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What if one strategic decision in 1677 could create $15 billion in wealth that lasts 345 years?

In this episode, Arie tells the incredible story of the Grosvenor family - the British dynasty that survived the Great Fire of London, two World Wars, multiple market crashes, and Brexit while building one of the world's largest real estate empires.

It all started with Thomas Grosvenor's marriage to 12-year-old Mary Davies and her "worthless" 500 acres of London swampland. While everyone else saw marshes, Thomas saw the future of London. His decision to hold instead of flip created a dynasty that still owns Mayfair and Belgravia today.

In This Episode, You'll Discover:

• The 99-year lease strategy that generated 300+ years of passive income
• Why the Grosvenors NEVER sell their core assets (and how this applies to your portfolio)
• How they survived German bombs, death taxes, and economic crashes
• The 6 timeless principles that built their $15 billion empire
• Why focusing on tenant quality beats chasing maximum rents
• How to think like a dynasty builder instead of a property trader

Key Takeaways:

• Location timing: Buy in the path of progress, then wait for progress to come to you
• Never sell core assets - the Grosvenors haven't sold a London property in 345 years
• Income first, appreciation second - those 1720s ground rents still pay today
• Quality tenants create quality assets
• Think in decades, not years
• Geographic diversification with strategic consistency

Whether you're buying your first duplex or building a multi-million dollar portfolio, the Grosvenor principles of patient capital and generational thinking will change how you approach real estate investing.

Plus: Arie shares personal stories about chasing maximum rents vs. tenant quality, raising kids to preserve wealth, and why time is your greatest investment asset.

Think well, act wisely, and build something timeless.

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Get your own copy of Timeless Wealth: Real Estate Through the Ages.

If you want to learn about new investment opportunities through Lombard Equities Group (accredited investors only), please reach out here.

Think Well. Act Wisely. Build Something Timeless.

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When Julius Caesar set out to conquer Gaul, he didn’t rely on raw force or divine luck. He relied on systems. Strategy. Discipline. And an unshakable understanding of how empires are actually built — and lost.

In this first installment of Letters from Gaul, I explore five timeless laws Caesar deployed in the field — and how they map directly to investing, operations, and capital stewardship in today’s world.

We talk:

• Why Caesar always built the fort first — and why most investors don’t
• How local terrain always beats central planning
• Why logistics, not genius, win wars (and deals)
• How to stretch your time horizon without losing conviction
• And why the edge of empire is always more fragile than it looks

This episode isn’t about history for history’s sake.

It’s about mastering the timeless mechanics of risk, power, and execution — the kind that don’t change, even 2,000 years later.

Subscribe to the Timeless Investor Newsletter for our long-form content.

Follow the Timeless Investor Show if you want to hear more of our podcast content.

If you want to learn about new investment opportunities through Lombard Equities Group (accredited investors only), please reach out here.

Think Well. Act Wisely. Build Something Timeless.

Send us a text

What’s the difference between conviction and certainty?

In this episode, Arie van Gemeren — fund manager, real estate investor, and author of Timeless Wealth — unpacks one of the most overlooked distinctions in investing and decision-making.

Certainty can blind you. It locks you into narratives, filters out risk, and creates fragility.

But conviction? Conviction is different. It’s not about being right — it’s about building a process you trust, having the courage to act, and the humility to adapt when the facts change.

Drawing on insights from Daniel Kahneman, Nassim Taleb, and Philip Tetlock — plus real-world investing stories from the 2020–2023 real estate cycle — Arie explores why the most successful investors aren’t the ones who are sure, but the ones who are prepared.

If you’re an operator, LP, capital allocator, or just someone trying to make smarter decisions under uncertainty — this is the episode for you.

Articles referenced in this podcast:

The Overconfidence Bias

Alpha & Beta In Real Estate Investing

Subscribe to the Timeless Investor Newsletter for our long-form content.

Follow the Timeless Investor Show if you want to hear more of our podcast content.

If you want to learn about new investment opportunities through Lombard Equities Group (accredited investors only), please reach out here.

Think Well. Act Wisely. Build Something Timeless.