What the Structure Actually Offers — and Where It Falls Short Most people assume IRAs are limited to stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. That assumption is understandable. It is also incorrect. Self-directed IRAs allow you to hold private lending investments inside a tax-advantaged retirement account. The same favorable tax treatment you get with public markets. But instead of owning a stake in a ticker symbol, you are holding collateral-backed debt secured by real property. I c

Hey [First Name], This week, I was officially voted onto the Board of Directors of the Arizona Private Lender Association (APLA). APLA is a licensed 501(c)(3) industry organization representing private money lenders in Arizona. Its mission is to promote responsible private capital in real estate and hold lenders to a high standard of conduct. Every member is licensed and regulated by the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions, and the board includes attorneys and long-t

Why Operations Drive Returns Most investors believe capital allocation is about finding good deals. And it is. But good deals cannot outperform weak operations. That is one of the clearest lessons I’ve learned transitioning from placing capital to operating a private lending business. Recently, I sat down with Cody Barton, an Arizona entrepreneur who has built multiple real estate companies by focusing on systems, execution, and operational scale. On the Scale With Pros podca

The “Better” Strategy Depends on Capital Stack — and Lender Fit There’s a strong narrative right now that new development is more profitable than fix & flips. From a distance, that can look true. Larger spreads. Bigger projects. More upside. But as a capital allocator, I don’t evaluate deals based on headline profit. I evaluate them based on: Risk-adjusted return Capital velocity Structural complexity Financeability Because even a “great” deal becomes mediocre if: Capital cos

A $10.8M Year — No Foreclosures, No Defaults The 2025 Private Lending Review When I launched 42 Solutions, the goal was never volume for the sake of volume.It was execution. In 2025, that focus showed up in measurable ways: $10.8M in private loans funded 23 total loans Zero foreclosures Zero defaults Average loan term: 8 months Over $3M in profit created for our borrowers Year-over-year growth: Balance sheet: +156.7% Gross revenue: +168.2% Net income: +163.7% Those numbers m

Why Loan Structure Matters More Than Rate One of the most common questions I get from borrowers and capital partners is about rate. That makes sense. Rate is visible and easy to compare. What often gets overlooked is that rate is rarely the most important variable in a loan. In practice, loan structure plays a much bigger role in risk, predictability, and long-term outcomes. Rate Is Easy to See. Structure Does the Real Work. Two loans can both be priced at 12 percent and beha