In today’s evolving real estate landscape, sophisticated investors are no longer asking whether tax strategy matters—they’re asking how to intentionally align tax deferral, depreciation, and long-term wealth planning without sacrificing flexibility. In this episode, we sit down with Ben Carmona, co-founder of Perch Wealth, to unpack how bonus depreciation, 1031 exchanges, and Deferred Sales Trust–style thinking fit into a smarter exit and reinvestment playbook.
Ben brings a boots-on-the-ground perspective from working with high-net-worth real estate owners who are navigating compressed timelines, shifting tax laws, and increasing pressure to “get it right” on the sale of highly appreciated assets. We explore where bonus depreciation can accelerate wealth, where it can quietly backfire, and how investors can pair depreciation strategies with thoughtful exit planning to preserve optionality—not lock themselves into rigid structures.
Whether you’re a passive investor evaluating deals, an active owner preparing for a major liquidity event, or an advisor guiding clients through complex capital gains decisions, this conversation reframes tax strategy as a wealth alignment tool, not just a compliance exercise. If your goal is to keep more capital working for your family, your investors, and your impact—this episode delivers practical insights you can apply immediately.
Episode Highlights Here:
Brett
Before we jump into this episode, I want to invite you to join our community to help you become a bettersteward scale to billions and ultimately give more or all of it away. All I want you to do is to click thesubscribe button right now. I love your support. It’s incredible to see your comments, and we’re just getting started. I can’t waits to go on this journey with you. Thank you so much for subscribing. It meansthe world to me. Welcome to the built a billions podcast where we got successful entrepreneurs andinvestors on their journey for millions to billions. We believe the key to scaling and compounding your wealth and life starts every single day with a mindset and practice of stewardship over ownership and applying billionaire biblical principles. Our ultimate goal is to help you scale and compound your wealth and life, so you give more all of it away for MVPs most vulnerable people. Hey, I’m excited about our next guest today. He’s out of the great state of tax authority to California, and he’s in SoCal in the Orange County area. He has a tremendous background in 1031, exchanges to lower statutory trust in structuring and figuring out ways to help people build and maximize their wealth through the trading of investment real estate properties. He’s got a really cool background. He would San Diego State. My fun fact, my wife went to San Diego State. I played a basketball down in Point Loma. So, we have a San Diego connection there too, and he’s going to, we’re going to talk about the 1031, today’s, today’s world. He also has a tenure with Cantor Fitzgerald. I mean, this is huge. Next point, advisors, Capital Square advisors, he’s been involved in the actions, finance, due diligence, underwriting, product structure and syndication and sales management. So just a tremendous background. He’s securities license and so much more. Please. Welcome to the show with me, managing partner of perch wealth. Ben Carmona, Ben, how we doing?
Ben
Hey, Brett, what an intro. I love it. Great. Thank you for having me on great to be absolutely if our listeners get to know for the first time, you tell them, what about my story and your current focus? So, I grew up in, born and raised in Southern California. I grew up in Westlake Village, agora, hills, 1000 notes area. Went to school down in San Diego, state, you know, graduated or majored in finance with emphasis and real estate. And really, I’ve always, since it’s a very young age, I was kind of brought up in a real estate investment type of family, so unlike so many people that that don’t really know what they want to do, right, even when they’re graduating college, like I always kind of, I knew what I wanted to do. I didn’t know where I’d land. But anyway, so I’ve been in Orange County for almost 20 years now, and out of school, I found myself into the financial services world, but really in a niche part of it, right? I mean, I am securities license. I’m a financial advisor by trade. But, you know, I don’t do stocks and bonds and mutual funds and insurance and annuities. All I do is real real estate, private real estate, syndications. And prior to starting perch wealth and was five years ago, acting as an advisor, helping accredited or high net worth clients with the real estate needs, primarily1031, exchanges. I spent 15 years on the syndication side, so all of the investments that I now, you know, recommend to investors. I used to build them right acquiring the real estate, doing the due diligence, the underwriting training and educating financial advisors and wealth managers nationwide, which, you know, I am today, so I am intimately familiar with this space, in every aspect of it. And the last thing I’ll say, I’ll take a pause. Brett is, well, actually, I’ll take a pause there.
Brett
Yeah, awesome. Man, that’s an amazing background. By the way, not many have what you have that ability to, you know, for acquisition, syndication, 1031, exchanges, and
then the securities part and building finance, all of that. You know what I really think it is, it’s a real-estate investment advisor, right? The traditional world is securities more. And by that, I mean stocks, bonds, mutual funds. We know them as financial advisors. And then Tony Robbins just came out with a book, by the way, and it talked about the performance the last 35 years of like private equity or private real estate, basically, versus the traditional, traditional. They call it us as the alternative. And I think this is a unique thing to start out with, Ben, right? Because I think too often the traditional mindset is, oh, the real estate is the alternative. You’re like, well, actually, if you look at the performance, maybe the
other one should be the alternative. So walk us through a little bit of your mindset when it comes toinvesting. And I love the way that that you put that you really focus on real estate, not the you know thatthe other ones, right? So, if you like this little, short clip of the interview I just did, click over here to watch the full interview, and please don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks so much, everybody.
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About Ben Carmona
Ben Carmona is a real estate investor, tax-strategy educator, and co-founder of Perch Wealth, where he helps real estate owners and investors preserve wealth and reinvest capital more strategically when exiting highly appreciated assets. He specializes in capital gains tax deferral strategies, including 1031 exchanges and alternative planning solutions for investors seeking flexibility, diversification, and long-term alignment with their financial goals.
Through his work at Perch Wealth, Ben has advised thousands of investors, brokers, and business owners on navigating complex real estate transactions shaped by timing constraints and evolving tax rules. Known for his ability to simplify sophisticated concepts such as bonus depreciation and exit planning, Ben is a frequent podcast guest, webinar host, and industry speaker who emphasizes proactive planning, collaboration among advisors, and intentional wealth design.
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