Advice from the Deal Room
Co-hosted by Ben Record & Matt Russell
Real deal stories and plain-English commercial finance — built for business owners, investors, and practice owners who want to understand how financing actually works before their next conversation with a lender.
What You Get
Every episode comes from inside the deal room — real scenarios, real underwriting, real outcomes. No theory. No motivational fluff. Just the stuff that matters when money is on the line.
Ben Record is a Commercial Financing Advisor at AAI Financial Group. He's not a media personality — he's in the deals, working with borrowers, lenders, and underwriters every week. The show is how he translates that experience into something you can actually use.
Matt Russell (AAI's founder and CEO) co-hosts. Between them, they've seen hundreds of deals close, die, or get restructured — and they talk about all of it.
Start Here
New to the show? These episodes are a good place to jump in.
Latest Episodes
Construction Loans: Draws & Why Your Budget Never Matches the Lender's
How construction loans actually work — no income day one, variable rate structure, full budget breakdown (hard costs, soft costs, contingency, interest reserves), owner-builder qualification, and draw management post-close. The best time to call is six months before you break ground.
The Debt Maturity Wall: What Happens When Your Commercial Loan Comes Due
Commercial loans written at historically low rates in 2020–2021 are coming due now. Ben and Matt break down refinance payment shock, DSCR pressure, lender extension conversations, and what property owners need to do 10–12 months before maturity.
Heard something that applies to your deal?
Let's talk about it. Book a call and we'll walk through your situation — no pitch, just advice.