
Fund-building lessons from inside the work.
The gist
Investment Fund Secrets is a practical business show about starting, growing, and managing investment funds without an Ivy League degree. Episodes move between solo capital-raising lessons and interviews with people in real estate, private equity, hard money lending, technology, and relationship-driven business.
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About Investment Fund Secrets
Investment Fund Secrets is a business and investing show about the practical path from ambition to fund operator. It is not framed as polished market commentary. The show is closer to a working journal, built around lessons learned while raising capital, interviewing people, and studying how money is actually managed. Its center of gravity is fund creation: how to find investors, earn trust, structure opportunities, and avoid approaching people at the wrong stage of the capital-raising process. Real estate appears often, especially through multifamily, distressed opportunities, hard money loans, syndications, and private offerings. The conversations also move into technology companies, food and beverage investments, private equity, and operating partnerships. A recurring theme is that access matters. Guests and speakers return to the value of getting around people who already think bigger, have built teams, or have handled real money through market changes. The show’s money philosophy is blunt: wealth is not only about catching a lucky break, because people also need the habits and judgment to keep and grow capital. That makes the tone part tactical manual, part entrepreneurial mindset session. Some episodes are highly concrete, with examples of daily fundraising targets, investor checks, loan terms, and deal flow. Others focus on relationship capital, personal integrity, family presence, and the discipline required to lead well. The show often favors lived experience over theory. It likes stories of messy first deals, painful learning curves, and people who stumbled into a model before learning how to control the pieces. Its interviews are informal and energetic, with a strong bias toward action. The final stretch of the series also points toward a broader successor show, Bullish, while keeping the same appetite for fresh business ideas and direct lessons. For listeners interested in funds, raising money, and operator-led investing, it offers a ground-level view of the work behind the pitch.
Made for: Built for aspiring fund managers, real estate entrepreneurs, private lenders, and capital raisers who want tactical deal and investor lessons. It also fits business owners interested in partnerships, relationship capital, and scaling beyond solo execution.
What sets it apart: The show blends fund education with candid stories, so capital raising is treated as a live skill rather than a spreadsheet exercise. It connects deal mechanics with the personal discipline required to manage investor money responsibly.
In their own words
How To Start, Build And Scale Your Investment Fund
As heard by us
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Bridger Pennington gets operators to explain the mechanics, relationships and judgment behind raising capital and managing investment funds.
Bridger Pennington turns fund management into a running conversation about decisions: how operators raise capital, structure deals, build teams and earn investor confidence.
Why you'd press play
A $50,000 eBay property package becomes your warning label for deals that look suspiciously easy.
Press play if you want
- to hear hard-money lending explained through actual loan terms and investor payouts
- candid founder stories where early mistakes matter as much as the eventual scale
Talks about
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Episodes
- 1
221. How To Create An Investment Strategy For Your Fund
·13m - 2
257. From Pilot to Managing Cardone Capital: Ryan Tseko on the Power of Partnerships
·40m - 3
256. Randy Garn on Relationship Capital, Fly Fishing, and Personal Integrity
·40m - 4
Real Estate Big Leagues: DJ Thielen on the Giants, Steroids, and Building an Empire
·30m - 5
254. Is the U.S. Government at War with Crypto-based Companies?
·18m - 6
253. Michael Burry: The Worst Crash in Decades is Coming...
·6m - 7
252. Behind The Scenes of $100,000,000 in Hard Money Loans | Justin Hammond Interview
·1h 1m - 8
251. 10 Finance Terms Every Fund Manager Should Know
·12m - 9
250. Is The Housing Market About To Crash? My 18-24 Month Prediction...
·7m - 10
249. A Venture Capital Nightmare | What Went Wrong With Theranos
·10m - 11
248. This Game Made Me A Millionaire By 25 | Here's How You Can Play
·16m - 12
247. I Spent $500,000 On An Event...
·15m - 13
246. How Much Should You Pay a Capital Raiser In Your Fund? | Fund Equity Breakdown
·11m - 14
245. DAOs vs Investment Funds | What's The Difference?
·12m - 15
243. When Should You Launch Your Second Fund?
·10m - 16
242. 5 Venture Capital Trends Happening In 2022
·10m - 17
241. Should You Use Third Party Admins For Your Fund?
·9m - 18
240. How To Get The Most Out of Live Events (Fund Launch Live Prep)
·13m - 19
239. This is The Hardest Part of Starting a Fund...
·13m - 20
238. How Jeremiah Evans Built a Multi-Million Dollar Empire By 25
·1h 13m - 21
237. 7 Books That Changed My Life | 2022 Must Reads
·21m - 22
236. Top 5 Biggest Private Equity Funds In The World (2022)
·9m - 23
235. The Story of Warren Buffett in 7 Minutes | 0 to $100 Billion
·8m - 24
234. This Money Raising Strategy Will Help You Raise Millions
·11m - 25
233. What is a Hedge Fund? | Fund Manager Explains
·13m - 26
232. Digital Real Estate, Crypto Currency, and Building a Life of Financial Freedom | Dave Allred Interview
·1h 8m - 27
231. Top 10 Biggest Hedge Funds In The World
·13m - 28
230. 7 Private Equity Trends You Must Know Before 2022 (Urgent)
·11m - 29
229. How To Scale Your Investment Fund In 2022
·12m - 30
228. Investment Fund vs Holding Company | What's The Difference?
·11m - 31
227. A Fund Managers Advice To College Kids
·19m - 32
226. FaZe Clan Owner Shares $200 Billion Gaming Industry Secrets
·23m - 33
225. Guess The $TSLA Stock Price And I'll Give You a Tesla!
·8m - 34
224. Investing is Changing - Do This or Get Left Behind
·11m - 35
223. Real Fund Manager Reacts To South Park Investing | "anddd it's gone!"
·10m - 36
222. RANT: Solving Politics With Economics
·15m - 37
#258 Farewell to IFS and Welcome to Bullish
·12m - 38
220. Fund Manager Ranks BEST and WORST Finance Jobs
·21m - 39
219. The Most Important Step When Launching a Fund...
·8m - 40
218. How To Win Your First Investor
·12m - 41
217. Top 5 Most Common Investor Questions!
·11m - 42
216. Future Economic Predictions From a 14-Year Fund Veteran | Kellen Jones Interview
·59m - 43
215. BIG Changes Coming To NFTs In 2022 (Actually Urgent)
·13m - 44
214. The 26 Year Old Hedge Fund Manager | Laurence Yang Interview
·39m - 45
213. How To Raise Capital Like A MILLIONAIRE In 2021
·23m - 46
212. Should You Buy Real Estate In 2021? | Brian Burke Interview
·42m - 47
211. Why Most Fund Managers FAIL...
·8m - 48
210. How Cathie Wood Revolutionized ETFs With ARK Invest
·10m - 49
209. NFTs: Are You Already Too Late? | Aly Madhavji Interview
·42m - 50
208. How To Invest TAX FREE Using A Roth IRA | Mark Kohler Interview
·45m - 51
207. The Secret To Raising $2 Billion... | Brad Blazar Interview
·48m - 52
206. Breaking Down 4 Different Types of Investment Funds
·18m - 53
205. How To Start A Family Office From Scratch
·18m - 54
204. How To Save Money On Taxes Through Buying Your Dream Car... | Karlton Dennis Interview
·47m - 55
203. Index Funds vs Mutual Funds vs ETFs | What's The Difference?
·11m - 56
202. A Millionaires Secret To Networking...
·45m - 57
201. How To Start A Hard Money Lending Fund From Scratch
·11m - 58
200. Good Debt vs Bad Debt - What's The Difference?
·10m - 59
198. How To Go From Robinhood Trader To Hedge Fund Manager
·9m - 60
197. How To Lose Your Money. | Paul Moore Interview
·52m - 61
196. MrBeast Started An Investment Fund!
·17m - 62
195. Inside An Emerging Markets ETF (EMQQ) | Kevin Carter Interview
·58m - 63
194. RANT: The Next Crash Is Coming. | Inflation/Deflation, The Fed, Shortages, and More
·30m - 64
193. Going From 0-75 Rental Units In ONE YEAR | The Daniel Kwack Interview
·59m - 65
192. How Biden's Corporate Tax Change Will Affect The Economy... | + Capital Gains, Death Tax, and More
·13m - 66
191. Inside An Early Stage Venture Capital Fund | Ryan Hemingway Interview
·46m - 67
190. Running a Small Business vs Big Business | Which One Is Better?
·15m - 68
189. AMC To $100,000? | Tom Zuzolo Talks About The Future of AMC
·30m - 69
188. Are Financial Advisors Stealing Your Money? (Actually Terrifying)
·12m - 70
187. Growth vs Value Investing AND Passive vs Active Investing
·14m - 71
186. How To Trade Options In 2021 | Cody Yeh Interview
·41m - 72
185. The Differences Between Blackstone and BlackRock | How Blackstone Makes More Money With Less AUM
·9m - 73
184. How To Start a Venture Capital Fund From Scratch
·35m - 74
183. Real Estate Syndication vs Real Estate Fund | Working Capital Interview
·41m - 75
182. How To Flip 72 Houses In ONE Year (House Flipping At Scale)
·12m - 76
181. Secrets From a Serial Entrepreneur and Angel Investor | Warren Osborn Interview
·58m - 77
180. Should You INVEST In Private Equity?
·21m - 78
179. Breaking Down YouTuber/Boxer Jake Paul's Investment Fund | Anti-Fund Explained
·16m - 79
178. Is It Stressful Managing Other People's Money?
·10m - 80
177. How To Buy And Sell Businesses | Jeremy Neves Interview
·56m - 81
176. How An Ex-NFL Player Built A Pest Control Empire | Mitch Matthews Interview
·46m - 82
175. How Much Money Do Fund Managers Make?
·12m - 83
174. How To Break Into The Investment Fund World
·24m - 84
173. What It Takes To Be a Fund Manager...| Real Business Owners Podcast
·1h 4m - 85
172. Secrets From a Celebrity Asset Manager... | Antony Gordon Interview
·51m - 86
171. How To Raise Capital (3 Step Strategy)
·17m - 87
170. How To Start a Private Equity Fund From Scratch
·31m - 88
169. Why Tesla Took So Long To Succeed...
·11m - 89
168. The Logistics of Venture Capital Deals
·14m - 90
167. From Jail To Multi-Millionaire | Ryan Stewman Interview
·50m - 91
166. How DISNEY Can Help You Structure Your Fund And Business
·9m - 92
165. The Future of The US Economy... | Jason Hartman Interview
·45m - 93
164. How Much Are Investment Fund Legal Fees?
·15m - 94
163. Start an Investment Fund in 2021 Using This Formula
·18m - 95
162. Venture Capital EXPLAINED
·12m - 96
161. How To Build A Team For Your Fund
·16m - 97
160. Capital Calls & Distributions: The Flow of Money
·16m - 98
159. How to Start a Hedge Fund From Scratch
·22m - 99
244. $25,000,000 Tech Company by 25 Years Old | Devin Johnson Interview
Host Bridger Pennington interviews Devin Johnson about his entrepreneurial journey and scaling businesses, while the show focuses on building investment funds.
·1h 12m - 100
199. How To Get A 700+ Credit Score | Jason White Interview
Host Bridger Pennington interviews Jason White about credit building and financial foundations for aspiring fund managers.
·46m - 101
#258 Farewell to IFS and Welcome to Bullish
Jul 19, 2023·12m - 102
257. From Pilot to Managing Cardone Capital: Ryan Tseko on the Power of Partnerships
Hidden gemRyan Tseko moved from flying jets at United with $140,000 in student loans to joining Grant Cardone after calling his office and offering to fly airplanes.
Jun 13, 2023·40m·2 clips - 103
256. Randy Garn on Relationship Capital, Fly Fishing, and Personal Integrity
Hidden gemRandy Garn tells Bridger Pennington that nature is his meditation and that his best ideas come while hiking, fishing, running, or doing a triathlon.
Jun 6, 2023·40m·2 clips - 104
Real Estate Big Leagues: DJ Thielen on the Giants, Steroids, and Building an Empire
Hidden gemDJ Thielen says steroids mattered because they let players "play every day without getting injured."
May 31, 2023·30m·2 clips - 105
254. Is the U.S. Government at War with Crypto-based Companies?
May 23, 2023·18m - 106
253. Michael Burry: The Worst Crash in Decades is Coming...
Oct 28, 2022·6m - 107
252. Behind The Scenes of $100,000,000 in Hard Money Loans | Justin Hammond Interview
Hidden gemBridger Pennington opens Investment Fund Secrets episode 252 with Justin Hammond, who says he has done more than 100 foreclosures, about 100 food and beverage investments, and roughly $100 million in private money and hard money loans.
Sep 30, 2022·1h 1m·4 clips - 108
251. 10 Finance Terms Every Fund Manager Should Know
Sep 6, 2022·12m - 109
250. Is The Housing Market About To Crash? My 18-24 Month Prediction...
May 18, 2022·7m - 110
249. A Venture Capital Nightmare | What Went Wrong With Theranos
Mar 25, 2022·10m - 111
248. This Game Made Me A Millionaire By 25 | Here's How You Can Play
Mar 22, 2022·16m - 112
247. I Spent $500,000 On An Event...
Mar 18, 2022·15m - 113
246. How Much Should You Pay a Capital Raiser In Your Fund? | Fund Equity Breakdown
Mar 11, 2022·11m - 114
245. DAOs vs Investment Funds | What's The Difference?
Mar 8, 2022·12m - 115
244. $25,000,000 Tech Company by 25 Years Old | Devin Johnson Interview
Hidden gemBridger Pennington interviews Devin Johnson, the founder of Connected.io, and Devin says the company serves 17,000 businesses while heading toward $25 million to $26 million in sales this year.
Feb 26, 2022·1h 12m·2 clips - 116
243. When Should You Launch Your Second Fund?
Feb 15, 2022·10m - 117
242. 5 Venture Capital Trends Happening In 2022
Feb 11, 2022·10m - 118
241. Should You Use Third Party Admins For Your Fund?
Feb 8, 2022·9m - 119
240. How To Get The Most Out of Live Events (Fund Launch Live Prep)
Feb 4, 2022·13m - 120
239. This is The Hardest Part of Starting a Fund...
Jan 28, 2022·13m - 121
238. How Jeremiah Evans Built a Multi-Million Dollar Empire By 25
Jan 22, 2022·1h 13m - 122
237. 7 Books That Changed My Life | 2022 Must Reads
Jan 18, 2022·21m - 123
236. Top 5 Biggest Private Equity Funds In The World (2022)
Jan 14, 2022·9m - 124
235. The Story of Warren Buffett in 7 Minutes | 0 to $100 Billion
Jan 7, 2022·8m - 125
234. This Money Raising Strategy Will Help You Raise Millions
Jan 5, 2022·11m - 126
233. What is a Hedge Fund? | Fund Manager Explains
Dec 17, 2021·13m - 127
232. Digital Real Estate, Crypto Currency, and Building a Life of Financial Freedom | Dave Allred Interview
Dec 15, 2021·1h 8m - 128
231. Top 10 Biggest Hedge Funds In The World
Dec 14, 2021·13m - 129
230. 7 Private Equity Trends You Must Know Before 2022 (Urgent)
Dec 4, 2021·11m - 130
229. How To Scale Your Investment Fund In 2022
Nov 26, 2021·12m - 131
228. Investment Fund vs Holding Company | What's The Difference?
Nov 19, 2021·11m - 132
227. A Fund Managers Advice To College Kids
Nov 17, 2021·19m - 133
226. FaZe Clan Owner Shares $200 Billion Gaming Industry Secrets
Nov 5, 2021·23m - 134
225. Guess The $TSLA Stock Price And I'll Give You a Tesla!
Nov 3, 2021·8m - 135
224. Investing is Changing - Do This or Get Left Behind
Oct 26, 2021·11m - 136
223. Real Fund Manager Reacts To South Park Investing | "anddd it's gone!"
Oct 19, 2021·10m - 137
222. RANT: Solving Politics With Economics
Oct 15, 2021·15m - 138
221. How To Create An Investment Strategy For Your Fund
Oct 12, 2021·13m - 139
220. Fund Manager Ranks BEST and WORST Finance Jobs
Oct 1, 2021·21m - 140
219. The Most Important Step When Launching a Fund...
Sep 28, 2021·8m - 141
218. How To Win Your First Investor
Sep 24, 2021·12m - 142
217. Top 5 Most Common Investor Questions!
Sep 21, 2021·11m - 143
216. Future Economic Predictions From a 14-Year Fund Veteran | Kellen Jones Interview
Sep 14, 2021·59m - 144
215. BIG Changes Coming To NFTs In 2022 (Actually Urgent)
Sep 10, 2021·13m - 145
214. The 26 Year Old Hedge Fund Manager | Laurence Yang Interview
Sep 7, 2021·39m - 146
213. How To Raise Capital Like A MILLIONAIRE In 2021
Bridger Pennington shares the three stages of raising capital for investment funds, drawing from his experience launching multiple funds.
Aug 31, 2021·23m - 147
212. Should You Buy Real Estate In 2021? | Brian Burke Interview
Bridger Pennington interviews fund manager Brian Burke about his experience starting and scaling real estate investment funds and syndications.
Aug 27, 2021·42m - 148
211. Why Most Fund Managers FAIL...
Aug 24, 2021·8m - 149
210. How Cathie Wood Revolutionized ETFs With ARK Invest
Aug 20, 2021·10m - 150
209. NFTs: Are You Already Too Late? | Aly Madhavji Interview
Aug 17, 2021·42m