Building Conversations, I sit down with Sam Primm, co-founder of FasterFreedom and one of the most recognized educators in real estate today. Sam has built a multi-million-dollar portfolio without relying on his own capital, using creative financing strategies like the BRRRR method and other leverage-based approaches.

We cover how Sam:

• Turned debt into a tool for scaling wealth.

• Built systems and teams that let him grow faster without burning out.

• Transformed a viral moment with Dave Ramsey into a nationwide conversation about financial strategy.

• Uses content creation to attract deal flow and private lenders.

• Helps thousands of aspiring investors take action through FasterFreedom, his podcast, and his book Own Your Freedom.

This conversation is packed with practical insights on real estate, leadership, and why failure can be a powerful teacher on the path to financial freedom.

Guest Contact & Resources

• 🌐 Website: fasterfreedom.com

• 🎥 YouTube: @FasterFreedom

• 📲 Instagram: @samfasterfreedom

• 🎧 Podcast: The FasterFreedom Show

• 📖 Book: Own Your Freedom