In Part I of this series, we laid out the 3-step overall plan for how you become an investor. This was important because “plan” is the key word. Since most folks don’t have a plan to put their capital to work for them through the power of investing, they’re almost completely in the dark about what investment is, or how to retire comfortably.Briefly, the 3 steps are: gain control over your money, capitalize, and invest. Today, we’re going to get into some of the details of the third step ‒

Let’s face it: for too many people, the whole subject of finances, investment, and retirement is flat-out overwhelming…Often, their personal finances are out of control. Too much month at the end of the money. At the very least, there’s room for improvement.And investment? They’re convinced they just don’t have enough cash. (And in many cases, they’re absolutely correct.) And even if they did have “enough cash” to invest, what would they invest in? How do you know where to look?Isn’t investment

There’s a lot of really good goal-setting programs out there. You probably use one or two yourself…And that’s good. After all, most of what they tell you is probably pretty much on target… which is why this post isn’t a full-blown program about every aspect of setting goals.So, yes, you need to set a start date and deadline for your goals. You need to make them measurable. You need to put in place the resources you’ll need to actually implement them. All that sort of thing…But there’s one area

A buddy asked me a good question recently. Since it’s one a lot of you are probably asking as well, I’m going to answer it here…(If you’d rather watch the video version, or watch it and then read this post, you’ll find the video here.)What he asked was, “Should I keep putting my money in a bank account and wait for the next crash, so I can buy at the bottom and make a killing? Or should I invest now, and look for returns over the long term?”Here’s how I’ll answer this question…We’ll use

Here’s an important question to ask about any investment you’re making: “Is this the best use of my money?”Let’s say you’ve invested $50,000 in a certain stock that’s yielding 2.75% per year, and you find a different stock with a higher yield AND lower risk… it’s safe to say you’d probably be asking that question.It’s the same with your income-producing properties. You’ve got money invested in them, and they’re generating cash flow for you. The question is, should you keep that money (in the

So, I’ve got a great video for you… it’s an interview with one of the best property management experts I know: Doug Dale.Doug’s been doing this for a long time. He’s one of the founding partners of HomeRiver Group, a nationally centralized and branded property management platform that focuses on accounting, communication, and best practices for managing investment properties. Their specialty is combining the extensive resources of a national enterprise… with the personal touch and feel of a

Their names are Scott and Valerie. They came to one of my seminars, excited and ready to become serious real estate investors. Good, smart people, coming to us for expert help and advice…They sat down with me and laid out all their financial info, so we could come up with a plan to help them move forward.I looked at all the papers… I looked at them…And I said:“I can’t help you.”That’s right…I Refused To Help Them Invest in Real EstateAnd, believe it or not… they loved me for it.Because I told

Note: There’s a pretty cool motivational video that complements this post – so you may want to watch the video first. (But you certainly don’t have to.)So, how dreams become reality…Talent is great. If you have some athletic ability, or you’re really intelligent, or you’re gifted with amazing instincts for negotiation, more power to you…But the truth is, talented people are a dime a dozen. Even super-talented people are pretty much everywhere.And… less talented folks routinely leave the “gifted

People often want to know how to compare investing in real estate with playing the stock market. Which is a better investment approach?It’s a good question, and I’m happy to give my take on it.We’ll begin by laying out what I’d like to be able to do in order to invest in stocks safely and profitably… and then see how that compares with my real estate options. Nothing real complicated.So, if I were going to invest a significant amount of money in a company’s stock – and I wanted to go in with