About
I spent 20 years making sure airplanes didn’t fail. Now I apply the same standard to how I invest, and to how I ask you to invest.
Why I left Boeing
I spent over 20 years in aerospace. I designed wing structure for the 787 Dreamliner. Later I managed a $120M military aircraft modification program. My job, every day, was finding failure points before they became failures.
Then one night I was sitting in a conference room at 7 PM, watching colleagues compete in what I started calling the Grind Olympics: bragging about 70-hour weeks, planning two-year vacations they’d take once they finally retired. I realized I was winning the wrong race.
I’d mastered identifying failure points in aircraft. Somehow I’d missed the most critical design flaw of all: my own financial blueprint.
In 2018 I bought my first real estate deal, a duplex in Milwaukee. It turned into a disaster. The property was being operated as an illegal Alzheimer’s facility, and I lost $30,000 finding that out.
787 Dreamliner rollout, 2007.
I pivoted. I became a passive investor in syndications in 2020, learning how the institutional side of real estate actually works. I became a general partner in 2022. I founded Vestus Capital to bring that same institutional access, and the same engineering-grade scrutiny, to other engineers and technical professionals who don’t have time to learn this the hard way.
How we operate
Vestus doesn’t operate the properties we invest in. We’re the architects: we source the deals, underwrite them the way I was trained to stress-test a structure, and co-invest alongside operators who have already proven they can execute. That’s the job: handle the diligence so you can stay focused on your career and your family, not on becoming a landlord.
Conservative underwriting
We underwrite to downside cases, not to sponsor projections.
Fixed-rate debt, low leverage
60% loan-to-value or lower, wherever we can get it.
Education before commitment
You should understand exactly what you’re investing in. If you don’t, that’s on us to fix, not on you to just trust.
Quick facts
20+ years as an aerospace engineer at Boeing
Designed wing structure for the 787 Dreamliner
Managed a $120M military aircraft modification program
Passive investor (LP) in syndications since 2020
General partner (GP) since 2022
Founder of Vestus Capital
Questions
What is an accredited investor?
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The SEC counts you as an accredited investor if you earned more than $200,000 in each of the last two years ($300,000 together with a spouse) and expect the same this year, or if your net worth is over $1 million, alone or with a spouse, not counting your primary residence. Income and net worth are how most investors qualify. Credentials are a third route: an active Series 7, 65, or 82 license in good standing counts on its own. Some trusts with more than $5 million in assets, and entities owned entirely by accredited investors, also qualify.
What is a sophisticated investor?
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Someone with enough knowledge and experience in financial and business matters to judge the merits and risks of an investment. Some private offerings are open to sophisticated investors who are not accredited. Anyone who is neither is a non-accredited investor.
Can I invest if I’m not accredited?
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Sometimes. Some of our opportunities are offered under Rule 506(b), which allows a limited number of sophisticated investors who are not accredited. To invest in one, you need to establish a relationship with the fund administrator first. The best place to start is the investor application or an intro call, so we can get to know each other and tell you when a 506(b) opportunity opens.
How do I get started?
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Start with a conversation. Thirty minutes with me is usually worth more than hours of reading, because I can tailor what I cover to what you already know and what you’re trying to build. If you’d rather get your bearings first, the investing blog, the educational videos, and the free toolkit cover the fundamentals. When you’re ready to see opportunities, the investor application is the next step.
What kinds of investments do you offer?
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Multifamily apartments, build-to-rent development, medical office real estate, and early-stage startups, with more asset classes as we grow. We do the hard work of finding and vetting each opportunity, so you can diversify across asset classes without doing that legwork yourself.
How are the deals structured?
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In most deals you invest as a limited partner in an LLC that owns a single property, which limits liability. As a part owner, your share of the cash flow, the depreciation, and the profit at sale flows through to you, and profit from a property held long enough is usually taxed as a long-term capital gain.
Can I invest with my retirement account?
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Yes. Passive real estate suits retirement money because your role is passive by design. You need a self-directed IRA with an independent custodian, such as Directed IRA, Specialized IRA Services, or Vantage IRA. From there you can invest from an IRA, 401(k), Roth IRA, or another self-directed account.
What returns should I expect?
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Every deal is different, and the terms are set out in each deal’s offering documents. Returns usually come from two places: cash distributions while the property is held, often with a preferred return paid to investors before the sponsors share in profits, and a split of the profit when the property sells or refinances.
Can I invest if I’m new to real estate?
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Yes. If you’re accredited, you can invest even if this is your first deal. I do encourage every investor to understand what they’re buying. The investing blog, the educational videos, the free toolkit, and my book, The Engineer’s Guide to Real Estate Wealth, are good places to start. A short conversation with me is often the fastest route, because I can tailor it to what you already know.
How is a syndication different from a REIT?
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A REIT is a company you buy shares in, like a stock. You own part of the company, not the buildings. In a syndication you invest directly in a specific property, alongside other limited partners, through the LLC that owns it. REITs take small amounts and are easy to sell; syndications usually start around $50,000 and hold your money for years. Syndication investors also get their share of the depreciation, which often shows a paper loss while the property pays cash. REIT dividends are generally taxed as ordinary income.
When will I get my first distribution?
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It depends on the deal. In most, limited partners are paid quarterly, plus a payout when the property sells or refinances. The first distribution usually arrives shortly after the end of the first full quarter the property is owned. Some funds, like Health Wealth, pay monthly.
No pressure, no pitch. Just a conversation about what you’re trying to build and whether Vestus is a fit.