Today's Ritter On Real Estate guest is Denis Shapiro. Denis began investing in real estate in 2012 when the market was just beginning to recover from the GFC (Global Financial Crisis). He built a cash-flowing portfolio including many alternative assets, such as Note and ATM funds, mobile home parks, life insurance policies, tech start-ups, Industrial property, short-term rentals, and more. He co-founded an investment club for accredited investors in 2019. Following the success of his investor club, he launched SIH Capital Group. SIHCG provides accredited investors with a simplified strategy to invest for passive income.

Denis has observed key changes in the alternative asset market in the decade of recovery from the GFC. The JOBS Act of 2012 opened many alternative assets up to everyday investors, but clear expertise and guidance is still hard to find nearly a decade later.

This observation compelled Denis to write The Alternative Investment Almanac: Expert Insights on Building Personal Wealth in Non-Traditional Ways in 2021. His book is based on his own experience becoming a successful alternative asset investor and interviews with some of the best alternative asset investors in business today.

Key Points From The Episode:

• Starting off with traditional investment vehicles.
• The realization that there’s a lack of growth in traditional investments.
• Building a diverse portfolio.
• Networking, due diligence, and underwriting alternative investments.
• Meeting other syndicators in conferences for additional knowledge.
• What to look for in a sponsor.
• Advantages of diversifying deals by getting a partner.
• Deploying multiple deals with different sponsors.
• Basics of Financial Independence Retire Early (FIRE) movement.
• What happens after you retire?
• Finding the ultimate life goal in commercial real estate.
• The idea of saving versus investing in continuing the income stream
• The misconception about being 100% “passive”.
• Importance of learning the basics of underwriting.

Books mentioned:

1. The Alternative Investment Almanac by Denis Shapiro