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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.
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review January 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Rich Uncles REIT I shuts the gates on investor withdrawals as the fund takes a NAV loss and a board member resigns. Also, check out the 2019 update on my entire real-estate portfolio, extended club specials, database, "local eyes", local chapters and more. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professio
Ian Ippolito
Jan 22, 20193 min read
A Peek Inside My 7 Figure Real-Estate Portfolio: 2019 Quarter 1 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics 2018 wasn't a fun year for traditional investors in public stock markets. But my real-estate portfolio happily hummed along with a healthy 8.76%+ return. 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 the latest and greatest update (as well as all of the older updates). (Usual disclaimer: I'm ju
Ian Ippolito
Jan 17, 201910 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review December 2019 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics A deep-dive review on new commerical real-estate platform Tom Wilson Properties. A downgrade of Instalend as founder alleged by SEC to have committed fraud. And analysis on when the next recession will hit, why conventional stock market advice is wrong, and more. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial pr
Ian Ippolito
Dec 23, 20183 min read
When Is The Next Recession Coming?
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Pundits and forecasters have an awful record of predicting exactly when and how bad recessions will be. However, it is possible to personally forecast when the risk of a recession is likely to be higher or lower than normal. Here's how and what to potentially do about it. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not an attorney accountant nor your financial advisor. Consult your ow
Ian Ippolito
Dec 17, 20188 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review Late November 2018 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics 2 new platforms (CityVest and GroundFloor). Impact REIT shuts down. Core plus feeder fund update. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a 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, including postings, reviews
Ian Ippolito
Nov 26, 20182 min read
Comprehensive Guide to Hard Money Loan Investing Part 5: Post-mortem: Money flushed down the drain (a loan that took years to resolve and lost 60%)
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Post-mortem of a hard money loan that lost more than 60% and took years longer to resolve than originally projected...and during an economic boom. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a 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 platf
Ian Ippolito
Nov 11, 20182 min read
How to burn through $63 million without really trying? Heavily funded crowdfunding platform Realty Shares fires staff and shuts down new investments.
Platform fails to raise money, reportedly could not find a buyer, fires most of staff and shuts down new investments. Some investors...
Ian Ippolito
Nov 7, 20184 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review November 2018 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Newcomer platform Cadre refuses to answer public questions, but Mr. Google still has plenty to say. The private investor club joins the billionaire club. And 3 feeder funds with reduced minimums. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: W
Ian Ippolito
Nov 1, 20183 min read
Conservative Investor's Guide to Picking Real Estate Investments: Part 4 Advanced Property Analysis
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Recession stress testing, legal document analysis, etc. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and am not an attorney, accountant nor your financial advisor. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: To remove conflicts of interest that are rife on other sites, I/we do not accept ANY money from outside sponsors or platforms for AN
Ian Ippolito
Oct 25, 201813 min read
The Conservative Investor's Guide to Picking Real Estate Investments: Part 2 - The Sponsor
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics The sponsor quality checks: analyzing experience, track record, skin in the game and running them through the "death by Google" test. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and am not an attorney, accountant nor your financial advisor. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: To remove conflicts of interest that are rife on other
Ian Ippolito
Oct 25, 20189 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review October 2018 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Newcomer Holdfolio has a shaky start in the rankings. Plus two funds slash minimums exclusively for club members, three funds give private club webinars, and two club feeder funds are created in alternative investments with low minimums. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before makin
Ian Ippolito
Oct 11, 20183 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review Late August 2018 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Newcomer ArborCrowd leaps to #5 in the rankings. Plus a new private club forum, private webinar for WFP Income fund and promising new hard money loan fund: IronBridge. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept any money f
Ian Ippolito
Aug 28, 20182 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review August 2018 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics 2 new platform reviews, 4 new hard money loan funds, new deals (self storage, multifamily and residential), and the latest news about potential changes in the real estate cycle. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: We do not accept an
Ian Ippolito
Aug 13, 20183 min read
How to protect your investment (and other) online accounts from the phone porting scam
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics In part 1 of this article, we talked about how hackers are stealing millions of dollars from investors and consumers using just a phone number. In part 2 of this article, we'll talk about how you can protect yourself from this new scam. Doing the two-step The 1st step is to harden your cell phone account at the phone company to make it harder for the casual hacker to steal your phone number. You do this by pla
Ian Ippolito
Jul 6, 20185 min read
The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review June 2018 Update
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics 5 new comprehensive platform reviews, latest industry news, new deal library, and 5 new off-platform deals. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a 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, including postings
Ian Ippolito
Jul 5, 20183 min read
How Will All the Apartment Overbuilding End?
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics The similarities to the years leading up to the “Apartment Recession” of 1972 are eerie. If history repeats itself, the end won’t be pretty. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a 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
Ian Ippolito
Jun 28, 20187 min read
Can You Really Rely on Auditors to Catch Sponsor Fraud?
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Contrary to popular belief, audits are not designed to be thorough enough to catch most fraud. And even with that low bar, the so-called "best" accounting firms (the "Big 4") have been repeatedly penalized for inadequate care and misconduct. How can investors protect themselves? (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your
Ian Ippolito
Jun 20, 20186 min read
Banks Rejecting Big Loans to Apartment Sponsors. Should You Jump In or Think Twice?
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Rising interest rates, skyrocketing property prices, and slowing rents are causing banks to pull out. So sponsors are hitting-up crowdfunding/syndication investors, instead. Is it worth the risk to jump in? (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and not a financial advisor, attorney or accountant. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code o
Ian Ippolito
Jun 12, 20189 min read
Conservative Investor's Guide to Picking Real Estate Investments: Part 1 - Portfolio Strategies
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Preserving principal and reducing risk with a deliberate portfolio-matching strategy. (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and am not an attorney, accountant nor your financial advisor. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: To remove conflicts of interest that are rife on other sites, I/we do not accept ANY money from outside
Ian Ippolito
Apr 29, 20187 min read
The Conservative Investor's Guide to Picking Real Estate Investments: Part 3 - Property Basics.
By Ian Ippolito · Last updated May 26, 2026 · Code of Ethics Property-level due diligence basics: "pro-forma popping," sensitivity analysis, and "stall and see" (Usual disclaimer: I'm just an investor expressing my personal opinion and am not an attorney, accountant nor your financial advisor. Consult your own financial professionals before making any financial decisions. Code of Ethics: To remove conflicts of interest that are rife on other sites, I/we do not accept ANY mone
Ian Ippolito
Apr 29, 201813 min read
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