SEP-IRA vs Solo 401(k): Which Retirement Account Wins for the Self-Employed Investor
TL;DR: At $200,000 net self-employment income in 2026, a Solo 401(k) lets you contribute $61,674 versus $37,174 in a SEP-IRA, a $24,500 advantage that comes entirely from the Solo 401(k)'s employee...
June 12, 2026
Pro-Rata Rights: How to Protect Your Stake When the Next Round Closes
TL;DR: Fred Wilson of Union Square Ventures called pro-rata rights "the single most important term anyone can negotiate for in a venture capital investment." He is right. Venture returns follow a...
June 12, 2026
General Partner (GP): What Fund Managers Do and How They Get Paid
TL;DR: A general partner (GP) is the fund manager who raises capital, makes investment decisions, manages portfolio companies, and returns profits to limited partners (LPs). In exchange, the GP...
June 12, 2026
Mezzanine Financing: The Hybrid Debt Between Senior Loans and Equity
TL;DR: Mezzanine debt is a subordinated instrument sitting below senior loans and above common equity in the capital stack. It targets 12–20% total returns by combining a cash coupon of 8–12%, PIK...
June 12, 2026
The J-Curve in Private Equity: Why Your Fund Looks Terrible in Year One
The bottom line: In a typical buyout fund, your reported net asset value drops to roughly 80 cents on every committed dollar by year 3.5 before it ever climbs back. That is not a warning sign. It is..
June 12, 2026
IRR in Private Equity: The Metric Funds Use to Sell You on Returns
TL;DR: Across 12,306 private capital funds totaling $10.5 trillion in AUM, the median net IRR is 9.1%, barely above long-run public market returns once you strip out IRR's mathematical quirks. Oxford.
June 12, 2026
Brookfield Infrastructure Fund VI: What a $20 Billion Close Tells LP Investors
TL;DR: Brookfield Asset Management is targeting a $20 billion initial close for its sixth flagship infrastructure fund in Q3 2026 , with a total target of $30 billion. Brookfield Infrastructure Fund
June 11, 2026
Carlyle's $8.5B Pre-Seeding Play: What PE Fund Financing Means for LPs
TL;DR Carlyle Group assembled an $8.5 billion financing arrangement comprising bank debt, preferred equity, and common equity to anchor its next flagship North America buyout fund before formally
June 11, 2026
NAV Lending: The PE Liquidity Tool Every LP Needs to Understand
TL;DR: NAV loans are how PE funds return capital without exiting positions. The mechanics are straightforward. The risks are not. In May 2026, the Financial Stability Board warned that fund-level
June 11, 2026
Interval Funds: Semi-Liquid Access to Private Markets and What the Fine Print Says
TL;DR: Interval funds offer quarterly liquidity windows into private credit, private equity, and real assets. They are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, issue 1099s instead of
June 11, 2026
NinjaOne's $12.3B Valuation: What a Non-AI Unicorn Tells Investors in 2026
TL;DR: NinjaOne raised more than $400 million in June 2026, reaching a $12.3 billion valuation — without a generative AI product at its core. In a funding environment dominated by AI narratives, that
June 11, 2026
GP Stakes Investing: How to Own a Piece of the Fund Manager, Not Just the Fund
TL;DR GP stakes investing means buying a minority ownership interest in the management company of a private equity or venture capital firm, not a limited partner interest in the fund itself. You own
June 11, 2026