89: Can Real Estate Investing Be Ethical?

Real estate is one of the most emotionally loaded topics in personal finance. For many of us, real estate investing has always felt tangled with inequity, bro-dude energy, and a sense that the whole system is rigged. But what happens when someone shows you a different way to see it? A way rooted in values, impact, and community care?

In this episode of Money Feels, we’re joined by real estate investor and appraiser Christine Traynor, who has completely changed the way Alyssa sees real estate. We’re diving into the emotional, ethical, and practical layers of real estate investing, especially for women who want financial freedom but feel conflicted about how to build it.

We unpack the tension between building wealth and honouring housing as a human need, explore what “ethical investing” can actually look like in practice, and discuss how women can enter the real estate space without losing their values to hustle culture.

We’re your hosts, Alyssa and Bridget. Welcome to the podcast where we talk about the emotional side of money and how power, access, ethics, and identity shape our financial lives far more than interest rates or investment gurus ever could.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

• Why real estate feels dominated by bro culture
• Whether real estate investing is inherently unethical
• How to reconcile building wealth with the affordability crisis
• Why so many women feel intimidated, unwelcome, or unprepared to invest
• The first steps for beginners who want to “dip a toe in”
• Red flags most new investors don’t know to look for
• How to evaluate whether a property supports or harms a community
• The role of diversification, especially as women’s wealth grows

This episode explores what it means to build wealth with intention, to challenge old narratives, question the ethics of our financial choices, and make room for nuance in a world that often wants simple answers. It’s a reminder that your values can guide your financial decisions, and that wealth-building doesn’t have to mean abandoning what matters to you.

Thanks for listening to another episode! If you want bonus episodes and more, you can join our Patreon! Until then, follow us on Instagram @mixedupmoney, @bridgiecasey and @moneyfeelspodcast, and we’ll see you next time!