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Hey Team, There’s been a lot of buzz lately about Goldman Sachs’ prediction that the S&P 500 will only return 3% annually over the next 10 years—a sharp contrast from the 13% annual returns we’ve seen in the past decade. If that’s true, it could have major implications for anyone relying on traditional stock market investing to build wealth. So, should we be concerned? Or is this just another market prediction that won’t pan out? More importantly, how should we adjust our inv

Hey Team, As we settle into 2025, one thing is becoming clear: risk is creeping up, even if the markets don’t show it yet. 2023 and 2024 were incredible years for equities—back-to-back double-digit returns that defied most forecasts. And when that happens, psychology shifts. Investors forget the pain of drawdowns, optimism swells, and risk gets mispriced. That’s where we are right now. This month I spent time reviewing some high-level institutional outlooks. One takeaway stuc

Hey Team, I had a borrower come to me recently with a problem—and an opportunity. He owns several properties in Arizona. Some free and clear. Others with low LTVs. Lots of equity just sitting there. But he didn’t have access to it. And because of that, he was missing out on deals. So we built a better solution. We Treat Equity Like a Line of Credit At 42 Solutions, we don’t think like a bank—we think like investors. So instead of locking that equity away, we structured a cust

Hey Team, You hear it all the time in business content: “Scale is the name of the game.” Build bigger. Raise capital. Hire fast. Grow fast. The whole world seems obsessed with getting huge as quickly as possible. But I’m not playing that game. I’m not chasing scale. I’m chasing net income, control, and compounding. And I think that’s what more people should be chasing—especially those who already have capital and don’t need outside validation to feel like they’re winning. 🧠

I bought a property in Surprise, AZ with one goal in mind: flip it. We underwrote it with a conservative ARV of $450K, even though several comps suggested we could go higher. I was all-in for $370K after closing and reno — and fully expected to be out within a couple of months with a solid profit. Then the market shifted. Inventory in the neighborhood shot up almost overnight. Multiple properties hit the market at the same time and started slashing prices just to get showings

HEY EVERYONE, When it comes to smart investing, most people focus on the asset—whether it’s a property, a business, or a loan. And while that’s crucial, there’s another piece to the equation that too many investors overlook: The quality of the people you invest with. Let me give you an example from my private lending company, 42 Solutions. Recently, we analyzed every borrower we’ve ever funded—past and present—to better understand the level of risk we’re taking on. The result

Hey Everyone, Over the past few years, I’ve owned dozens of doors across multiple markets — Kansas City, Tampa, Tennessee, Arizona. I’ve done BRRRRs, flips, syndications, and everything in between. But if you ask me where I prefer to put my money right now — the answer might surprise you: Private lending. Not because I don’t love real estate. I do. Not because I’m scared of the market. I’m not. But because, right now, lending checks more of the boxes I care about. Let me b

Hey Everyone, How I Built a Lending Business That Pays Me Every Month—and Hasn’t Lost a Dollar This month marks two years since I officially launched 42 Solutions, my Arizona-based private lending company. We started simple: one deal, one borrower, one win. Now, two years later, we’ve stacked some numbers I’m proud of: $12.6M in total loan volume funded 44 loans closed 0 foreclosures 8-month average loan term 100% repeat borrower rate (yes, every single borrower has either

Hey Everyone, For years, the real estate community has pushed a powerful narrative: buy properties, collect rent checks, and ride the wave of appreciation and tax benefits to financial freedom. That message isn't wrong—but it's incomplete. Here's what I missed for a long time, and what I now believe many real estate investors and educators continue to miss: Real estate is an incredible wealth-building tool for long-term appreciation, tax efficiency, and stability. But it is

Hey Everyone, Let’s talk about a word that sounds fancy but drives everything from Wall Street to the local car flipper: arbitrage. I didn’t come from a Wall Street background. I came from the NFL—and now I live in the trenches of lending, real estate, and business ownership. But one lesson that shows up everywhere once you know how to see it is this: Most great businesses start, grow, and scale by doing one thing well— They buy something for one price, add value, and sell it

Hey Everyone, I’ve been in enough rooms with entrepreneurs and investors to know: We’re addicted to change. New strategies. New vehicles. New verticals. New opportunities. And while some pivots are necessary—most of the time, they’re just momentum killers in disguise. 💭 The Real Cost of ChangeEvery time you switch your strategy, change direction, or shift your focus—even just a little—you’re not just “trying something new.” You’re losing velocity in the thing you’ve already

Hey Everyone, Most people trying to build wealth get distracted chasing too many strategies at once. They invest in what’s hot. Start side hustles they don’t understand. Or jump into deals without a clear edge. But the people who actually get very wealthy follow a much simpler, more disciplined playbook. One that looks like this: Phase 1: Get Exceptionally Good at One Thing This is the skill-building phase. The focus isn’t on investing—it’s on becoming so good they can’t ign

Hey Everyone, After nine years in the NFL, I stepped away from the game and faced a question a lot of people wrestle with—whether you’re an athlete, entrepreneur, or just someone who’s achieved success in one area of life: What’s next? For me, the answer wasn’t retirement. It was reinvention. I didn’t want to coast on past wins. I wanted to build something that gave me ownership, freedom, and the power to create long-term wealth on my terms. That’s why I made the choice to

Hey Everyone, Whether you’re a professional athlete, high net worth individual, or an entrepreneur building real wealth—banking relationships are everything. Not just to store your money—but to move capital, protect it, grow it, and borrow it strategically. After nearly a decade in the NFL and years of investing in real estate, private lending, and business ownership, I’ve learned that financial flexibility doesn’t come from having just one bank… it comes from having the ri

Hey Everyone, This week someone asked me a question I get more often than you’d think: “Why haven’t you launched a fund and started raising a ton of outside capital?” From the outside, it probably looks like the natural next move. I’ve got a proven model, consistent returns, and strong relationships with borrowers and investors alike. So why not scale this thing like crazy? The short answer: I’ve done the math. The long answer—and the real reason—is that I’m not chasing gr

Hey Everyone, I recently made a decision that I think more investors should talk about. One of the deals I’m in issued a capital call earlier this year. Not a huge one—just a percentage of the original investment. And I chose not to fund it. This wasn’t about lack of liquidity or losing faith in the sponsor. It came down to one thing: I had a better place to put that money. Here’s how I thought about it: When I looked at the deal’s performance, it wasn’t distributing cash flo

Hey Everyone, One of the most common questions I get from athletes and high-income earners is: “Should I be buying turnkey properties?” Here’s the honest answer: turnkey rentals can be a smart part of your portfolio—but only if you understand what they are and what they’re not, especially in today’s market. Let’s start with the reality: Turnkey real estate is no longer a strong cash flow play in most markets. Prices are up. Interest rates are higher. Rents haven’t scaled fast

Hey Everyone, If you’ve been following my journey, you know I’m a big advocate for diversification. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned from studying and networking with ultra-high-net-worth individuals is this: the wealthiest people don’t rely solely on the stock market. Instead, they build wealth through alternative investments—assets like real estate, private lending, private equity, and niche investments that provide strong cash flow, appreciation, and downside prot

Welcome to the very first edition of The Capital Edge! If you’ve been rocking with me through The Devon Kennard Newsletter, don’t worry—you’re in the right place. This is the evolution. I wanted the name to better reflect the mission: helping you build wealth, take control of your capital, and create a life of true financial freedom. The Capital Edge is where investing meets ownership. Whether it’s real estate, private lending, or passive income plays, I’ll continue pulling b

Hey Everyone, Most athletes spend years perfecting their game but don’t apply the same discipline to their finances. Too often, players rely on non-guaranteed money, underestimate their future expenses, or fail to prepare for life after their playing days. If you want to build lasting wealth and avoid financial pitfalls, you need to know these five key financial metrics: 1. CMS: Current Monthly Spending Start by looking at 2024 as a whole—how much did you really spend? This i