Tag: Real Estate

Harvesting Returns: The Business Case for Regenerative Agriculture with Craig Wichner (Ep. 95)

Harvesting Returns: The Business Case for Regenerative Agriculture with Craig Wichner (Ep. 95)

Can regenerative agriculture save the planet and your portfolio? 

This week on Smart. Money. Simplified, Craig Wichner, Founder & Managing Partner of Farmland LP, reveals how transitioning from conventional farming to organic and regenerative practices is reshaping agriculture and creating stable, high-return investment opportunities.

Craig conveys why healthier soil leads to healthier ecosystems—and stronger portfolios. He also explains how regenerative farming drives environmental progress while offering compelling returns through innovative strategies like carbon credits and partnerships with top-tier buyers.

Curious about how Farmland LP could work for your portfolio?

Craig outlines accessible opportunities for investors to align profit with purpose, paving the way for a sustainable future!

Key Highlights:

  • Restoring the Land: Regenerative agriculture revitalizes soil through crop rotation, livestock integration, and reduced chemical dependency, creating healthier ecosystems
  • Superior Returns: Organic farmland can generate up to five times more revenue per acre than conventional farming
  • A Stable Asset Class: Farmland LP delivers consistent 11% annual returns with low volatility, offering a safe, reliable investment
  • New Revenue Streams: Carbon credits and partnerships with top buyers like Driscoll’s add unique value to farmland investments
  • Scaling Sustainability: Farmland LP’s large-scale transition to organic farming is set to expand its portfolio to $3 billion, creating measurable environmental and social impact
  • And much more!

Connect with Brent Mekosh:

Connect with Craig Wichner:

About Our Guest:

Craig Wichner is responsible for day-to-day management, business strategy, and all investment activity. An experienced technology and real estate investor, Craig has helped build numerous companies over the past 30 years. But it was his work on California farms as a teenager that ultimately inspired him to start Farmland LP. Craig’s mission has not changed since day one – prove that regenerative farming is more profitable and maximizes returns for investors.

Craig strives to ensure that investors and consumers can look beyond misleading labels and support beneficial farming practices. His efforts were recognized in 2021 when Farmland LP achieved the highest sustainability rating among 10,000+ global corporations reviewed by HIP (Human Impact +Profit) Investor. Craig has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a minor in Economics, from the University of California, San Diego.

Digital Networks to Power Grids: Investing in Modern Infrastructure with Steve Pointer (Ep. 94)

Digital Networks to Power Grids: Investing in Modern Infrastructure with Steve Pointer (Ep. 94)

Infrastructure investments might be the stability boost your portfolio needs—are you ready?

This week on Smart. Money. Simplified, Steve Pointer, Regional Director at Cantor Fitzgerald, explains why assets like power grids, water systems, and digital networks are redefining essential investments for today’s markets.

Steve shares three key trends reshaping the landscape:

  • Digital Transformation: Skyrocketing demand for data infrastructure
  • Energy Shift: Renewables and nuclear are paving the way forward
  • Modernizing Aging Systems: Revitalizing U.S. infrastructure with significant investments

Want to make these resilient assets work for you? 

Steve explains accessible fund options and tax strategies for diversifying and deferring capital gains, no matter the market conditions.

Key Highlights:

  • The New Era of Infrastructure: Insights on expanding infrastructure to include digital networks, water systems, and beyond, opening up a wider range of investment opportunities
  • Stabilizing Through Diversification: How infrastructure and real estate investments provide non-correlated returns, adding stability to portfolios in volatile markets
  • Reliable Returns with Government Support: Infrastructure investments benefit from stable, long-term government-backed contracts, making them a dependable choice
  • Greater Access for Investors: Cantor Fitzgerald’s interval funds allow both average and high-net-worth investors to participate in these resilient asset classes
  • Tax-Efficient Real Estate Strategies: How Section 721 exchanges and Delaware Statutory Trusts (DSTs) enable investors to defer capital gains, diversify portfolios, and potentially achieve tax-free growth
  • And much more!

Connect with Brent Mekosh:

Connect with Steve Pointer:

About Our Guest:

Steve Pointer is a Senior Vice President and Regional Director at Cantor Fitzgerald Asset Management, a global financial services and wholesale distribution firm. Steve brings over 15 years of experience in working with wealth management, accounting, tax, and legal professionals on the education and implementation of sophisticated private and public market solutions, including Real Estate, Infrastructure, 1031 Tax Deferred Exchanges, Qualified Opportunity Zone Funds, Mutual Funds, Exchange Traded Funds, and Separately Managed Accounts.

Inside Arizona’s Property Market: A Conversation with Andrew Beardsley (Ep. 44)

Inside Arizona’s Property Market: A Conversation with Andrew Beardsley (Ep. 44)

Everyone has similar questions when it comes to the real estate market:

“Should I buy?” 

“Should I sell?” 

In this episode, Brent Mekosh is joined by Andrew Beardsley from Silverleaf Realty. Andrew reveals how the real estate market has shifted over the past five years due to a change in homeowner needs.

Andrew discusses:

  • How environmental and political factors impact homeowner needs when looking at the housing market
  • How retirement planning influences long-term real estate purchases
  • Why business planning matters as much as personal lifestyle when looking into real estate options
  • The future of housing and real estate
  • And more!

Connect with Andrew Beardsley:

Connect with Brent Mekosh:

About Our Guest:

Andrew Beardsley has been involved in real estate in Arizona for nearly two decades. Prior to joining Silverleaf Realty in 2010, he worked as a senior financial analyst for the Phoenix office of Johnson Capital, a commercial mortgage brokerage that specialized in retail, office, industrial, and multifamily financing. 

Having worked directly on over $500,000,000 in debt placement, Andrew brings with him extensive knowledge and understanding of both the financial and real estate aspects of every transaction, ensuring his client’s personal and financial needs are taken care of.

A Deep Dive into Multi Family Housing and Real Estate in Arizona with Bill Hahn (Ep.19)

A Deep Dive into Multi Family Housing and Real Estate in Arizona with Bill Hahn (Ep.19)

Phoenix, Arizona, has grown to become one of the most active deal velocity states, increasing both the number of transactions and the cost of rent. 

This is good and bad for the state.

In this episode, Brent Mekosh is joined by Bill Hahn, executive vice president of Northmarq. Bill unveils the real estate market,  dissecting the impact of rent increases and financing options on the current market.

Brent and Bill discuss:

  • Ways rent impacts housing options for local residents
  • Loan options for multifamily investors
  • The role of  insurance companies when it comes to multi-family real estate investments
  • How downtown Phoenix has changed within the last few years
  • And more!

Connect with Bill Hahn:

Connect with Brent Mekosh:

About Our Guest:

Bill Hahn is a senior vice president with Colliers International and a senior member of the Colliers HSK Multifamily Specialists team. Utilizing his extensive market knowledge of multifamily assets and their ever-changing transaction market, Bill develops strategic plans for the disposition and acquisition of properties and portfolios. His extensive knowledge base and industry expertise lead to successful and tailored real estate solutions for the team’s clients. Bill has 30 years of experience in the commercial investment real estate market, which includes managing the operations and strategic planning for a 35-agent commercial real estate office in Phoenix, Arizona.