Financial Expert and Owner of Stratum Ridge, Brandon Gerfen shares a powerful journey from a difficult childhood and military service to managing investments and advising high-net-worth clients. This conversation explores the mindset shifts, financial frameworks, and life lessons that shape men who are building wealth while protecting what matters most.

Brandon Gerfen is a wealth and investment manager with over a decade of experience in the financial industry. He began his career at JPMorgan Chase, quickly rising through the ranks before moving into private wealth management and helping grow a registered investment advisory firm managing billions in assets. After years of advising affluent clients and business owners, Brandon recently launched his own investment firm. His background also includes over a decade of service in the United States Marine Corps, including deployments overseas, which helped shape the discipline and perspective he brings to business and leadership.

In this episode, we discuss:

• How a challenging childhood and unstable home environment shaped Brandon’s drive and resilience
• The lessons the Marine Corps teaches about discipline, leadership, and responsibility
• Why many high earners with millions still don’t understand how money actually works
• The difference between earning money and managing wealth effectively
• The importance of structure and clarity when building a financial plan
• Why stability and consistency are often the defining traits of successful individuals
• The emotional side of money, family expectations, and helping others financially
• How high-net-worth individuals invest differently once they gain access to private markets

The Legacy & Wealth Podcast, hosted by Mitchell Clark and presented by The Standard, features conversations with entrepreneurs, executives, and high-performing men who are building wealth, leadership, and legacy. Each episode explores the strategies, lessons, and experiences behind success while addressing the responsibility that comes with leadership, family, and long-term impact.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction and opening discussion on money and entitlement
01:00 Introduction to the Legacy & Wealth Podcast
01:20 Brandon Gerfen’s current role as a wealth and investment manager
02:00 Career journey from JPMorgan to building his own firm
07:40 Brandon’s early life and difficult childhood environment
14:30 Joining the Marine Corps and lessons from military service
18:40 Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan
20:50 Searching for camaraderie and brotherhood after the military
21:30 Why Brandon joined The Standard
25:30 Financial advising principles and helping clients plan their future
33:20 Common traits among high-net-worth individuals
36:30 The difference between entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs
40:20 Income levels and the point where lifestyle satisfaction plateaus
43:00 Investment strategies for clients with $10M+ net worth
48:50 Emotional decisions around helping family with money
52:30 The philosophy of saving, spending, and long-term freedom

Owner of PSG Security Rod Rodriguez opens up about the transition many high-performing men face in midlife. He details the pains that he went through losing two wives before the age of 50. He shares the challenges of being the one who protects and provides to becoming the man who leads, mentors, and builds lasting impact.

Rod Rodriguez is a veteran, security professional, entrepreneur, and leader committed to mentoring the next generation of men. He runs a private security contracting company while also building initiatives designed to create opportunities for veterans and law enforcement professionals transitioning into civilian life.

In this episode, Rod shares the reality of life after military service, building a security contracting business, and navigating the tension between success and calling. He explains the challenge of scaling a business beyond yourself, the responsibility of creating opportunities for other veterans, and the deeper questions many men face when they reach a season of stability but still feel called to something greater.

• The transition from military service to entrepreneurship
• Why many successful men still feel something is missing
• The challenge of scaling a service-based business beyond yourself
• Building a company that creates jobs and opportunities for veterans
• The importance of brotherhood and accountability among men
• Why midlife is often a season of leadership and influence
• The tension between comfort, calling, and personal growth

00:00 Introduction
02:00 Rod’s background and military service
06:00 Why brotherhood and community matter for high-performing men
08:30 The difference between mentorship and peer-level leadership
12:00 Finding men who challenge you instead of relying on you
16:00 The shift from being a “soldier” to becoming a “leader”
20:30 Building a private security business and landing contracts
25:00 The challenge of scaling a service-based business
28:00 Creating job opportunities for veterans and law enforcement
32:00 Wrestling with calling, purpose, and faith
38:00 Why growth requires discomfort and change
42:00 What the next season of leadership looks like

Follow Rod Rodriguez: https://www.instagram.com/psgrodrodriguez/

Multi-Million dollar developer Royce Colley shares the real path to building wealth through real estate—far beyond the simple “fix and flip” stories most people hear. In this episode, he breaks down how he built over 100 homes in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, the strategies investors use to create passive income, and the personal setbacks that nearly stopped his journey.

Royce is the real estate developer, investor, and mentor who has been building homes in the DFW area since 2015. Over the past decade, he has developed more than 100 homes and later launched a construction development school to teach others how to enter the real estate industry.

In this conversation, he explains how investors structure deals, how owner financing creates passive income, and why resilience is often the real differentiator between those who succeed in business and those who quit.

• How Royce built more than 100 homes in the Dallas–Fort Worth market
• The mindset shift that led him from corporate work into real estate investing
• Lessons from growing up in a single-parent household and learning construction early
• The real risks and misconceptions behind house flipping
• How owner financing works and why it can create passive income
• Rebuilding after personal bankruptcy and financial setbacks
• Why relationships and investors are critical to scaling real estate deals
• The realities of becoming a real estate developer

00:00 Introduction
03:55 How Royce currently makes money in real estate
04:30 Building over 100 homes in the DFW area
05:10 The Warren Buffett quote that sparked his interest in real estate
05:50 Leaving corporate America to start flipping houses
06:00 Growing up in Dallas in a single-parent household
07:10 Learning construction working with contractors as a teenager
12:30 The real path from house flipping to development
20:00 The challenges of scaling a real estate business
32:10 How owner financing deals actually work
33:00 Structuring wrap notes and creating passive income
41:20 Filing bankruptcy and eliminating $90,000 in personal debt
42:20 Rebuilding financially after bankruptcy
44:00 Finding investors and scaling the next phase of the business

Follow Royce on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/the.gentlemanbuilder/