Christopher Nelson

Helping You Build Wealth with Tech Equity and become the Founder of Your Financial Independence

In the early 2000s,  my focus was on growing my skills, climbing the ladder, and being where I needed to be to get the job done. 

In 2009, I burned out hard. 

My new plan was to work for equity in tech start-ups and become financially independent.

Swing and Miss, the first start-up company I chose to work for, was going nowhere (equity worth zero). 

What happened? Did I screw up everything?

I chose the company because I was passionate about its mission, but I had not examined it further. I had no real plan.

My next step was to call people that I knew had been successful in working for equity in tech and see what was different in their "playbook."

Key lessons learned after first dead-end tech startup:
 -In trading my time and talent for equity, I need to think like an investor
 -Create a rigorous due diligence process
 -Don't fear failure, stay in the game
 -Keep learning

May 2011, Started at Splunk Pre-IPO

April 19th, 2012 Splunk had a break-out IPO

April 20th, 2012 feelings of anxiety and fear creep in about how to manage the newly generated wealth. 

I had to figure out how to get real income (real estate) into my portfolio. I needed something sending me checks.

Key lessons learned after the first IPO:
 -How to invest in private equity real estate
 -Set up my family for generational wealth
 -Own the result (don't put my future in someone else's hands)

New Mission: Be the Founder of a Micro Family Office to become Financially Independent.

Strategy:
 -Live within paychecks
 -Bonuses for extras
 -Invest all of our equity

I climbed the ladder to become a CIO. 

At the peak, I realized I wanted to build my DIY Family Office more than climb the ladder.

I changed roles and reduced my scope. 

On August 26, 2022, I graduated from my W-2 job to live a lifestyle by design.

I founded WealthOps in 2023 to equip technology professionals with the skills to build and run their portfolios.

My Portfolio:
 -3  Start-Ups I worked for IPOed (SPLK, YEXT, GTLB) <-Traded Time
 -Replaced paycheck with $200k+ of portfolio income
 -Built my Micro Family Office
 -Running a company structured around my life

My Results:
 -Highly Diversified Portfolio - Stocks, PE Real Estate, Debt, Businesses, and VC. 
 -$223 Million AUM with investors
 -7 Investments  gone full cycle with an Avg 19.4% IRR to investors
 -1000+ tech employees being educated on Managing Tech Millions
 -20+  and growing Portfolio CEOs

My mission - 1000+ Portfolio CEOs

Learn more about how I did this, join our free live workshop  →  https://dub.sh/wealthops-linkedin

Founder

Tech Careers and Money { }, a media and education company whose mission is to elevate Tech Professionals' finance knowledge through unmatched and unbiased education in career and personal finance to equip them to make their best decisions. 


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We just crossed 100 members in 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿.

But here's what matters more than the number.

100 entrepreneurs, physicians, and tech professionals who stopped being clients and started being CEOs of their wealth.

Most wealth management sells you dependency. 
Hire us. Trust us. Let "us" handle it.

We teach the opposite.

You already run complex operations. 
You make million-dollar decisions. 
You manage teams and P&Ls.

The skills you used to build wealth? 𝘛𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩.

You don't need someone to do it for you. You need the frameworks specific to wealth operations.

That's the shift these 100 families made.

They're learning:

- The Evergreen Portfolio Model.
- Structured Alpha Strategies.
- Asset Protection Strategies.
- Family Office Operations.
- The Deduction Stack. 
- The Income Pyramid.
- Entity Architecture.
- Tax Optimization. 
- Deal Evaluation.

Not theory. Actual implementation.

Same rigor you'd bring to building a product. 
Same systematic thinking you'd apply to scaling a business.

Just applied to the thing that ACTUALLY compounds over generations.

The difference between a client and a Portfolio CEO? 
Clients delegate and hope. 
Portfolio CEOs architect and operate.

In a few days, I'm hosting a live workshop on how to architect your own Micro Family Office.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://dub.sh/mN0g8tK

Here's what attendees from last month's workshop said about it:

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.
- 𝘔𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘰 𝘏.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥.
- 𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺 𝘞.

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰.
- 𝘗𝘢𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘞.

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Tech Careers & Money Talk

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲?💸

Join here 👉 techcareersandmoneytalk.com

Tweet Follow-up

Even Justin Welsh chimed in: https://twitter.com/thejustinwelsh/status/1628168298947919878?s=20

Post Follow Up

On the off chance you *do* want financial freedom — do these 11 things instead. 👇

- Ignore the above
- Buy back your time
- Start investing today
- Build a simple budget
- Learn personal finance
- Destroy credit card debt
- Work for equity AND salary
- Diversify w/ passive income
- Align your finances with goals
- Build a team of financial experts
- Join techcareersandmoneytalk.com

What did I miss?

50 - 50 Link

🧠 - Bonus Tip:  For Monday - Do A Brain Dump to Prevent Overwhelm 

Monday means mental overwhelm for Many. 

Objects in your head can be more stressful than they appear! 

Take piece of paper, 10 min and write down all the things you need to get done, work, life etc. 

Once you see them written down identify 3 things that have to get done today. 

Get to your base! 

TCMT Pod Page

𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 + 𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝘆 𝗣𝗼𝗱𝗰𝗮𝘀𝘁 👇

🎧 Tech Careers & Money Talk 💸

www.podpage.com/tech-careers-and-money-talk-1/

TC&MN

Elevate your tech career and personal finance savvy.    

https://www.techcareersandmoneynews.com

Anti-Goals

Steal my Blueprint

Update Process

Actionable tips for growing your career, building wealth and living a life of impact. 
Always 3 minutes or less.

https://www.techcareersandmoneynews.com/

Find Rest 

🧠 - Bonus Tip:  Your Momentum is Fuel for your Mentors.  As your mentor sees you taking their input and iterating, they will be excited and want to participate more.  

Momentum breeds momentum.   

Hindi Video

Want all the details?   

Check out my origin story here on Audio : https://bit.ly/cnoriginstory

Watch it on YouTube! : https://youtu.be/7Hw-Y2hDtF8


From Equity to Exit 

Momentum for Mentors

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tech-careers-and-money-talk

careercadre

I Run My Own Micro Family Office and Teach Others to Do the Same | Founder @ WealthOps

In 2012, I became a millionaire.

Three months later, I realized I had no idea what to do with the money.

I met with wealth advisors. Every single one gave me the same pitch:

"𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘶𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺. 𝘞𝘦'𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘪𝘵. 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘶𝘴."

- Zero customization. 
- Zero long-term strategy. 
- Just a cookie-cutter portfolio.

That's when I discovered the problem:

If you have $1M-$30M, you're stuck in what I call the financial service desert.

You're too wealthy for mass-market advisors.

But not wealthy enough for a traditional family office ($100M+ minimum).

So I spent years studying how ultra-wealthy families actually manage money.

And I built what I now call a 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼 𝗙𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲.

The result after 4.5 years:
→ Portfolio generating $200K+ of annual cashflow
→ Principal still growing (not selling any assets)
→ 10 hours/week managing everything
→ Full control over every decision

Here's what most people get wrong:

They think wealth management is about picking stocks.

It's not. (This stuff comes last)

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

Here are the four-phases of every Micro Family Office:

𝗔𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁 → Define your legacy and investment thesis
𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 → Create legal structures and assemble your team
𝗥𝘂𝗻 → Operate with monthly/quarterly rhythms
𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 → Transfer systems, not just assets

Look... if you're sitting on $1M+ and still treating your portfolio like a savings account, you're leaving money on the table.

Want to build your own Micro Family Office?

I'm running a free 2-hour workshop where I'll walk you through building the foundation - your Legacy Statement and Investment Thesis.

Over 1,000 people have attended so far.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://dub.sh/mN0g8tK

---

Here is what attendees from last months workshop said about it:

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

- 𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿í𝗰𝗶𝗼 𝗛.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥.

- 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗪.

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰.

- 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗪.

Goldman Sachs just surveyed 245 families managing $1 billion+ portfolios.

Here's what they're doing while everyone else is paralyzed...

Despite big concerns, they're not sitting on cash.

They're executing.

The data tells a clear story:
→ 34%  are reducing cash positions
→ 39%  increasing private equity allocations
→ 38%  adding to their public equities
→ 26%  expanding private credit exposure

Here's what this actually means...

These families aren't reacting to headlines.

And the most important finding?

70% manage their investments in-house.

They're not outsourcing critical decisions to advisors.

They have clear investment theses.

They run quarterly reviews.

They make annual business plans for their portfolios.

This creates a playbook:
✓ Patient capital with decade+ time horizons
✓ Opportunistic deployment during dislocations
✓ Programmatic commitments regardless of sentiment
✓ Zero emotional reaction to geopolitical noise

The difference isn't wealth.

It's operational structure.

It's having systems that work when markets don't.

It's knowing what to do before you need to do it.

Most people with $1-30M don't have this.

They have... 
- Scattered accounts.
- Generic advice.
- No investment thesis.
- No operating rhythm.

The good news is this is fixable.

If you want to learn how to build these operational systems for your portfolio - the same frameworks these ultra-wealthy families use - I'm running a live workshop walking through the exact architecture.

Comment "WORKSHOP" and I'll send you the details.

Goldman Sachs surveyed 245 family offices managing $1B+ each.

Here's some takeaways from the data...

- 86% have AI exposure.
But here's what matters: 87% are also using AI to manage their portfolios. They're not just betting on the trend, they're operationalizing it in their own wealth mgmt.

- 72% are active in secondaries.
This isn't random. When there is liquidity pressure, family offices buy discounted assets. They have patient capital. No quarterly redemptions. No exit timelines forcing their hand.

- 33% now hold crypto (up from 26% in 2023).
Still a minority. Still selective but growing steadily. APAC shows the strongest interest - likely because they're most concerned about geopolitics (75%) and see digital assets as a hedge.

- 58% expect to be overweight tech in the next 12 months.
Despite market volatility. Despite valuation concerns. They're leaning INTO trends, not away from them.

Some regional differences...

- Americas: Highest PE allocation (25%) and increasing

- APAC: Most geopolitically concerned, highest crypto interest

- EMEA: New interest in hedge funds for sophisticated downside protection

If you want to learn how to build the operational structure these families use - adapted for $1-30M portfolios - I'm running a free workshop walking through the complete framework.

Tuesday, January 21st at 8:00pm ET.

Comment "WORKSHOP" and I'll send you the registration link.

Have over $10M in income? Your audit risk jumps to 8.8%. (𝟮𝟮𝘅 𝗮𝘃𝗴)

But here's what really caught my attention when I was digging through IRS data last week:

If you have over $20M in assets? 

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝘀𝗸𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝟭𝟴.𝟮%.

That's not a typo. Nearly 1 in 5 chance.

In 2024 alone there were $84.1 billion in penalties assessed.

Here's the thing most people don't realize:

The root cause of an IRS penalty often isn’t an error on your tax return.

It’s the byproduct of operating your wealth like a hobby, not a business.

- Improper entity structures. 
- Lack of documentation.
- Everything scattered.
- No routine systems.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗿𝗮-𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁.

They run Family Offices with clear governance, documented strategies, and institutional-grade documentation.

But you don't need $100M to operate this way.

You just need the right framework.

And that's exactly what a Micro Family Office does.

It gives you the structure, systems, and documentation that transform your wealth from a compliance risk into a well-run operation.

Because when you operate your wealth like a business, you're not just protecting yourself.

You're building something that actually scales and can be passed down.

Ready to get organized and stop flying blind?

Join my free live workshop on Feb. 4th at 8:00pm ET where I'll walk you through how to build your own Micro Family Office.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://dub.sh/mN0g8tK

---

Here is what attendees from last months workshop said about it:

𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘣𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦.

- 𝗠𝗮𝘂𝗿í𝗰𝗶𝗼 𝗛.

𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘥.

- 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘆 𝗪.

𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰.

- 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗪.

You have to put $50,000 in one of these. Which are you picking?

Which of these metals do you think will have the biggest run up in 2026?

Helping Changemakers Build Wealth Like They Build Solutions: With Purpose | Ex-Apple Engineer

I'm the real estate sponsor who's actually built a building. A lot of them. 

So I don't outsource my due diligence. I am the due diligence.

For 20 years my engineering ensured buildings didn't fail, they thrived.

And 9 of those years I was Apple's most trusted building engineer leading the design of their global retail store portfolio. 300+ stores. 20+ countries. Award-winning buildings that millions of people visit daily. Before Apple, New York City skyscrapers and large scale renewable energy. In all, $10B+ in projects where failure wasn't an option.

Then I burned out building someone else's empire.

In 2023, I walked away from Apple stock options I could've retired on to build a future I controlled for people that trust me, not people who own me.

Type 1 diabetic for 30+ years. Father of 2 young kids. I know what it means when every day counts—and I build for people who want their time back—not another job disguised as passive income.

You won't hear me pitch forced appreciation through rent increases you can't control. That's not engineering. That's gambling.

I obsess over operations and building systems. That's where buildings make and lose money—and after 20 years of engineering for companies that refused to accept failure, I know where to look.

With global economic uncertainty, my thesis is double edged. I keep my capital close with private lending—short duration, high yield, high velocity. Capital ready to move for when the next downturn hits. Because cashflow pays the bills and capital is power.

But wealth isn't built short term. Real assets with long horizons should be the foundation you build to last generations. And resilience isn't "green," it's the only smart business that will protect your investment.

I invest for what matters: people. If you care about where your money goes and not just how much it makes then follow along.

Ready to build your real estate wealth? 
DM me "BUILD" and let's engineer your real estate portfolio together.

Weekly insights: dropsofchange.substack.com

Jon Weiskopf, P.E.

From the outside, Apple looks flawless.
Inside?

Apple wrestles with the same trade-offs every large operator does.

Reactive maintenance looks cheaper.
Until you measure the real cost.

Apple Retail had a policy to minimize capex.
Instead of proactively replacing HVAC systems,
The directive was to run equipment until failure.

That policy wasn’t driven by Facilities.
It was governed by Finance.

On a spreadsheet, it made sense.
Deferred spend looks like savings.

But here’s what never made the calculation:
The cost of avoidance.

When HVAC failed, stores closed.
Customer experience suffered.
Revenue disappeared — quietly and instantly.

Those costs never showed up in the capex model.

I see the exact same mistake in multifamily.

Owners say,
“I’ll just wait until it breaks.”

But when systems fail:
Maintenance tickets pile up.

Residents get frustrated.

Move-outs increase.

(And maintenance is the #1 reason residents leave.)

Yes, proactive upgrades cost money.
But reactive maintenance costs trust, stability, and NOI.

The real lesson:
If Finance optimizes in isolation, operations pay the price.

Great operators don’t just ask:
“What does this cost today?”

They ask:
“What does avoiding this cost us tomorrow?”

Because in real estate —
The most expensive problems are the ones you pretend don’t exist.

>> Are you modeling maintenance as an expense… or as a risk multiplier?

========
I’m Jon — Engineering passive income for you like I engineered Apple’s global retail store portfolio.

Find my Featured section to connect.

Build wealth before doubt builds nothing.

Short-duration debt + GP shares = aligned incentives.


We closed a loan and a multifamily acquisition at the same time.

That’s not an accident.
That’s structure.

The deal was a 152-unit Class C property in Kansas City — one of my favorite markets.
Off-market.
Strong value-add.
Targeting a ~40% valuation lift after capex.
Projected 10% cash-on-cash with a 3-year hold.

Here’s how we structured it:

We provided an EMD loan to an up-and-coming operator.
Short duration.
Clear execution plan.
And because alignment matters, we didn’t stop at the loan.

We received GP shares in the deal.

Why?
Because when capital participates on both sides of the stack, incentives change.

To further de-risk the loan, we also helped raise equity —
giving our investors exposure to both:
The acquisition upside, and
The ownership economics.

The results:
- Loan duration: 2.5 months
- Loan return: ~30% ARR
- Equity position: long-term upside through ownership

That’s how we support emerging operators and protect investor capital.

We don’t just wire money.
We help close deals.
We help structure wins.

Because the best capital isn’t passive.
It’s partnered.

>>> Are your investments structured for alignment — or just yield?

========
I’m Jon — Engineering passive income for you like I engineered Apple’s global retail store portfolio.

Find my Featured section to connect.

My average loan lasts 4.3 months.
The average RE deal lasts 5 years. Which do you prefer?

Most investors still think wealth is built in years, not quarters.

That belief comes from traditional real estate thinking.
Buy.
Hold.
Wait.

Private credit works on a different clock.

Short duration reduces exposure.
Faster repayment increases control.
Capital velocity quietly compounds.

When capital returns in months instead of years, risk becomes measurable instead of theoretical.

You don’t need to predict markets.
You need to manage timelines.

This is why we obsess over structure.
Clear exits.
Defined milestones.
Borrowers with something to lose.

Quarterly cycles don’t feel exciting.
But they outperform quietly.

>>> Is your capital waiting—or working right now?

========
I’m Jon — Engineering passive income for you like I engineered Apple’s global retail store portfolio.

Find my Featured section to connect.

3 loans in 60 days.
2 closed. $0 losses.

Here’s how…

That's not luck.
That's velocity by design.

Most private lenders take 30, 60 even 90 days to close a loan.
They screen for months.
Deploy for years.

We engineered a different system.

→ Strict underwriting criteria (before we ever see a deal)
→ Collateral requirements that protect downside

→ 48-hour decision timeline

The result?

Capital that moves.
Risk that's contained.

Returns that compound.

3 loans in our first 60 days of Our Debt Fund operating.
Not because we lowered standards.
Because we systematized them.

When your criteria are clear,
decisions get fast.
When decisions are fast,
capital works harder.

Most investors underwrite the spreadsheet.
I underwrite the building—and the borrower's exit.

That's why we can move quickly
without moving recklessly.

>> Are your returns built on hope—or on engineered velocity?

========
I'm Jon — Engineer. Builder. Now investor. I know where risk hides.

DM me "BUILD" and let's engineer your real estate portfolio.

20 countries. 20 ways to build.
Same physics.

Tokyo contractors frame differently than London crews.
Dubai specifications look nothing like São Paulo standards.
Every culture has its own construction DNA.

But here's what I learned in 9 years engineering Apple's global retail:

The building doesn't care about culture.
It cares about water management.
It cares about thermal movement.
It cares about load paths.

Physics is the great equalizer.

I've watched brilliant teams in Munich, Chongqing, and Kyoto
solve the same problems
with completely different approaches.

Both worked.
Because both respected the fundamentals.

That's what I bring to real estate investing now.

Not opinions about markets.
Not theories about appreciation.

Just 20 years of understanding
what makes buildings stand—
and what makes them fail.

Different markets. Different deals.
Same engineering discipline.

>> What would change if you could see what the building sees?

========
I'm Jon — Engineer. Builder. Now investor. I know where risk hides.

DM me "BUILD" and let's engineer your real estate portfolio.

The dollar is weakening. Beware.
But land doesn't disappear.

Stock prices swing.

Currency fluctuates.
Bond yields shift with every Fed meeting.

But the units in my portfolio?
Still standing.
Still housing residents.
Still generating rent.

Real assets have a quality
that paper assets don't:

They exist.

When inflation erodes purchasing power,
real estate adjusts.
Rents move with the market.
Replacement costs rise.
The asset becomes worth more in nominal terms.

That's not speculation.
That's physics meeting economics.

I'm not predicting a recession.
I'm not betting on dollar collapse.

I'm positioning for resilience.

Private lending for short-term velocity.
Real assets for long-term wealth preservation.

Because when uncertainty rises,
I want to own things—
not promises about things.

Resilience isn't green.
It's risk management.

>> If the dollar drops 20% tomorrow, what happens to your portfolio?

========
I'm Jon — Engineer. Builder. Now investor. I know where risk hides.

DM me "BUILD" and let's engineer your real estate portfolio.

Recessions expose deferred maintenance.
Here's how to spot it.

When markets are strong,
buildings hide their problems.

High occupancy masks deferred repairs.
Strong rent rolls cover up capital needs.
Cash flow papers over cracks—literally.

Then the downturn hits.

Suddenly that "stable" asset
Needs a new roof you didn't budget for.

The HVAC that was "fine" fails in July.
The foundation issue becomes a foundation crisis.

Here's what I look for before I invest $1:

→ Roof age and condition (the actual membrane)
→ Water intrusion patterns (staining tells stories)
→ Repeated repairs to the same unit (can kicked down the road)

→ HVAC remaining useful life (and replacement cost at today's prices)

Most investors read the pro forma.
I read the building.

Because the building tells you
what the spreadsheet is hiding.

20 years of engineering taught me:
Deferred maintenance doesn't disappear.
It compounds.

And recessions collect the bill.

>> Before your next investment, ask: What is this building hiding?

========
I'm Jon — Engineer. Builder. Now investor. I know where risk hides.

DM me "BUILD" and let's engineer your real estate portfolio.

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