Questions we hear most.

You're not depositing money, you're lending it. Spark uses your loan to pay down its own higher-cost real-estate debt and pays you a fixed 6-7% out of the savings. The extra yield over cash is your reward for backing Spark, which is why the personal guarantee and the real estate behind it matter.

A privately issued, fixed-rate promissory note from a real estate operating company, backed by substantial real estate equity and personally guaranteed by the two founders. It's a loan you make, not a fund share or an equity stake.

The main risk isn't any single building, it's the financial health and execution of Spark and its principals. If Spark and both guarantors could not pay, you could lose some or all of your principal. These notes are not insured. We show you the guarantee, the balance sheet, and the collateral so you can judge that risk yourself.

It's a real, plain business: borrow from you at 6-7%, use it to retire debt that costs more, keep the spread. There's no leverage magic and no third-party lending. The trade-off you're accepting is the sponsor and liquidity risk described throughout this FAQ.

Since 2018, every dollar of principal and every dollar of contracted interest has been paid, in full and on time, on every note. That record spans inflation, rate hikes, and a regional banking crisis. Past performance does not guarantee future results, but it is a real, verifiable track record.

Liquid pays 6.00% APR with 1-banking-day access (3:00 PM CT cutoff). Income pays 7.00% APR with a 180-day notice; interest keeps paying throughout the notice period. Everything else is the same.

Yes. A common split is 70% Income / 30% Liquid, so most of your balance earns the higher rate while a portion stays fully liquid. Rebalance anytime.

Sparos sets the rates. While your money is invested, your rate is fixed. Our promissory note does allow Sparos to change the rate in the future, but only with advance written notice, and you can withdraw your principal in full and get your money back well before any new rate would take effect.

Interest accrues daily on your outstanding principal. Choose to have it paid to your bank monthly, or compound it into your principal on the 1st.

$1,000 for Liquid, $5,000 for Income. No maximum.

Sparos Liquid: submit a withdrawal notice before 3:00 PM CT on a banking day and it lands in your bank the next banking day. After the cutoff or on a weekend, it settles the following banking day.

No. Unlike gated private-credit funds, there is no quarterly cap and no queue. You can withdraw 100% of your Liquid principal on any banking day.

Submit a notice; you keep receiving monthly interest for 180 days, then your principal returns in full. Notices can be cancelled any time before the settlement date.

Yes, partial withdrawals are supported on both products, subject to the product minimums.

It pays down Spark's own lines of credit that are secured by Spark's real estate. Spark borrows from you at 6-7%, retires higher-cost debt, and earns the spread. Your principal stays backed by real property throughout.

No. We never re-lend investor capital to third-party borrowers. That's a deliberate difference from most lending platforms, the money stays inside Spark, against property we own and control.

Operating and reserve cash is held at a bank where Spark carries no loans, so no lender can freeze or sweep it if conditions tighten. We decide who gets paid, not a bank.

Yes. On a 1:1 call, Will can walk you through Spark's financials and the underlying assets so you can confirm the collateral is real.

No. These are not bank deposits and carry no FDIC or government insurance. Neither does a money-market fund or any brokerage account that's actually invested to earn a return, the difference is we tell you exactly where your money is and what stands behind it.

Will and Sam are individually liable for repayment of every note, jointly and severally. If Spark can't pay, you can pursue them personally, their combined net worth stands behind every dollar.

To the extent Spark holds liquid funds, investor notes are paid first from that cash. In a distressed scenario such as a foreclosure, note-holders sit behind senior secured lenders on that specific property, but ahead of Will and Sam, who are last. As a firm policy, we never accept Liquid (6%) capital that we could not return the next banking day, so your liquid balance is always sized to be available rather than tied up in any workout. It's a real risk, and we'd rather you understand it than be surprised by it.

Both guarantors are jointly and severally liable, so a lender can seek the full amount from either one. If neither could pay, recovery would depend on Spark's assets and could result in loss of principal.

Because we don't lend your money out to third parties and we hold reserves at an unencumbered bank, we're structured to meet next-day Liquid redemptions. We also never accept Liquid capital that we could not return the next banking day, the product is deliberately sized so next-day redemptions are always covered. No lending business can guarantee instant liquidity in every conceivable scenario, which is why the guarantee and reserves exist.

Sparos is being built so redemptions don't depend on any single person. Transfers are being automated, a standing power of attorney authorizes our operations lead to return investor funds if a principal is incapacitated, and more than one person can run the platform end to end.

Yes. The personal guarantee runs to the founders' estates, it doesn't disappear if something happens to them.

Yes. The end-to-end operation is documented and cross-trained so the platform keeps running and paying without interruption.

Adding funds is free. A $2 fee applies each time you submit a withdrawal notice. No account fees, no management fees, nothing taken out of your rate.

A Form 1099-INT each January for the prior year's interest, the same form a bank issues for a CD.

Ordinary interest income. The notes are loans, not equity, so there's no capital-gains treatment and no Schedule K-1.

The 1099-INT is issued to your IRA, and interest is tax-deferred (or tax-free in a Roth) until you take an IRA distribution.

Alto, Rocket Dollar, Equity Trust, IRA Financial, and Madison Trust are most common. Ask if yours isn't listed, we work with most.

Not directly. Roll it into a Self-Directed IRA at one of the custodians above first, then invest.

Sparos charges nothing extra. Your IRA custodian may charge their own fee (typically $50-$250 per year).

Personal taxable account, an entity (LLC or trust), or a Self-Directed IRA.

No. Sparos offers notes only to people with whom it has a pre-existing, substantive relationship, which is why every new investor starts with an intro call.

About 10 minutes online, plus 1-2 banking days for funds to arrive.

Your investor portal shows principal balance, accrued interest, next payment date, full payment history, and tax documents in real time.

Email will@sparkequitygroup.com, call 918-691-9236, or book a call, usually answered within a few hours, by Will personally.