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At the end of 2025, I’m officially three years removed from the NFL. It’s wild to even say that. Football was my identity for nearly three decades. But walking away wasn’t the hardest part—reinventing myself was. Changing your habits. Your circles. The way you see yourself. I’ve done it all over the last few years. And to be real with you—it wasn’t always smooth. But I’ve never been more aligned. This year, I found myself holding two books in my hands—both with my name on the

For a long time, I told myself I was “data driven.” I tracked KPIs. I had spreadsheets. I had charts, graphs, and historical trends. On paper, it looked disciplined. In reality, it wasn’t helping me make better decisions. The problem was simple. My KPIs were scattered across Excel files, dashboards, and reports. To answer basic questions like “Are we underperforming this month?” or “Where is the real bottleneck?” I had to dig, interpret, and mentally connect dots. That’s not

By Devon Kennard Every season of my life, whether in the NFL or in business, has reinforced one truth: success usually isn’t about finding something new. It’s about identifying what’s already working—and having the discipline to push it further than most people are willing to go. That’s the theme of 2026 for me: Do More. Do Better. And Do It Longer. Each piece matters. Each one requires its own mindset. And together, they create consistency, scale, and longevity. Let me break

Featuring: DKorr Design & Build Welcome back to The Capital Edge, where I break down real lending activity, highlight strong operators in the market, and share what we’re seeing inside 42 Solutions. This week, I spent time in Arcadia Lite walking projects with Robert Spragg and his team at DKorr Design & Build. Every once in a while, you meet a group whose operational discipline directly translates into lower risk and stronger performance — and DKorr fits that category. Borro

I had the chance to join Ashley and Tony on the Real Estate Rookie Podcast — Episode 636 — and we had a great conversation about one of my favorite topics: how to find and structure your first private money deal. But for me, this episode was more than just another podcast appearance. It was a chance to pull back the curtain on how I think about capital — how I learned to deploy it, protect it, and multiply it. If you’ve been following my journey through The Capital Edge or 42

Last week, I joined my friends @stephaniegshares and @_lexiecarlson, the VP and broker at @az_compass, for their weekly call with nearly 200 local Compass agents to talk all things investing. It was an incredible conversation. Stephanie and Lexie are absolute pros when it comes to understanding the greater Phoenix market — not just from a transaction standpoint, but from a true investment perspective. What stood out to me on that call was this: Most agents have a front-row se

There’s something I never thought I’d say… I’m selling most of my real estate portfolio. At my peak, I held 50 units across 5 different markets around the country. I built that portfolio over years — one property, one deal, one decision at a time. I was proud of it. But pride doesn’t pay returns. So this year, I made a strategic decision: To sell the majority of my out-of-state properties and reallocate that capital into 42 Solutions, my private lending business here in Arizo

Hey Everyone, The “boring” paths in real estate that quietly make people rich When people think about getting into real estate, they usually picture flipping houses, buying rentals, or maybe even developing. But in my experience, some of the best wealth is built behind the scenes — in the so-called “boring” parts of the industry. Here are a few overlooked lanes that can pay really well — whether you start your own business or become a high-leverage employee: Bookkeeping & Acc

“It’s only a few hundred bucks…” until it’s tens of thousands. One of my out-of-state properties is managed by a solid property management company in Kansas City. We’ve had a good relationship over the years — but recently, they hired a new accounting team. Since then, my bookkeeper and I have been spotting some strange inconsistencies on the monthly statements. Nothing crazy at first glance — maybe $100 here, $250 there. But we dug in. And what we found was eye-opening. If y

Every investor says they want great returns. But the smart ones know: returns mean nothing without risk. That’s why, as a private lender, my #1 job isn’t chasing yield — It’s managing downside. Because in this business, protecting the downside is what unlocks consistent returns over time. Here’s how I think about it. 1. I Price for Risk, Not Just ReturnI don’t lend just to get 12% and a point. That’s the output — not the starting point. Every deal starts with a simple questio

There’s a quote from Warren Buffett that’s stuck with me for years: “The ideal business is one that generates a lot of cash which can then be reinvested at a double-digit rate of return. If you find such a business, you should go ALL IN.” That’s not just a powerful idea—it’s a filter. It’s how I look at every business, every investment, and every opportunity I come across. What Makes a Business Worth Building?Most people chase income or headlines. Buffett chases compounding.

Hey Everyone, Most People Chase Active Income My journey isn't all that different, my active income was just playing in the NFL. My Grind Just Looked Different Mine was in the NFL. For nine years, I earned active income on the field. I knew it wouldn’t last forever, so from day one, I made a decision: I wasn’t just going to make money—I was going to convert it. From active... to passive. From one-time checks... to long-term income streams. From effort-based... to asset-b

Hey Everyone, The Real Reason Private Lending Works — For Everyone Involved One of my favorite deals this year just hit the finish line — and it’s the perfect example of why I believe private lending, done right, is one of the greatest business models in the world. The Deal (At a Glance) Loan Amount: $332,000 Funded: April 24 Scheduled Closing: June 30 Total Hold Time: 68 days Sale Price: $480,000 Borrower Net Profit: ~$107,000 42 Solutions Gross Income: $11,455 (interest +

Are We in a Market Bubble? That’s the question legendary investor Howard Marks tackled in his latest memo, On Bubble Watch. If you’ve been paying attention to the stock market—especially the tech sector—you’ve probably noticed that a small group of companies is dominating the market like never before. The “Magnificent Seven” (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Meta, and Tesla) now make up over 30% of the S&P 500’s total market cap. That’s an unprecedented level of co

If you’re running a business—whether it’s in real estate, services, lending, or anything in between—you’ve probably faced the question: How do I get more capital to grow? There’s noise everywhere. Investors. SBA loans. Credit cards. Equity. Bootstrapping. But when you really boil it down, every business—no matter how big or small—has the same five ways to capitalize growth. Some are slow. Some are fast. Some come with strings. The key is knowing which lever to pull at the rig

Most people love a rags-to-riches story. They want to hear how you started with $0, bootstrapped everything, raised money you didn’t have, and scaled something from the dirt. That’s just not my story. I didn’t start with nothing. I had a nine-year NFL career, solid contracts, and income that gave me a head start. I had already bought over 40 properties. I had deployed capital into 50+ syndications. I had built a strong financial foundation before I ever started 42 Solutions,

Hey Team, We’ve had a strong run in the markets the past couple years — but that momentum is starting to fade. Inflation is sticky, interest rates are still high, and the stock market is showing real signs of weakness. In times like these, smart investors shift their mindset from growth mode to capital preservation and cash flow. And that’s exactly why this is a lender’s market right now. I recently dug into Oaktree Capital’s latest market report — and while they operate at a

Hey Everyone, I’ve been thinking a lot about momentum lately. As entrepreneurs, we’re wired to chase new. New ideas. New models. New opportunities. We get bored fast. We crave the next play. We’re not just builders—we’re hunters. And if you’re anything like me, you probably feel like you need to build something new in order to unlock that next level. But here’s the truth I’ve come to grips with: I don’t need to do anything new. I need to do more of what I’m already doing—and

Hey Team, Saying “no” is your strongest investment strategy. Most people think the key to becoming a successful investor is finding more deals. It’s not. It’s about building the confidence to say no to the wrong ones—fast. The deeper I get into real estate, private lending, and alternative investments, the more I realize: It’s not the yeses that define your returns. It’s the no’s that protect them. I say no to 90% of the deals that come across my desk. And that’s by design.

Hey Team, Over the past decade, I’ve done what most financial experts recommend—diversify. I’ve owned single-family rentals, small multifamily, invested in syndications, dabbled in VC, and played the long game in the stock market. I’ve built a portfolio that most people would call “well-balanced.” But now, I’m making a bold move. I’m selling off most—if not all—of my real estate portfolio outside Arizona. I’m preparing to exit nearly all of my syndication investments. And I’m