What does it really mean to build a legacy that lasts 100 years? In this episode of Build It to Billions, Brett Swarts sits down with Dan Ihara, founder of The Ihara Team, to discuss how families can move beyond short-term wealth planning and create a multi-generational family vision rooted in purpose, stewardship, and impact.
Dan shares how real estate, family values, intentional conversations, and legacy planning can work together to preserve wealth, strengthen relationships, and prepare the next generation to carry the mission forward. Whether you are a real estate investor, entrepreneur, or family leader, this conversation will challenge you to think bigger about the wealth you are building and the legacy you want to leave behind.
Episode Highlights Here:
Brett
Before we jump into this episode, I would invite you to join our community to help you become a better steward, scale to billions, and ultimately give more or all of it away. All I want you to do is to click the subscribe button right now. I love your support, it’s incredible to see your comments, and we’re just getting started. I can’t wait to go on this journey with you. Thank you so much for subscribing. It means the world to me. Welcome to the Buildings of Billions Podcast, where we guide successful entrepreneurs and investors on their journey from 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 of our ownership and applying billionaire biblical principles. Our ultimate goal is to have to scale and compound your wealth and life, so you can give more all of it away to help MVPs. My name is Brett Swarts. Each and every episode, we’re joined by the world’s top entrepreneurs, millionaires, and billionaires. They share their story, secrets, and insights with us, so we can all level up, make a bigger impact in this world. I’m excited about our next guest. He’s what I call a hall of famer in the real estate industry. He’s nationally recognized real estate strategist, entrepreneur, and coach with more than two decades of experience helping families and investors build, protect, and transfer wealth through real estate. He’s the CEO and rainmaker of the Ihara team at Keller Williams, Honolulu, and he has helped facilitate over 1 billion in real estate transactions and guided more than 1500 families in achieving their real estate and wealth building goals, and so much more. Please welcome to the show with me, Dan Ihara. Dan, how we doing?
Dan
Hey, very good, thanks so much, Brett. Thanks for having me.
Brett
Excellent. Yeah, absolutely grateful to have you on the show. And for our listeners, get to know you for the first time, would you please give us a little bit more about your story and your current focus?
Dan
Yeah, so I live and reside in Honolulu, Hawaii. Been in real estate for over two decades, and when I got into real estate, I realized that I wanted to solve the biggest problems people had. And at that time, 20 years ago, the biggest problem was families fighting, right? People were passing on, and the kids didn’t know what to do with it. They didn’t have a plan. There was no clarity around what happens next, so then we just started building, providing solutions for them for their home, and then after they found out that we could help them with transitioning out of their home, then they realized that, you know, they had other properties we call investment properties, they called them the other properties, right, and so most of our client base is the older demographic, a baby boomer and their parents, right?
Brett
Excellent. So, I love it. I love that your focus has always been on solving the problems, right, versus just, you know, selling something, right? I think that’s what it’ll separate you and your team, as I could see from your bio and your website. So, what you know, so today we’re gonna be talking about property decisions, avoiding family disputes and painful taxes, and creating a legacy at last, which happens to be your book as well. So, what is the number one secret to avoiding family disputes? Let’s start there, and then we’ll work our way through the rest of it.
Dan
Well, the problem is clarity, and the solution is a conversation, but the book becomes your guide, because in the book we talk about through 20 years of conversations with families and conversations that we go really, really good, and some that don’t, and the data says attorneys tell us, Brett, 70% of families fight over real estate after the parents die, 70% so if 2.1 million older adults are going to die in the next 12 months, right, with real estate, what does that tell you? We’re gonna have a lot of problems. So, our mission, and my wife and I are believers, we believe that God’s got us on this planet for a reason, and that’s to make a difference, not to make money, to make a difference. I think when we make a difference, then we do make money, but the focus has to be another human being. The focus has to be the care and compassion to provide a solution to a problem we know it’s going to happen. You know, there’s only. there are really two guarantees in life, Brett. You know, in the professional world, they tell us don’t say the word guarantee, right? But there’s two guarantees in life. There’s number one, is I guarantee you, we’re going to die one day, maybe not today, but one day we’re going to die. The second guarantee is upon the death of the last surviving spouse; that’s the date of transfer. Well, so if you know that’s going to happen, you just don’t know when it’s going to happen, but you know what’s going to happen. What’s your plan, such that your family doesn’t fight? Because I ask all of our clients, Brett, at the end of the day, when you’re gone, you want your kids to love each other, and what’s your plan? Because the data says attorneys tell us70% of families don’t get along, they actually have disputes, you know. I got three clients today, Brett, that there’s a restraining order on the brother. Yeah, yeah, it’s so bad that they could no longer be within 50 feet of each other. I have another client that the sister is kicking the brother out of the house because the brother took advantage of the mother, and now the sister is a trustee that has to take care of the mother because it’s her life and it’s her money, and now we just kicked the son. Out of the house, unfortunately, through a writ of possession. It’s a legal process. It’s horrible. Why does this happen? Because we don’t have conversationsaround it. We don’t talk about what matters most to us. You know, I believe money is good forthe good it does.
Brett
So, if you like this little short clip of the interview I just did, click over here to watch the fullinterview, and please don’t forget to subscribe. Thanks so much, everybody.
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About Dan Ihara
Dan Ihara is the founder and leader of The Ihara Team, a Hawaii-based real estate advisory team focused on helping families build, protect, and transfer wealth through real estate. With more than 20 years of experience and over $1 billion in real estate sales, Dan has become known for his consultative approach to real estate planning, 1031 exchanges, senior transitions, trust and probate sales, and legacy planning.
Beyond serving clients in Hawaii, Dan is also a national speaker, coach, and leader within the Keller Williams Real Estate Planner community, where he trains agents to move beyond transactions and become trusted advisors for families. His work centers on helping families make wise property decisions, preserve relationships, reduce unnecessary taxes, and create a multi-generational vision that can impact future generations.
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