top of page
Independent Analysis on Real Estate, Alternative Investments, and the Macro Picture
This section shows the latest news and analysis from a sophisticated investor's perspective — written by Ian Ippolito, an investor and serial entrepreneur who has been covering real estate crowdfunding and alternative investments since 2017.
Coverage spans deal-by-deal portfolio disclosure, tax strategy, the macro and AI-era investing picture, and accredited investor and qualified-purchaser-level access to private funds.
No sponsor money accepted, by binding policy — every item here is from the perspective of what an independent investor would actually do, not what an affiliate site is paid to suggest.
How will Covid-19/Coronavirus Affect my Alternative Investment Portfolio? Part 53: March 27th
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Micro-edition update; U.S. progress on third death wave drives forward, but then stalls out;Crystal ball: Time to buckle up? Infections surge and imply fourth wave may already be here; The race against time: humanity’s vaccines vs. evolution and the virus; Revenge of the mutants: Europe continues to lose ground against more contagious and deadly variants; Heartbreaking study finds 13-15% of kids who get Covid-19 suf
Ian Ippolito
Mar 28, 202119 min read
How will Covid-19/Coronavirus Affect my Alternative Investment Portfolio? Part 52: March 13th
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Micro-edition update; U.S. continues to make progress battling down third death wave; Crystal ball: Progress on third wave of infections ominously slows at dangerously high levels as threat of mutants loom; World round-up: Mutants cause South Korean progress to stall out and forces Italy back into lockdown amid fresh new wave; Poll finds disturbing numbers of Americans say they will not get vaccinated; Update on my
Ian Ippolito
Mar 14, 202115 min read
Deep-dive Into My Seven Figure Alternative Investment (and Real Estate) Portfolio: 2020 Q3 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Despite the surprise of a global pandemic and the sharpest downturn in U.S. recorded history, my defensive, boring-by-design portfolio returned about 11.58% (including a decent 6.77% in income). Here's an in-depth look at my portfolio strategy, allocations, deal by deal performance, tax considerations and future strategy. Note: this is an older version of this article series and there is another, newer update now a
Ian Ippolito
Oct 19, 202036 min read
How will Covid-19/Coronavirus Affect my Alternative Investment Portfolio? Index of All Articles
Index of articles in the series.
Ian Ippolito
Aug 16, 20203 min read
Kudos/Press Coverage of The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review (and The Private Investor Club)
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics It's an honor to be able to answer questions about real estate, investing and crowdfunding from the general, financial and real estate industry press including: USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Realtor.com, CoStar News, Curbed and more. As Blockchain Real Estate Investment Increases, Experts Urge Old-Fashioned Due Diligence BisNow, February 2026 But while the rapidity and fractional nature of blockch
Ian Ippolito
Jun 9, 202010 min read
How will Covid-19/Coronavirus Affect my Alternative Investment Portfolio? Part 11: May 10th
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics U.S. continues slow progress against virus, but shows disturbing signs of stalling; More states exit lockdown, including 11 that fail minimum White House guidelines; 78% of Americans uncomfortable eating at restaurants and majority don't want other businesses open yet either; U.S. takes another economic punch with millions more laid off; Watchdog says SBA bungled stimulus rules, leaving hundreds of thousands of desp
Ian Ippolito
May 9, 202019 min read
Why your Homegrown IRR Math is Probably Way Off and Causing you Problems you Don't Even Realize
Even some experienced investors don't realize that IRR (internal rate of return) and annual return aren't the same thing. So when they try
Ian Ippolito
Feb 24, 20207 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review February 2020 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Investor lawsuits fly against Realty Shares and MG Capital; New CrowdStreet "Offer Lottery" feature; Private Investor Club welcomes 3,500th member; 4 newest specials; 5 club feeders on-boarding; (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a registered financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of
Ian Ippolito
Feb 13, 20206 min read
Deep-dive Into My 7 Figure Alternative Investments / Real-estate Portfolio: 2019 Q4 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics My boring-by-design portfolio cranked out a nice 8%+ in income (not counting price appreciation). And I've added 3 difficult-to-find uncorrelated asset classes that should not only harden the portfolio against the next downturn but also boost returns. Note: this is an older version of this article series and there is another, newer update now available. Click here to view the master index which contains a link to
Ian Ippolito
Dec 1, 201917 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review November 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Comprehensive review of Roofstock One; Four club feeders onboarding; "How to evaluate sponsor compensation"; SEC clamps down on iFunding and KPMG for fraud; and more... (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a registered financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept
Ian Ippolito
Nov 24, 20194 min read
Is the Sponsor Taking Fair Compensation? Or Ripping Me Off?
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics What's normal and what's out of line? Are there times when I should be willing to pay more? This article explains how I evaluate these things. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a registered financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept any money from any sponsor
Ian Ippolito
Oct 8, 20199 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review June 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Comprehensive review of Equity Multiple, extension to club feeder, and the latest news on Prodigy Network, etc. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a registered financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept any money from any sponsor or platform for anything, in
Ian Ippolito
Jun 13, 20192 min read
Investors Allege 40% Gut-Punch Loss on Prodigy Network, Allege PN Misappropriated Investor Funds
Investors allege a 40% loss on 84 William Street deal (along with being asked to pony-up $9.3 million more to avoid a 100% loss). This, afte
Ian Ippolito
May 28, 20195 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review May 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Comprehensive review of Broadstone Real Estate Access (BDREX); updated non-accredited guide to choosing funds; new feeder; latest news. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a registered financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept any money from any sponsor or p
Ian Ippolito
May 20, 20193 min read
Which real estate crowdfunding fund should I pick?
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics A step-by-step guide for the every-day, non-accredited investor. (Usual disclaimer: I'm an investor and not a registered financial advisor or attorney. Consult your own financial professional before making any financial decisions. Everything on this site is my personal opinion only. Code of Ethics: We do not receive any money from any sponsor or platform for anything, including postings, reviews, referring invest
Ian Ippolito
May 14, 20197 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review April 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Deep-dive review of the newly revamped FundRise, Broadmark funds roll-call, Grubb feeder onboarding and industry news. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a registered financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept any money from any sponsor or platform for anyth
Ian Ippolito
Apr 29, 20193 min read
The Spectacular Rise and Fall of Direct Lending Investments (DLI)
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics SEC says wildly popular fund inflated returns for years and investors could lose 25% (or more) of their money. Also: how the "roach test" saved me from investing in DLI, and how it might help you avoid a similarly catastrophic mistake. (Disclaimer: I'm not an accountant, registered financial advisor or attorney. Always consult your own financial and/or legal advisors before making any tax, financial or legal decis
Ian Ippolito
Apr 16, 201912 min read
How to Invest in Real Estate w/o Paying a Penny of Tax (Legally): Part 4: "Passive-Pairing"
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics How to implement "passive-pairing" to drastically cut or wipe out your investment tax bill. (Disclaimer: I'm not an accountant, financial advisor or attorney. Always consult your own financial and/or legal advisors before making any tax, financial or legal decisions. Code of ethics: We do not receive any money from any sponsor or platform for anything including guides, tutorials, postings, reviews, referring inves
Ian Ippolito
Apr 10, 20196 min read
How to Invest in Real Estate w/o Paying a Penny of Tax: Part 3: The Power of "Passive Pairing"
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Dramatically cut or even wipe out your investment tax bill with "passive-pairing." (Disclaimer: I'm not an accountant, financial advisor or attorney. Always consult your own financial and/or legal advisors before making any tax, financial or legal decisions. Code of ethics: We do not receive any money from any sponsor or platform for anything including guides, tutorials, postings, reviews, referring investors, aff
Ian Ippolito
Apr 10, 20196 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review March 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics New deep-dive reviews of asset-based lender YieldStreet and distressed debt AHP Servicing. The private club hits 2,000 members and $2.1 billion. Tons of club-only specials including 3 new reduced fund minimums, free qualified-purchaser / accredited-investor verification, free self-directed IRA pilot and 2 new club feeders. Plus the latest news. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinio
Ian Ippolito
Mar 13, 20194 min read
bottom of page