Episode 513: Passive Income Strategies for High Earners with Tait Duryea

In this episode of the Smart Real Estate Coach Podcast, I’m joined by Tait Duryea, a seasoned airline pilot turned real estate investor and the founder of Turbine Capital. We explore how he’s helping fellow pilots and high-income professionals break free from the paycheck-to-paycheck grind by building generational wealth through alternative investments.   Tait unpacks why he launched a private equity firm tailored for pilots, how his team scouts high-quality operators across diverse asset classes, and the key mindsets and strategies investors need to thrive in today’s turbulent commercial real estate market. From multifamily syndications to water-rights-backed tiny home ventures, this is one conversation packed with eye-opening insights!   Key Talking Points of the Episode   [0:00] - Introducing Tait Duryea and the Passive Income Pilots podcast [2:32] - Tait’s journey from aspiring entrepreneur to pilot and real estate investor [5:18] - Why airline pilots need better financial strategies [6:30] - Turbine Capital’s unique asset-agnostic approach [7:43] - Exploring high-risk, high-reward ventures through Skunkworks [10:23] - Mitosis Living: The Tesla of luxury tiny homes [16:09] - Water rights, land, and asymmetric risk in alternative investments [18:02] - Why diversification and passive investing matter more than ever [19:27] - The harsh lessons from 2021–2022 commercial deals [21:08] - How to vet syndications and think like a savvy LP [23:13] - Asset allocation insights from Tiger 21 [24:51] - Turbine Capital’s personal approach to investor relationships [25:23] - The ultimate goal: Freedom, not just money   Quotables   “Money is not the goal. Freedom is the goal. Money is just the tool to get there.” “You can buy cash-producing assets first—and let your assets pay for the toys.” “If this thing fails, we still own $12 million in water rights and a working factory.” “Diversification is easy when you’re a limited partner—hard when you’re swinging hammers.” “Never put all your eggs in one basket—especially not in a sub-3% cap rate deal.”   Links & Resources   Turbine Capital: https://www.turbinecap.com Passive Income Pilots Podcast: https://passiveincomepilots.com/   QLS Live https://qlslive.com   Real Estate On Your Terms and Deal Structure Overtime https://wickedsmartbooks.com/podcast   FREE Master’s Class http://smartrealestatecoach.com/masterspodcast   FREE Strategy Session with Chris Pre http://smartrealestatecoach.com/actionpodcast   QLS 4.0 https://smartrealestatecoach.com/qlspodcast   Investor Resources https://smartrealestatecoach.com/resources   Apprentice Program https://smartrealestatecoach.com/apprentice-pod   In the Trenches Bootcamp https://smartrealestatecoach.com/ittb-pod   3 Paydays Virtual Event https://smartrealestatecoach.com/3paydayspodcast   REI Blackbook https://smartrealestatecoach.com/REIBB-pod   7 Figures Funding https://smartrealestatecoach.com/7figures-pod