Meet the Team

Kathy Fettke

CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO

Kathy specializes in teaching people how to build multi-million dollar real estate portfolios through creative finance and planning. She is passionate about researching and then sharing the most important information about real estate, market cycles and the economy. Author of the #1 best seller, Retire Rich with Rentals, Kathy is a frequent guest expert on such media as CNN, CNBC, Fox News, NPR and CBS MarketWatch.

Read Kathy's Story

Rich Fettke

CO-FOUNDER & CO-CEO

Rich oversees the marketing and business development at RealWealth. He is passionate about developing our team and our systems, and is always looking for new ways to bring good people to the Network. As a licensed real estate broker, experienced investor and Master Certified Business Coach, Rich specializes in helping our team stay aligned and inspired to fulfill our company’s purpose, mission and values.

Read Rich's Story

Nick Grant

CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER

Nick Grant's Bio

Nick has been with RealWealth since 2011. During this time, Nick has been instrumental in growing our network of passionate real estate investors to just over 24,000. He currently works to ensure that our Live Events, Investment Property Tours and weekly Webinars are filled to capacity, with qualified real estate investors.

Nick has a sales & marketing background and is proficient in Lead Generation, Lead Conversion, Email Marketing, as well as Sales & Marketing Automation. Nick lives in Salt Lake City with his wife Becca and they are expecting twin boys late this summer.

Bio

Tim Horvath

DIRECTOR, PROPERTY TEAMS & PROPERTIES

Tim Horvath's Bio

Tim previously worked for two turn-key real estate companies in Cleveland, Ohio, where he gained valuable knowledge and skills in property acquisition, renovations from start to finish, and property management. He is a certified Six Sigma Blackbelt — a high-level, disciplined methodology for systems integration, communication and problem solving.

This strong background helps Tim screen potential property providers for RealWealth members, and perform regular audits on our current teams. Tim also helps further develop best practices and standards for all our property providers to ensure that our members continue to receive top notch service. Tim has been a long time resident of Northeast Cleveland, Ohio on beautiful Lake Erie where he enjoys spending time with his wife, two boys and three dogs.

Bio

Ben Erik Smith

DIRECTOR, INVESTOR RELATIONS & INVESTMENT COUNSELOR

Ben Erik Smith's Bio

Ben has been an active real estate investor for over 25 years, buying and rehabbing over 20 properties in California and Arizona. Before joining our team, Ben was a RealWealth member and purchased investment properties in both Ohio and Pennsylvania. In April 2016, his family sold their East SF Bay home and moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida, adding FL to the list of states where he owns houses.

As Director of Investor Relations, Ben helps our members create unique investment plans through personalized strategy sessions. He also travels the country to meet with our current and prospective property teams. Ben is a native of Northern California and enjoys skiing, boating, camping and 4×4 trekking in the wilds of the West with his wife, daughter and Alistair the giant dog …and whoever else is daring enough to join them!

Bio

Kelley Pecoraro

DIRECTOR, FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

Kelley Pecoraro's Bio

We love having Kelley on the Real Wealth Team because she expertly handles the back office and financial details — so we can focus on serving you. Kelley has worked with RealWealth since early 2008. As sole proprietor of SmartBooks, she also works with other clients, and real estate portfolios are one of her favorite projects.

Prior to starting SmartBooks, Kelley worked in Hotel and Commercial Property Management as well as Program Management in the software industry. A long time Walnut Creek resident, Kelley enjoys time with her husband and their two sons — one in high school and one in college.

Bio

Amy Searcy

DIRECTOR, MARKETING

Amy Searcy's Bio

Amy helps keep our website looking good and working right. For over five years she’s been developing websites and says she’s proud to be working with RealWealth. Amy’s had several fun careers — including working as a video game producer and as a production manager for an art studio. She has been teaching yoga, qigong and tai chi for over 13 years and is a certified Zen Wellness Medical Qigong director.

She is also certified in Bikram and Barkan Yoga. Amy has a 1st degree black belt in Kung Fu and is working on her 2nd degree. She also loves to act and has been in numerous films and plays in the Phoenix area. She enjoys traveling, hiking, sword-fighting and spending time with her family.

Bio

Joe Torre

INVESTMENT COUNSELOR

Joe Torre's Bio

Joe joined RealWealth following a 20-year career as a marketing data analyst for Silicon Valley tech companies and is RealWealth's Bay Area-based investment counselor. With over 13 years of experience as a real estate investor and educator, he helps members build their portfolios of cash-flowing properties. In his off-time, he enjoys traveling abroad.

Joe served in the US Marine Corps and holds an MBA from Columbia University Business School in New York. He is not related to the manager of the New York Yankees. 🙂

Bio

Aristotle Kumpis

INVESTMENT COUNSELOR

Aristotle Kumpis's Bio

Aristotle received his real estate license in 2007 and has since helped hundreds of investors acquire cash flow property in emerging markets nationwide. As an investment counselor, he helps our members develop a unique investment plan based on their personal goals. As an investor himself, Aristotle is able to share his knowledge, experience and insights with new and experienced investors.

He regularly visits the various markets promoted by RealWealth to keep the pulse on various teams and economics in those areas. Aristotle grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, where he attended UMSL and then moved to Southern California in 2002. His interest in real estate was inspired by his parents, who own income property in the St. Louis area. He likes writing music in his free time and enjoys spending time outdoors — especially with his family.

Bio

Leah Collich

INVESTMENT COUNSELOR

Leah Collich's Bio

Leah began investing in real estate in 2010 and became a RealWealth member in 2017 in order to expand her portfolio into five new markets while living overseas. While she enjoys the creative outlet of flipping, she strongly believes buy-and-hold investing is the path to real wealth. Before joining our team, she worked in program management and benefits education for a national economic initiative of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

As an Investment Counselor, Leah is passionate about discussing real estate investment strategies that create a clear path to real wealth and helping our members realize that retirement might not be as far away as they think.

Leah is a native Texan and is the spouse of an active duty Army officer. The Army has afforded them with the opportunity to see the world and live in Asia, Europe, and South America. Leah enjoys learning Spanish, Peloton, and long nature walks with her rowdy Golden Retriever.

Bio

Jessica Conflitti Willens

ACQUISITION & ENGAGEMENT MANAGER

Jessica Conflitti Willens's Bio

Jessica manages content creation, PPC and SEO for RealWealth. She joined our team part-time in August of 2015 and quickly moved to a full-time position to write for the blog and to oversee our independent researchers and analysts that help keep RealWealth on the cutting edge of investor education. In her free time, Jessica enjoys writing music, baking, meditating, and spending time with her friends and family.

Bio

Dallin Chase

DEV OPS MANAGER

Dallin Chase's Bio

Dallin manages the development of web systems and operations including RealWealth's websites. Dallin has over 10 years of experience working with web systems and CRMs including extensive experience with WordPress.

Dallin specializes in creating scalable systems that help RealWealth succeed online. He loves spending time out doors and off roading and is the proud father of two handsome boys.

Bio

Celia Christensen

EVENT & WEBINAR MANAGER

Celia Christensen's Bio

Celia joined RealWealth in early 2017 as member support staff and is now working on the Investor Relations team. She's also managed to sneak her way into editing many of the articles on our website because (as she puts it) she's "a total weirdo and likes grammar" (she earned her degree in Technical Writing from Utah State University -- old habits die hard). When she's not on the phone with RealWealth members, Celia teaches private music lessons (piano, violin, and viola) to students in her hometown of Bozeman, Montana. Although these two jobs keep her plenty busy, she also manages to find time for her other loves: baking, running (to offset the love of baking), and spending time with her husband and four kids, two dogs, and their desert tortoise, Esteban.

Bio

Kathy McBride

INVESTOR RELATIONS MANAGER

Kathy McBride's Bio

Kathy has been a RealWealth member since 2009 before joining the team as our Investor Relations Manager. Kathy's role is to talk (and does that a lot ) with our investors to establish relationships about their investing needs. With a BA in Mass Communications/Marketing and 30+ years in customer service she is a natural at her job. Kathy is passionate about real estate and holds a California Real Estate license.

Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, she now lives in Folsom (Sacramento area) with her husband and has two sons; one who attends college, the other a 82nd Airborne Paratrooper. In her free time, Kathy likes to hang out with family and friends, is a wine enthusiast, likes to travel, watch college football, and is always game to try new things!

Bio

Scott Meitus

SYNDICATION MANAGER

Scott Meitus's Bio

Scott Meitus comes to RealWealth with over thirty years of experience in residential real estate. During his career, he has been involved in virtually every aspect of the industry, including acquisitions/dispositions, syndications, development, construction/renovation, property and asset management, financial underwriting/analysis, and market analysis.

From 1998 to 2020, Scott owned and operated his own real estate investment/consulting company. Syndications included sixteen properties with a combined acquisition value of nearly $50 million. Across all deals, investors realized average returns on equity of over 29% annually.

Scott is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received his BBA in Real Estate and Urban and Economics. Volunteer work includes Rotary International where he is the past president of his local chapter, Junior Achievement, and several environmental
organizations.

Scott currently resides in Minocqua, Wisconsin, a small resort/summer home community in the northern part of the state. His spare time is largely devoted to his two teenage children but also includes fly fishing, waterfowl/upland bird hunting, golf and cycling.

Bio

Jill Benes

DIGITAL EDITING & EVENT SUPPORT

Jill Benes's Bio

Jill is masterful at making RealWealth's webinars, videos and podcasts look and sound amazing. She edits both The Real Wealth Show and the Real Estate News for Investors podcasts, as well as our Market Overview videos and our weekly educational webinars. Jill grew up in Southern California and attended the Academy of Art University in San Francisco where she majored in Computer Arts.

In her free time Jill enjoys surfing, skiing, songwriting, and taking road trips up and down the California coast.

Bio

Donna Behrens

PODCAST PRODUCER & WRITER

Donna Behrens's Bio

Donna brings 25 years of top market TV news experience to our operation. As a podcast producer and writer for The Real Wealth Show and Real Estate News for Investors, she manages content and keeps listeners up-to-date on the most relevant industry news, events, trends, and forecasts. She also provides digital content for our blogs and articles. Donna is a UC Berkeley graduate who, after many years of renting in the San Francisco Bay Area, recently purchased her own home in Southern California. She enjoys anything related to real estate, latin music and dancing, learning Spanish, working remotely, and traveling as if you “live there.” She has a great affinity for small dogs, especially the Australian Silky Terrier.

Bio

Madison Haynes

PROPERTY TEAM COORDINATOR

Madison Haynes' Bio

Madison began working for RealWealth in 2017 when she was hired as a contractor to work for the Rental fund. Quickly thereafter she was hired to be Tim Horvath’s Executive Assistant. In 2018 she decided to also become a sales agent, because she wanted to learn even more about the real estate industry. But soon after she realized that her true passion was to fully immerse herself into the world of investing.

She became a full-time employee of RealWealth in June of 2020 as the Property Team Coordinator. In this position, her responsibilities include communicating with all current and potential property teams, scheduling webinars and live events, and acting as the “Middle Man” between property teams and all RealWealth departments.

When she's not working, she's usually spending time with her family and friends, her dog and playing outside in the sun!

Bio

Kate Christensen

WRITER & OUTREACH COORDINATOR

Kate Christensen's Bio

Kate previously worked part-time for RealWealth in 2012, but her passion for real estate brought her back to rejoin our marketing team in 2018. She assists with research, content creation, SEO strategy, graphic design, and social media. Kate has a diverse background in marketing and education, with a bachelors degree in Communications and a Masters in Education. She’s worked in digital marketing for 9 years and is knowledgeable in a wide range of real estate related topics. Kate lives in Salt Lake City and enjoys skiing, golfing, hiking with her two Airedale Terriers and going to Utah Jazz games.

Bio

Ann Triplett

SYNDICATION & MEMBER SUPPORT

Ann Triplett's Bio

Ann Triplett worked with Kathy Fettke when they were both in the mortgage industry years ago. She joined RealWealth as a member in 2006 where she deepened her education in real estate investing. Today she owns rentals nationwide and has participated in several RealWealth syndications. That's why she's a perfect fit to now be assisting other RealWealth members who attend our events and tours, and wish to invest in our syndications.

Prior to investing, Ann established other successful businesses, always with a passion to develop passive income. She is a long time resident of Livermore, and enjoys the outdoors, sports (Go Giants & Dubs!), Livermore's wineries & concerts, and spending time with family and friends.

Bio

Natalie Gessel

CUSTOMER SUCCESS COORDINATOR

Natalie Gessel's Bio

Natalie has been a part of RealWealth and our Member Success Team since 2017. She helps our members navigate through and make the most of our website, while assisting with podcasts and website development.

Natalie has a background in recreation management, nonprofit management, and residential case management for adults with disabilities. When she's not snuggling or chasing her three young kids, she loves hiking and exploring the Oregon coast and making chocolate chip cookies.

Bio

Amy Gessel

CUSTOMER SUCCESS COORDINATOR

Amy Gessel's Bio

Since 2017, Amy has helped RealWealth members on their path to financial freedom as a Member Success Specialist. With a background in marketing and events, Amy supports the team in podcasts, articles and website development in addition to her customer support role.

Amy lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. In her free time, she likes what her kids like: lots of tutus and dancing, visits to the zoo, and playing in the backyard.

Bio

Krista Fettke

SOCIAL MEDIA COORDINATOR

Krista Fettke's Bio

With possibly more hours of social media practice than anyone else on the RealWealth team, Krista is highly qualified to understand and manage our social media channels. Plus, as the daughter of our company’s co-founders, she’s had the experience of being part of the Network for as long as she can remember. To further strengthen her skills, Krista also earned the designation as a Certified Social & Community Manager through DigitalMarketer’s week-long course and final exam.

When she’s not managing our social media, studying for school, or volunteering at Operation Smile, Krista enjoys going to the beach with friends, dancing, rock climbing, slacklining and skiing.

Bio

Meet the Team

Kathy Fettke

Rich Fettke

Nick Grant

Tim Horvath

Ben Erik Smith

Kelley Pecoraro

Amy Searcy

Joe Torre

Aristotle Kumpis

Leah Collich

Jessica Conflitti Willens

Dallin Chase

Celia Christensen

Kathy McBride

Scott Meitus

Jill Benes

Donna Behrens

Madison Haynes

Kate Christensen

Ann Triplett

Natalie Gessel

Amy Gessel

Krista Fettke

2003

52,850

$1 Billion+

821

Inc. 5000

RealWealth Foundation