080 | Real Estate Cash Flow, Depreciation & Passive Income: Strategies for High-Income Earners with Lane Kawaoka

Is your wealth strategy stuck on the ground floor? Learn how Lane Kawaoka went from a civil engineer to managing over $2.1 billion in real estate—and how you can use the same framework to create your own wealth elevator. 

In this episode of the Vital Wealth Strategies Podcast, host Patrick Lonergan sits down with Lane Kawaoka, former civil engineer turned real estate powerhouse, bestselling author, and host of a top 50 investing podcast. Lane shares his journey from buying his first rental in Seattle to building a portfolio of over 10,000 units and founding The Wealth Elevator. If you're a high-income earner looking for scalable, tax-efficient ways to build passive income through real estate syndications and advanced private equity strategies, this conversation is packed with insights you can't afford to miss. 

Lane breaks down the four key wealth drivers in real estate, demystifies syndications, and shares his powerful Wealth Elevator framework to help investors at every stage, from getting out of debt to leveraging alternative investments. You’ll also hear Lane’s candid take on current market conditions, what to watch out for in deal underwriting, and why multifamily remains a resilient asset class. Whether you're just getting started or navigating the complexities of accredited investing, this episode offers a roadmap to smarter, more strategic wealth-building. 

Key Takeaways: 

• The two best paths to building long-term wealth: business ownership vs. real estate investing 

• How cash flow, appreciation, amortization, and depreciation work together in real estate 

• Why syndications are a scalable and tax-efficient alternative to direct ownership 

• Lane’s Wealth Elevator framework works for everyone 

• How to vet syndication deals with conservative underwriting metrics 

• Why Lane prefers single-asset deals over blind pool funds 

• Economic trends affecting real estate in 2025 and beyond 

• How private equity fits into a diversified, cash-flow-focused portfolio 

Learn More About Lane: 

• Official Website

Resources:   

Visit www.vitalstrategies.com to download FREE resources     

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Credits:    

Sponsored by Vital Wealth    

Music by Cephas    

Art work by Two Tone Creative 

Audio, video, research and copywriting by Victoria O'Brien