Earlier this year I found myself in a rut. A real estate investing rut. I had my head down focusing on buy/hold rental properties for so many years, I never really took a step back to consider my overall strategy and general position as an investor. In addition to this rut, a couple new factors Read more about Changing Real Estate Investing Strategies[…]
I’m currently on a 13hr flight from Los Angeles —> Auckland. Long flights are tough. But here’s a few tips to help you survive… 1) Bring a small gift or some nice candy for your flight attendant 👩✈️. They will be surprised and hook you up with free beers and other goodies throughout your flight. Read more about Tips to survive a 13 hour ✈️ flight![…]
My wife is the nicest, kindest, and most caring person in the world. She deserves everything under the sun. And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to increase her happiness. So when we first met 9 years ago, my mission in life was clear: “What my wife wants, my wife gets. Even if it kills Read more about My Wife Deserves a $2M McMansion[…]
“What if you spend much of your time thinking about a lot of issues that concern you? You will spend less time taking action to solve these problems.” This is a snip from a book I’m reading. Surprise, surprise, it’s a self-help book that analyzes successful people and breaks down their basic habits Read more about Less “think” and more “do”[…]
Have you seen the movie Coco yet? My wife and I watched it again last night. (Highly recommended and free on Netflix if you haven’t seen it) Anyway, Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday to remember and honor our deceased loved ones. It’s not too late to make a quick altar if you Read more about “Remember Me” for Dia de los Muertos[…]
Yesterday someone broke into my car! Booo. It was parked right in front of my house. Luckily, the thief only made off with about $3 in spare change. Everything else was left scattered around on the front seats. I should be feeling sad or angry that I’ve been robbed. But instead I feel a deep Read more about Nobody can steal my sunshine[…]
Big news!! This week I had the incredible pleasure of being a guest on the Chain of Wealth podcast! The awesome podcast hosts, Denis and Katie, have recorded over 100 episodes talking with members of the personal finance and FIRE community. Have a listen to the episode by clicking below, or download it on Read more about Chain of Wealth Podcast![…]
I just returned home from FinCon 2018 held in Orlando, Florida. This was my first time attending the conference, and it won’t be my last. The conference itself was educational, professional, and I came home with a lot of practical action items to help with my blogging. What happened outside conference hours, however, is Read more about FinCon 2018 – Recap & Highlights from a First-Timer[…]
Before going waterskiing, you first have to jump into a freezing cold lake. It’s uncomfortable and annoying – but you must get in the water before any of the fun begins. At the end of the day, it’s always worth it. Trading that 30 seconds of discomfort (that you’ll forget about) for the hours of Read more about Always make the jump![…]
Yesterday I spent a few hours talking with a guy named Sean. As goofy as he looks in this photo, he’s actually a very smart guy. Sean retired early in life. Very early. And although he has a ton of information to share about money and investing etc., most of our conversation was about life. Read more about What really matters[…]
When you hear “Pay Yourself First” what do you think of? It sounds like something a rich and greedy person would say… Let’s break it down: Pay = something money related. Yourself First = something selfish. The complete opposite of what our parents taught us. OK now let’s see what happens if Read more about Is it Selfish to Pay Yourself First?[…]
Investing in a House Flip For a long time my investment strategy has been “buy and hold” rentals. Specifically, small multi-family properties. This has been a slow and conservative way to building wealth through real estate. I’ve read about people that “flip” houses for quick profits, and it never really interested me in Read more about Funding a House Flip – Numbers, Notes, and Q&A![…]
Need motivation? BE the motivation! When I was younger, I got turned down for a job promotion at work. When I asked the hiring manager for reasons why I didn’t get the job, he said that something during my interview worried him. Apparently, when he asked me about teamwork, I told him: “My teammates Read more about Need Motivation?… BE the Motivation![…]
Yesterday I witnessed a 5am miracle… It was 5.40am, I was taking a stroll around my neighborhood. I came across an old lady, in her pajamas, shivering cold on the side of the road. She looked up at me and whispered “help”. She was lost, only remembered her first name and nothing else. Read more about Where is your grandma?[…]
While surfing yesterday I noticed everyone was divided into 2 groups out in the water. The good surfers were way out at the deepest break, competing for the better waves. And the newer/beginner surfers all sat in a pack much closer to shore and caught the leftovers. I’m experienced enough to surf in either spot, Read more about Who are you surfing with?[…]
If you were going to start a 500 day challenge, this coming Sunday would be the perfect day to start. Because: Exactly 500 days from Sunday it will be January 1st, 2020. Even the tiniest positive change added into your daily routine, done consistently for 500 days in a row, could have you Read more about 500 days left… until Year 2020!![…]
It’s Monday again. Remember these things… – You’re allowed to be happy. – You’re allowed to celebrate. – You’re allowed to look forward to today’s events. – Your attitude today is 100% in your control. Give yourself permission to feel good about today, and make it a great day. Photo credit: Simon Abrams
I’m very excited to share a guest post from another 5am Rockstar, Jemma Martin. Jemma is KILLING IT in both her business and personal life. She goes on a daily date – with herself – each morning that helps her plan, execute, and live life by her own design. Daily Date – How Read more about Daily Date – How waking at 5am boosts my performance[…]
“What do you think sets apart successful people from those who give up, fail, or never even get started?” This is the final question at the end of every episode of my favorite podcast, BiggerPockets. It has been asked nearly 300 times to successful investors, business experts, and entrepreneurs who are guests on the show. Read more about Financial Independence via JUST DO IT![…]
Holy Cow! You’re cruising along on your way to your awesome goal and then along comes a big fat cow standing in your path. Sometimes it’s a metaphorical cow, and sometimes it’s a real cow. You’re stuck. What do you do? Do you honk, complain, yell and get angry? Or do you relax, accept the Read more about There’s a cow in my way![…]
I recently read a post by Fly to FI about ways to save money on liquor. It was written by a 22 y/o fire-walker, and he noted some excellent points. (Although young, Fly to FI has a cool blog and perspective, check it all out here) I remember when I was 22. I pulled Read more about Saving Money on Booze – The Aussie Way[…]
Waking up early changed my life. And I bet it will change yours too. But where do you start? How do you stay consistent? Below are some tips that I use to wake up early each day… Whether it’s 5am, 6am, or even if you call 8am ‘early’, creating rules will help you remain Read more about 6 Tips for Waking Up Early and CRUSHING IT[…]
It’s July 1st and time for your QBR! What’s a QBR? The last company I worked for had a grueling ritual at the beginning of each new sales quarter. Each sales rep had to prepare a detailed powerpoint presentation and deliver it to a room full of peers, managers, and executives from Read more about It’s Time for Your QBR: Quarterly Business Review[…]
Mondays don’t suck. – My attitude does – Today, a lot of people will be looking for excuses to be grumpy. They will blame Monday, their jobs, managers, commute time, workload, etc. I’m not gonna join them. It’s easier to adjust my attitude in the morning. I will find my morning bliss, and enjoy the Read more about Mondays don’t suck. My attitude does.[…]
How well do you handle stress? When you’re laying in bed awake at night, are you dreaming about the fun things in life? Or are you stressing about the potential problems you come across each day? I used to think stress came and went as a result of the environment I was in. But what Read more about Ready… Set… STRESS![…]
I’m about to embark on a 4 week road trip with my wife and dog. And this beautiful, 2010 Prius, nicknamed “The White Shite”, will be our faithful chariot. Most of our friends laughed when they heard we were planning to travel in the Prius. Some kindly offered for us to take Read more about Everything Fits in a Prius[…]
Ever heard of the Sunk Cost Fallacy? I was at the grocery store the other day. There was only 1 checkout lane open and a long line of customers in front of me. Waiting around, I struck up a conversation with the guy in front of me. Really nice guy. He was headed Read more about The Sunk Cost Fallacy – STOP Digging![…]
Woohoo! Your investment property has risen in value! But before we go out celebrating, let’s talk quickly about return on equity. Having more equity doesn’t necessarily mean that your returns are increasing. In fact, as your property value increases, your return on equity decreases. Wait a sec… What the heck does that mean? Let’s run Read more about When More Equity = Less Return[…]
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion” A dude named Cyril Parkinson wrote this phrase in the opening sentence of an essay published in 1955. (Original article here) From what I gather, Parkinson was basically making fun of the government for wasting time and money. Read more about Retire Early with Parkinson’s Law[…]
Stop Buying Bread. It’s only flour + water. Easy stuff. I’ve been making my own bread for years. Not only do I save money by making it myself, the bread I make is 100x better AND fresher than the crap they sell at the store or farmers market. The Recipe: Read more about How to Make Artisan Bread For 60 cents![…]
4 x Fourplexes… Part 2: Investment Timeline and Numbers Finding The Fourplexes: Probably the coolest part of this story is that these Fourplexes were found and purchased off-market. Meaning, nothing was listed for sale publicly on the MLS, and I was the only investor who knew about it. No competition, no worries. One Read more about 4 x Fourplexes (Part 2): Investment Timeline and Numbers[…]
How I Bought 4 x Fourplex Investment Properties in 12 Months – (Part 1) In the last 12 months my brother and I purchased 4 x fourplex rental properties in a small town in Texas. These were all off market properties (not listed publicly for sale on the MLS), all purchased from the same Read more about How I Bought 4 x Fourplexes in 12 Months – (Part 1)[…]
Ever heard of a NINK? Probably not… because I just made it up. But you’ve heard of DINKs, right? Yeah, well, I’m throwing out a new acronym for those young couples out there that don’t have kids and don’t have to work anymore. NINKS = No Income, No Kids No Income? By “Income” I’m talking Read more about From DINKS –> NINKS: No Income, No Kids[…]
So, you might be wondering if I think YOU should be getting up at 5AM…? Well before I give my opinion, let’s remember: “Opinions are like butt-holes. Everybody has one, and none of them smell very good.” People FOR Getting Up at 5AM: There’s a ton of 5AM-er gurus out there like Robin Sharma and Read more about Should Everyone Be Getting Up at 5 AM?[…]
My First Investment Property… I was 18 years old and barely out of high school when I bought my first investment property. Actually, I should really say “stumbled upon” my first investment property. It was a family deal, driven mostly by my parents. Now before you go thinking that I was born with a silver Read more about My First Investment Property, Age 18[…]
Time To Declutter My Life! It’s time to get rid of some of the crap in my house. I was looking around the other day and noticed the amount of clutter has built up to an uncomfortable level. I’m not sure how I let it get this bad in first place. I mean, do Read more about Why do I have 7 Surfboards?… Operation Declutter![…]
It all started with Mum… I think about my savings rate in a different way than most people. It’s because of my Mum. When I was a young kid, my Mum paid me and my siblings to do chores around the house. Pretty standard chores like doing the family laundry, vacuuming/mopping, dishes, yard Read more about Tracking my savings rate as a young kid[…]
Getting up at 5 AM! The first 30 days of getting up at 5 AM is bittersweet. It’s awesome, but it can really suck at the same time. It’s not just mentally and physically exhausting, this seemingly minor life change bleeds into and affects almost every area of your life. Work performance changes, friends and Read more about Getting up at 5 AM: The First 30 Days[…]
I am NOT a morning person… So, why even start a 5 AM challenge? I’m not really a morning person. Never have been. When I was little I used to wake up in a bad mood every morning. This bothered my Mum quite a bit as I was a major disruption to our morning routines. Read more about The 5 AM Challenge: It Begins[…]