Watch Bob and Ben's latest Private Credit Masterclass feat. Anton Mattli

180. Making Homeownership Affordable feat. Frank Rohde

We discuss how Ownify's model allows first-time buyers to gradually purchase homes through fractional ownership, bypassing traditional mortgage hurdles. This podcast is sponsored by Aspen Funds. Alternative investments in Pri...

Recent Episodes

Oct. 10, 2024

180. Making Homeownership Affordable feat. Frank Rohde

We discuss how Ownify's model allows first-time buyers to gradually purchase homes through fractional ownership, bypassing traditional mortgage hurdles. This podcast is sponsored by Aspen Funds. Alternative investments in Pr…
Oct. 3, 2024

179. How to Maximize Real Estate Tax Benefits feat. Ryan Carriere

Ryan Carriere, co-host of the Tax Smart REI podcast and a Real Estate Tax Strategist at Hall CPA, explains the advantages and intricacies of real estate professional status and the short-term rental 'loophole,' highlighting …
Sept. 26, 2024

178. How to Invest Like an American Dynasty: The Hilton Family Empire feat. Mark Miller

Mark Miller, President and CEO of Hilton Tax and Wealth Advisors, shares insights on the wealth management strategies employed by the ultra-wealthy, including the famous Hilton family. He explains how these strategies can be…

About the Hosts

Bob Fraser Profile Photo

Bob Fraser

Co-Founder • CFO

Mr. Fraser has 20+ years’ experience as a finance and technology executive and is a Magna Cum Laude U.C. Berkeley computer scientist and a former Entrepreneur of the Year Award winner. Fraser is responsible for financial management, portfolio modeling, as well as systems and processes, designing and deploying Aspen’s scalable state-of-the-art back-end platform.

In 1995, Mr. Fraser founded NetSales, Inc., a back-office e-commerce provider. As a CEO, Mr. Fraser raised $44 million in investment capital, and guided the company to an average of 20% month-to-month revenue growth, becoming the metro area’s fastest growing company between 1997 and 1999.

Since 2002 Fraser has founded and served several non-profit organizations as a board member and CFO. Fraser has also been involved in a number of entrepreneurial initiatives, including book publishing, financial consulting, and an investment fund managing member.

In 2012 Fraser co-founded Aspen Funds, a fund management company focused on alternative investments.

Jim Maffuccio Profile Photo

Jim Maffuccio

Co-Founder

Mr. Maffuccio is a 30-year real estate veteran and an expert in mortgage notes. He is deeply networked in the secondary mortgage industry and is responsible for acquisitions and underwriting as well as relationships with primary sources and key vendors.

Maffuccio received his degree in civil engineering from Louisiana State University in 1979. Upon graduating, Mr. Maffuccio moved to the West Coast and gained extensive project management experience with Exxon.

From 1986 to present, Mr. Maffuccio has been engaged full time in the real estate development and investment industry. In addition, he has overseen several hundred purchase, sale, and/or financing transactions, and has been a licensed real estate agent since 1985.

During his real estate career, Mr. Maffuccio developed, and/or rehabbed multiple residential projects in Southern California, including infill subdivisions, affordable homes, luxury homes and homesites, multifamily, and planned developments, such as the Gold Nugget Award-winning “Traditions” community in Fillmore. Mr. Maffuccio has personally executed and/or managed every aspect of the development process, including site selection and acquisition, project conceptualization and design, procurement of entitlements and permits, regulatory compliance, entity structuring and capitalization, construction management, marketing, sales, and investor relations.

In 2009, Mr. Maffuccio began investing in mortgage loans, developing key sources and vendors and applying his extensive real estate experience to the note investment space. In… Read More

Ben Fraser Profile Photo

Ben Fraser

Managing Director • CIO

Prior to Aspen, Mr. Fraser was a commercial lender at First Business Bank specializing in government backed loan originations (SBA & USDA), for one of the top SBA lenders in the nation. Prior to that he was a commercial credit underwriter for Crossfirst Bank, personally responsible for underwriting over $125MM in C&I and CRE loans across a variety of industries.

Prior to that, he worked for Tortoise Capital Advisors, a boutique asset management firm in energy infrastructure investments, and helped grow their institutional managed accounts from ~$3BN AUM to ~$7BN AUM. Ben was responsible for responding to all institutional RFPs from interested institutional investors.

Ben completed his MBA from Azusa Pacific University, and his B.S. in Finance from the University of Kansas, graduating magna cum laude.