Author: Matthew Adair

  • Stop Fearing Toilets with a Good Handyman on Your RE Team

    Stop Fearing Toilets with a Good Handyman on Your RE Team

    “You really want to be a landlord? You don’t want to fix leaky toilets at 2 a.m.!”

    If you decide to invest in rental properties, this is one of the first comments you’ll hear from the haters.

    Mind you, these haters who are so scared of the imaginary leaky toilet are not landlords. I’ll go a step further and would wager that none of them have ever even seen a leaky toilet before.

    Instead, they probably heard a story one time and decided that being a landlord was too hard.

    The sad part is that they have shut themselves out from one of the best asset classes (and my personal favorite) for achieving financial freedom.

    The other comment you’ll regularly hear?

    “I can’t be a landlord. I’m not handy.”

    Guess what?

    I’m not very handy either. And, I have 11 rental units in two different states.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    You don’t need to be scared of leaky toilets when you have a good handyman on your real estate team. You’ll also learn that you don’t need to be handy to be a landlord. #thinkandtalkmoney #handyman #realestateinvesting #realestateinvestor #financialfreedom

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    The truth is that you do not need to be handy to be a landlord.

    In reality, you don’t need to be handy to be a landlord.

    And, you definitely don’t need to fear the 2 a.m. leaky toilet.

    Oh, this is not to say that things aren’t going to break and need attention at the most inconvenient time.

    Every landlord has those stories. I’ve certainly had my fair share.

    One example seems on point.

    A few years ago, my family and I were living in one of our rental apartments.

    One evening before leaving for vacation the next day, we were sitting around when my sister-in-law pointed at the ceiling and exclaimed, “What is that!?”

    Well, “that” was a huge, previously undiscovered, water spot in my ceiling.

    Turns out the toilet in the unit upstairs was leaking. (See, on point.)

    The water gradually spread into the wood floors of the upstairs unit and the ceiling of my unit. It also dripped all the way down the plumbing stack to the lower level carpet in the bedroom where my two little kids slept.

    What did I do about this catastrophe?

    I called my handyman and got on a plane the next morning.

    By the time we returned, the wood floors, ceiling, and carpet had all been repaired and there was no sign of damage.

    When you have a good handyman on your real estate team, you don’t have to worry about things like this.

    One of the biggest myths of being a landlord is that you need to be handy.

    Have you noticed that we’ve been talking about investing in real estate for a couple of months now and I haven’t once mentioned leaky toilets or the need to be handy?

    That’s because there are so many other parts of being a landlord that are more important than your skills with a hammer.

    To name just a few more important skills: running the numbers on potential deals, selecting good tenants, keeping good records, dealing with tenant complaints, and paying the bills on-time.

    Plus, for most of us lawyers and professionals who want to own rental properties, we have other time commitments. Even if we have the skills or enjoy doing repairs ourselves, it still makes sense to hire a professional.

    That’s why every good rental property investor has a good handyman on his team.

    Before we talk about what to look for in a handyman, let’s take a look back at the other key members of your real estate team.

    Your Spouse is the Most Important Person on Your RE Team

    The most important person on your real estate team is your spouse. Make sure you each understand the financial, time, and emotional commitments involved.

    Owning rental properties should not be a solo adventure. The entire experience is better when you have someone to share it with.

    Isn’t that true for most things in life?

    If you’re considering your first rental property, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be earning passive income.

    Before you buy a rental property, I encourage you to talk to your spouse first. Make sure you both are on the same page. 

    No, you do not have to have an equal division of labor. 

    Yes, you each have to commit to the good and the bad that comes along with owning rental properties.

    If you both can make that commitment, you have the best shot at owning your properties for a long time and reaching that ultimate goal: financial freedom.

    a pile of white toilet paper indicating that being afraid of toilets as a landlord is silly.
    Photo by Colourblind Kevin on Unsplash

    Build Out Your RE Team Starting with a Five-Star Broker

    Once you and your spouse are on the same page, it’s time to start building out the rest of your real estate team.

    Start building your real estate team by finding a great broker. Your broker is like a five-star hotel concierge who can make your entire experience so much better.

    During your search for a great rental property, a good broker will:

    • Educate you about the market you’re investing in.
    • Send you properties that match your goals.
    • Tour properties with you to help identify any red flags.
    • Negotiate on your behalf to ensure you get the best possible price.
    • Connect you with other key members of your team.
    • Steer you away from making poor choices.

    But, you don’t just want a good broker. You want to work with the best brokers as a rental property investor.

    The best brokers will do all of things for you during the acquisition process. But, that’s just the beginning.

    The best brokers are in it for the long run and will help you navigate challenges as they pop up. That might mean helping with marketing and showing your property.

    More importantly, that means continuing to give you advice and tutelage as you learn to be a landlord.

    How to Evaluate a Great Mortgage Broker for your RE Team

    With a five-star real estate broker on your team, it’s time to find a great mortgage broker.

    A great mortgage broker is like a tour guide who is the local expert and knows the ins-and-outs of the neighborhood. She has an intimate knowledge of the local food scene based on years of experience. 

    She’ll show you the hidden gems and recommend what to order at each restaurant based on your personal preferences. She can educate you as to what’s in certain dishes and why you may like to try them.

    She’ll also steer you away from the tourist traps and prevent you from going to the wrong places to ensure you have the best experience possible.

    Recommendations? Education? Preventing mistakes?

    Love all those things.

    And, this is exactly what a good mortgage broker will do for you.

    A good mortgage broker will:

    • Recommend the best loan for your goals.
    • Stop you from borrowing more than you really can afford.
    • Help get your loan approved. 
    • Explain the numbers.
    • Not let you refinance until the time is right. 

    Take your time finding a good mortgage broker. It’s important to work with someone who does more than just promise the best rates and terms.

    With your spouse, a five-star real estate broker, and a great mortgage broker on your team, it’s now time to fill out the rest of the key positions.

    Be Sure to Have an Experienced Accountant on your RE Team

    I invest in real estate for the massive tax benefits. 

    In fact, the massive tax benefits are one of the four main reasons why I invest in real estate. The other three reasons are cash flow, appreciation, and debt pay-down.

    I’ve previously written about how I earn rental income and legally pay close to nothing in income tax on my rentals each year.

    How is that possible? Am I some type of tax wizard?

    Of course not.

    But, I do have a tax wizard on my real estate team. 

    OK, more accurately, I have a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) on my real estate team.

    Your accountant is so integral to your financial success that he is the next person you need to have on your real estate team.

    The federal government has long encouraged investment in real estate. People need places to live, work, and socialize. The government long ago decided to reward investors who take on the risk of providing these opportunities.

    These incentives come largely in the form of tax benefits.

    The challenge for real estate investors is to actually take advantage of all these tax incentives.

    That’s where your accountant comes in. 

    Because I work with an accountant, I don’t have to be a tax expert. I just have to know enough to have intelligent conversations and make decisions when the time comes.

    My accountant makes sure I get all the tax benefits for owning rental properties.

    man standing in front of a miter saw reflecting the next most important people on your real estate team are your accountant, lawyer, insurance advisor, and handyman or general contractor.
    Photo by Annie Gray on Unsplash

    What to look for in a good handyman.

    Here are some of the things I look for:

    1. A handyman who responds to my messages promptly.

    The last thing you want is a handyman who is flakey. When something needs fixing, you need someone who answers your call or messages you back right away.

    Most repairs are not urgent, meaning your handyman does not need to drop everything right away to tend to the issue.

    But, it’s important that you let your tenant know that you’re on it and someone will be around in short order to address the problem.

    2. A handyman who Is not too big for a small job.

    It’s much easier to find a handyman to do a full kitchen renovation than to replace just the kitchen sink. Obviously, the bigger the job, the more money to be earned.

    As a landlord, you need someone who can handle the small jobs. These come up more frequently than the bigger projects and are often necessary to keep tenants happy.

    We recently had a tenant message us that the kitchen sink was leaking. My handyman got over there the same day and fixed the leak for $80.

    This is the type of guy you need on your team.

    3. A handyman who makes a good impression with the tenants.

    Your handyman will inevitably have to interact with your tenants. You want someone who makes a good impression. That means someone who is professional, courteous, and respectful of the tenant’s space.

    It is also very helpful if your handyman can explain to the tenant what the repair involves and what to do if there are still any issues.

    4. A handyman who does not run up the bill.

    Handymen tend to charge by the hour because they don’t usually know the extent of the repair until they begin working.

    While there’s nothing wrong with charging by the hour, you can imagine how someone untrustworthy might take advantage of this billing arrangement.

    With more experience as a landlord, you will start to have the same type of repairs come up regularly. Based on that experience, you’ll know when a handyman is running up the bill on you.

    5. A handyman who comes recommended from other landlords.

    Like anything else in life, a good recommendation goes a long way. It is always a good idea to work with someone who people you trust can vouch for.

    The trust factor works both ways, too. If your handyman knows that you are reputable and come recommended, he is more likely to take your calls and go into business with you.

    6. A handyman who has worked on rental properties.

    When we first started shopping for a rental property, our real estate broker taught us about “condo quality” vs. “rental quality.”

    Condo quality is nicer, more expensive, and tends to be for people buying a home for themselves.

    Rental quality is more affordable and comes with the expectation that things will break and need to be replaced.

    When it comes to a handyman, you want some who understands the difference. It makes no sense to overpay for quality that you just don’t need in a rental unit.

    This has nothing to do with the skill of the handyman, just the wherewithal to make “rental quality” repairs in rental units.

    How many would-be rental property investors have been scared off by the imaginary leaky toilet?

    If you have been reluctant to become a landlord because of the hypothetical leaky toilet, hopefully this post has given you something to think about.

    Being a successful landlord has nothing to do with being handy.

    Don’t let your fears about potential repairs stop you from exploring this powerful asset class.

    If you’re a landlord, what is your best “leaky toilet” story?

    Was it enough to give up on being a landlord?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Be Sure to Have an Experienced Accountant on your RE Team

    Be Sure to Have an Experienced Accountant on your RE Team

    I invest in real estate for the massive tax benefits.

    In fact, the massive tax benefits are one of the four main reasons why I invest in real estate. The other three reasons are cash flow, appreciation, and debt pay-down.

    I’ve previously written about how I earn rental income and legally pay close to nothing in income tax on my rentals each year.

    How is that possible? Am I some type of tax wizard?

    Of course not.

    But, I do have a tax wizard on my real estate team.

    OK, more accurately, I have a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) on my real estate team.

    Your accountant is so integral to your financial success that he is the next person you need to have on your real estate team.

    Why is it so important to have an accountant on your team?

    The federal government has long encouraged investment in real estate. People need places to live, work, and socialize. The government long ago decided to reward investors who take on the risk of providing these opportunities.

    These incentives come largely in the form of tax benefits.

    The challenge for real estate investors is to actually take advantage of all these tax incentives.

    That’s where your accountant comes in.

    Because I work with an accountant, I don’t have to be a tax expert. I just have to know enough to have intelligent conversations and make decisions when the time comes.

    My accountant makes sure I get all the tax benefits for owning rental properties.

    Before talking further about accountants, let’s review the first three members that you’ll want to have on your real estate team.

    Your Spouse is the Most Important Person on Your RE Team

    The most important person on your real estate team is your spouse. Make sure you each understand the financial, time, and emotional commitments involved.

    Owning rental properties should not be a solo adventure. The entire experience is better when you have someone to share it with.

    Isn’t that true for most things in life?

    If you’re considering your first rental property, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be earning passive income.

    Before you buy a rental property, I encourage you to talk to your spouse first. Make sure you both are on the same page. 

    No, you do not have to have an equal division of labor. 

    Yes, you each have to commit to the good and the bad that comes along with owning rental properties.

    If you both can make that commitment, you have the best shot at owning your properties for a long time and reaching that ultimate goal: financial freedom.

    Build Out Your RE Team Starting with a Five-Star Broker

    Once you and your spouse are on the same page, it’s time to start building out the rest of your real estate team.

    Start building your real estate team by finding a great broker. Your broker is like a five-star hotel concierge who can make your entire experience so much better.

    During your search for a great rental property, a good broker will:

    • Educate you about the market you’re investing in.
    • Send you properties that match your goals.
    • Tour properties with you to help identify any red flags.
    • Negotiate on your behalf to ensure you get the best possible price.
    • Connect you with other key members of your team.
    • Steer you away from making poor choices.

    But, you don’t just want a good broker. You want to work with the best brokers as a rental property investor.

    The best brokers will do all of things for you during the acquisition process. But, that’s just the beginning.

    The best brokers are in it for the long run and will help you navigate challenges as they pop up. That might mean helping with marketing and showing your property.

    More importantly, that means continuing to give you advice and tutelage as you learn to be a landlord.

    two businessmen having a meeting in the park reflecting the next most important people on your real estate team are your accountant, lawyer, insurance advisor, and handyman or general contractor.
    Photo by Medienstürmer on Unsplash

    How to Evaluate a Great Mortgage Broker for your RE Team

    With a five-star real estate broker on your team, it’s time to find a great mortgage broker.

    A great mortgage broker is like a tour guide who is the local expert and knows the ins-and-outs of the neighborhood. She has an intimate knowledge of the local food scene based on years of experience. 

    She’ll show you the hidden gems and recommend what to order at each restaurant based on your personal preferences. She can educate you as to what’s in certain dishes and why you may like to try them.

    She’ll also steer you away from the tourist traps and prevent you from going to the wrong places to ensure you have the best experience possible.

    Recommendations? Education? Preventing mistakes?

    Love all those things.

    And, this is exactly what a good mortgage broker will do for you.

    A good mortgage broker will:

    • Recommend the best loan for your goals.
    • Stop you from borrowing more than you really can afford.
    • Help get your loan approved. 
    • Explain the numbers.
    • Not let you refinance until the time is right. 

    Take your time finding a good mortgage broker. It’s important to work with someone who does more than just promise the best rates and terms.

    With your spouse, a five-star real estate broker, and a great mortgage broker on your team, it’s now time to fill out the rest of the key positions.

    Seek out an accountant with real estate specific experience.

    I mentioned earlier that the key way the government incentivizes real estate investors is through tax deductions. 

    To accomplish its goal, the government allows real estate investors to deduct certain rental property expenses from their income.

    When you earn rental income, you must report this income on your tax return. Rental income is treated the same as ordinary income.

    However, the major difference between rental income and W-2 income is that there are a number of completely legal ways to deduct certain expenses from your rental income.

    The key is to work with someone who has significant experience specific to rental property investing.

    The truth is there are numerous tactics and strategies that apply to real estate investors that don’t apply to all businesses.

    An accountant who may be ideal for a restaurant owner or law firm might not be a good fit for real estate investors.

    This is not a knock on accountants, either. In this day and age, professionals in all industries tend to specialize in niche areas.

    For example, I am a lawyer who specializes in helping people with mesothelioma. You wouldn’t hire me to represent you in a divorce.

    If you broke your foot, you wouldn’t go see a brain surgeon.

    You get the idea.

    When seeking out an accountant, be sure to work with one who has experience specific to real estate investing.

    How can you tell if an accountant has experience specific to real estate investing?

    When my wife and I were searching for an accountant, it became very clear to us that not all accountants work with real estate investors.

    For instance, most accountants are well-versed in common rental property expenses. These common expenses may include mortgage interest, property tax, operating expenses, depreciation, and repairs.

    We met with plenty of intelligent accountants who understood these basics.

    Brainstorming over paper representing having a good real estate accountant on your team.
    Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

    But, we wanted more than just basic help. We wanted help in crafting a long-term strategy for achieving financial freedom through real estate.

    When you start meeting with accountants, ask them how many real estate investors they work with. Ideally, you’ll find an accountant who works with a number of investors similar to you.

    You’ll also want to find an accountant whose style matches yours. Some accountants are more aggressive and some accountants are more conservative.

    For example, say you own a vacation condo that you rent out sometimes and use personally other times. You may get different advice from two accountants on what counts as a rental property deduction for that condo.

    It’s ultimately up to you to find an accountant that matches your style.

    Find an accountant who answers your phone calls.

    Maybe this goes without saying, but you want an accountant who answers the phone when you call. As investors, we never know when an opportunity may pop up that we need timely advice on.

    You might be surprised how many real estate investors don’t have an open line of communication with their accountants. I think it’s a mistake to only consult your accountant after you’ve gone ahead with a decision.

    As one example, a few years ago, I thought about buying an 8-unit apartment building with a number of partners. It seemed like a good way to earn some cash flow with only a small amount of my own money in the deal.

    Before I moved ahead with the deal, I called my accountant. We had a long chat about all the additional complexities involved from a tax perspective.

    He took the time to educate me so I could make a good decision. In the end, I walked away from the deal.

    If I didn’t have a good relationship with my accountant, I might have made a big mistake.

    A good accountant will help you reap the massive tax benefits of investing in real estate.

    As a real estate investor, you don’t have to be an expert in every part of the business.

    There’s no better example than when it comes to taxes.

    Find a good accountant who is willing to educate you and strategize with you. You want more than just someone to prepare your tax returns.

    When you have a good accountant on your real estate team, you’ll move that much faster towards financial freedom.

    What other traits should real estate investors look for in a good accountant?

    Let us know below.

  • How to Evaluate a Great Mortgage Broker for your RE Team

    How to Evaluate a Great Mortgage Broker for your RE Team

    Ever been on a good food tour in a foreign country?

    Stay with me.

    We recently talked about how the most important person on your real estate team is your spouse. Make sure you each understand the financial, time, and emotional commitments involved before you buy your first rental property.

    Once you and your spouse are on the same page, it’s time to start building out the rest of your real estate team.

    Start by finding a great real estate broker. Your real estate broker is like a five-star hotel concierge who can make your entire vacation so much better.

    With a real estate broker on your team, it’s now time to find a great mortgage broker.

    To continue our analogy, if your real estate broker is the hotel concierge, your mortgage broker is a trusted tour guide.

    Have you ever visited a foreign country for the first time and been excited, but a little bit nervous, about what’s in store for you? There’s so much to see and do, but you don’t speak the language and are a bit anxious to venture out on your own.

    Fortunately, you have an expert tour guide lined up to meet you at the hotel and lead you on an memorable adventure.

    Think about how the concierge and tour guide each help you in different ways.

    The concierge does not actually join you for each experience on your vacation. He helps you plan an itinerary and makes the arrangements before setting you on your way.

    He knows his role and leaves it to the specialists, like tour guides, to lead isolated parts of your trip.

    For instance, the concierge may help you book a food tour around London with an experienced tour guide. My wife and I did this years ago and had a wonderful time.

    The tour guide is the local expert who knows the ins-and-outs of the neighborhood. She has an intimate knowledge of the local food scene based on years of experience.

    She’ll show you the hidden gems and recommend what to order at each restaurant based on your personal preferences. She can educate you as to what’s in certain dishes and why you may like to try them.

    She’ll also steer you away from the tourist traps and prevent you from going to the wrong places to ensure you have the best experience possible.

    Recommendations? Education? Preventing mistakes?

    Love all those things.

    And, this is exactly what a good mortgage broker will do for you.

    Why it’s important to have a good mortgage broker on your team.

    Mortgage lending is big business. Just about every person out there needs a mortgage to buy a home or an investment property. As a result, there are a lot of banks and companies out there who want your business.

    To be sure, not all mortgages are created equal.

    And, not all brokers, banks, and lending companies are created equal.

    Your job as an investor is to find a mortgage broker who truly has your best interests in mind.

    That means working with someone who wants what’s best for you and your family, not what’s best for him and his family.

    Plus, because rental property investing is a long-term game, you want someone on your team who’s also in it for the long run.

    What should you look for in a good mortgage broker?

    During your loan process, you will be talking to your mortgage broker a lot.

    Refer back to the tour guide analogy. During the tour, you are essentially dependent on your tour guide. If you’re going to depend on someone, you probably want to like that person.

    The same goes for your broker during the mortgage process. You will be dependent on your broker to make sure your loan gets approved.

    Make sure you find someone that you mesh with.

    Here are some of the qualities you should look for in a good mortgage broker.

    People eating a meal around a table symbolizing the importance of a good mortgage broker.
    Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

    A good mortgage broker will:

    Recommend the best loan for your goals.

    There are numerous mortgage options out there. Selecting a mortgage is not a “one-size-fits all” kind of thing. Your broker should be well-versed in all the options and make recommendations based on your priorities. 

    Stop you from borrowing more than you really can afford.

    There’s a difference between what you might get approved for and what you can reasonably afford. A good mortgage broker will help you understand the difference.

    If you’re tempted to take out more than you should, your mortgage broker should help reign you back in.

    Help get your loan approved.

    Your mortgage broker’s primary job is to match you with a lender and loan product to meet your needs. The underwriters will have the final say in whether your loan gets approved.

    If you haven’t had the pleasure, you’ll need to provide the underwriters with documentation about your income, savings, investments, and so much more.

    While it’s ultimately not up to your broker to approve the loan, he can serve as an advocate on your behalf. He can help get the underwriters the information they need to approve your loan. Don’t underestimate the importance of this part of the job.

    Explain the numbers.

    This is especially important for rental property investors. After all, you’re buying a rental property to make money. All mortgage brokers can show you how much that property will cost every month.

    The best brokers will take it a step further and show you how much you can expect to cash flow from that property each month. Then, you can decide if it makes sense to buy a property based on the numbers. 

    Not let you refinance until the time is right.

    It’s tempting to refinance at the first moment rates drop. There are costs involved with refinancing that can oftentimes eat away at any savings from refinancing. A good mortgage broker will stop you from doing so until the moment is right.

    Be patient as you look for a great mortgage broker to work with.

    Take your time finding a good mortgage broker. It’s important to work with someone who does more than just promise the best rates and terms.

    Plus, if you shop around enough, you’ll learn that there’s not much variation in the rates from one provider to the next. Rates are mostly dependent on economic conditions outside the control of mortgage brokers and lenders.

    That’s why your mission is to stay patient and find a mortgage broker that you are comfortable with.

    When my wife and I were first getting started, we were told by a few different people that we had to work with this one particular mortgage broker. He was the best, apparently. His website was full of accolades and awards.

    We decided to give him a shot. We called his office and set up an introductory phone call for later in the week.

    At the scheduled time, he didn’t call. When we emailed him, he apologized and explained something came up with his kids.

    OK, no problem. That’s understandable. We rescheduled.

    At the rescheduled time, he again didn’t call. That was enough of that. We moved on. Maybe he really was great at his job, but he didn’t seem to care too much about us.

    We found a good broker years ago and have never looked back.

    In the end, it all worked out for the best. My wife and I met with a number of brokers before connecting with the guy we still use today. We’ve used him for all our Chicago purchases and multiple refinances.

    As a side note, I firmly believe that when you find someone good for your team, you commit to that person. Commitment leads to trust. And, trust leads to the best outcomes. This is true for anyone you work with, not just mortgage brokers.

    man holding a phone and texting reflecting what a good mortgage broker will do for you.
    Photo by NordWood Themes on Unsplash

    On top of being a mortgage broker, our guy is an experienced rental property investor. If you want to buy a rental property, I recommend you work with someone who also owns rental properties.

    At a minimum, find someone who has ample experience working with investors.

    For instance, with our first purchase in 2018, our broker recommended a conventional loan (at the time called “Home Possible”) that I had never heard of before.

    The loan allowed us to put 5% down, instead of the normal 20%, which meant we could more quickly buy our second property. This one recommendation allowed us to buy two cash-flowing rental properties within 6 months.

    This is just one example of how a good mortgage broker can help accelerate your real estate goals.

    Find a broker for your real estate team who understands your goals.

    Our broker understands exactly what we’re trying to accomplish with each purchase. I can be straight with him and he can be straight with me. It’s refreshing.

    We’ve had in-depth conversations about the numbers on every property we’ve considered. Importantly, he’s prevented us from borrowing more than we can afford. 

    And, whenever the underwriters ask for so many documents that I am about to lose my mind, he steps in to make it all better.

    Same as us, this is exactly what a good mortgage broker will do for you.

    What has your experience with mortgage brokers been like?

    What else do you look for that I didn’t mention above?

  • Build Out Your RE Team Starting with a Five-Star Broker

    Build Out Your RE Team Starting with a Five-Star Broker

    Owning rental properties should not be a solo adventure. The entire experience is better when you have someone to share it with.

    We recently talked about how the most important person on your real estate team is your spouse. Make sure you each understand the financial, time, and emotional commitments involved.

    Isn’t that true for most things in life?

    Whether it’s a project you’re working on or a vacation you’re taking, it’s better when you do it with other people.

    Owning rental properties is no different.

    If you’re considering your first rental property, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be earning passive income. 

    For me, the benefits of owning rental properties significantly outweigh the downsides of being a landlord.

    It’s a tradeoff that I would happily make again and again… as long as I have good help along the way.

    That help starts with a real estate broker.

    If you find the right broker, he will guide you in building a rental property portfolio that you’re proud of.

    Let’s take a look.

    Start building your team by finding the best real estate broker.

    Start building out your team by finding a real estate broker (or real estate agent) who matches your style and understands your goals.

    Think of your real estate broker as a concierge at a five-star hotel in a foreign country.

    My wife and I went to Australia years ago. It was probably the best trip we ever took. We started in Sydney and eventually made our way up the coast to the Great Barrier Reef.

    While in Sydney, we took a couple of day trips to the Hunter Valley wine region and the Blue Mountains. We climbed Harbour Bridge and saw some animals at a zoo we had never seen before.

    We met some amazing people and had some wonderful meals.

    All of these experiences were arranged through the concierge at our hotel.

    Before we ever left Chicago, we coordinated with the hotel’s concierge. He asked us what our priorities were, sent us options to consider, answered our questions, and then made all the arrangements.

    The decisions were ultimately ours, but the concierge used his expertise and what he learned about our priorities to help us make the best decisions. Importantly, he steered us away from making poor choices.

    We would have been completely lost without his guidance.

    Just as the concierge helped us navigate Sydney, your real estate broker will help you navigate the rental property experience.

    Your broker will wear many hats in helping you find a great rental property.

    During your search for a great rental property, a good broker will:

    • Educate you about the market you’re investing in.
    • Send you properties that match your goals.
    • Tour properties with you to help identify any red flags.
    • Negotiate on your behalf to ensure you get the best possible price.
    • Connect you with other key members of your team.
    • Steer you away from making poor choices.

    These are all invaluable services that a good broker can provide.

    But, you don’t just want a good broker. You want to work with the best brokers.

    The best brokers will do all of things for you during the acquisition process. But, that’s just the beginning.

    The best brokers have one other trait in common.

    The best brokers remain a key part of your team (life?) long after the transaction has concluded.

    Getting a good rental property is just step one. Keeping the property is just as, if not more, important.

    We’ve talked about how owning rental properties is a long-term game. You want a broker on your team who’s in it for the long run to help you navigate challenges as they pop up.

    That’s why you want a broker who is willing to help you keep that property for the long run. That might mean helping with marketing and showing your property.

    More importantly, that means continuing to give you advice and tutelage as you learn to be a landlord.

    For that reason, if you are going to buy a rental property, I recommend you work with a broker who also owns rental properties.

    Ugmonk lady looking out window and talking on phone while closing a real estate deal.
    Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash

    I recommend you find a broker who is also an investor.

    There are different factors to consider when buying a rental property compared to buying a primary residence.

    A property could be a great home but would be a poor rental.

    When it comes to working with a broker, you want somebody on your team who has personally experienced the challenges in owning rental properties that lie ahead.

    Real estate brokers who are also investors are better equipped to teach you if tenants will love or hate a certain rental apartment.

    Here’s a very basic example to illustrate this point:

    I use the garbage disposal in my home multiple times every day. I never really thought about it before, but the garbage disposal is a wonderful invention. I’ll go as far as to say that I love my garbage disposal.

    However, in my rental properties, I refuse to install garbage disposals.

    In rental properties, garbage disposals constantly break because tenants are not always careful about what they put down the drain. Each time a garbage disposal clogs or breaks, that’s a costly repair. It’s just not worth it in a rental property.

    I first learned to avoid garbage disposals in my rental properties years ago from my broker.

    Yes, it’s a small consideration overall. You’re not going to pass up on a wonderful property because of a garbage disposal.

    But, each property you look at will have countless little elements like this that need to be considered.

    A broker who is an experienced rental property investor will have a better eye for these types of things.

    Find a real estate broker can help make a list of the most desirable features for renters in your market.

    My wife and I have worked with the same broker in Chicago for almost a decade. He’s been a mentor and a friend. He has helped us in countless ways, including putting together a list of features we look for in every rental property.

    It’s not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the most important factors we evaluate when considering rental properties in Chicago:

    1. Location, location, location. In Chicago, proximity to the L and social life (coffee shops, restaurants, bars, etc.) are crucial. Most of the young professionals we rent to are still in the “going out” phase of life. They want to live in fun neighborhoods so they can enjoy themselves when they’re not working. They typically stay in our apartments for 2-3 years, oftentimes before buying a place of their own and “settling down.”
    2. Taxes. Property taxes can eat away your cash flow. We have high property taxes in Chicago across the board, but taxes vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood. I look for properties in areas that have more attractive taxes.
    3. Big bedrooms. One of the most common questions I get when I do apartment showings is, “Can I fit a king size bed in here?” People love big beds these days. This can be a challenge considering Chicago’s standard 25-foot wide lot. I look for properties with a minimum bedroom size of 10 x 10.
    4. Outdoor space. Young professionals want to have outdoor space, even if they never use it. When I was a renter, I always wanted an apartment with a balcony for my grill. It didn’t matter to me that I only used it a handful of times each year. Maybe having outdoor space made me feel more grown up?
    5. Parking. Even though Chicago is a very public transit-friendly city, people still like having cars. Because most young professionals aren’t using their cars every day, they want to keep it safe in a dedicated parking space.

    There are certainly other factors we consider, but these are some of the first things we look for thanks to the guidance of our real estate broker.

    Key in white door with black handle representing what is possible when you have a good real estate team.
    Photo by Jaye Haych on Unsplash

    A good real estate broker is absolutely critical if you’re investing outside your home market.

    I live in the Chicago area and own a rental property in Colorado. Everything we just talked about becomes even more important when you invest outside your home market.

    In your home market, you have the benefit of relying on your daily experiences to help select the right property.

    I rented apartments in Chicago for 15 years before I bought an apartment building. That gave me a huge advantage when looking for a good rental property.

    I didn’t have the same level of intuitive knowledge in the Colorado market.

    Even if you have personal experiences in certain out-of-state markets, your knowledge will never match that of your hometown. No matter how many times you’ve visited a place, it’s not the same as living in that place.

    That’s why having a good broker on your team becomes even more critical when you’re investing out-of-state.

    I’m happy to say that our real estate broker in Colorado is the best there is.

    And if you ever tell him I said that, I’ll deny it and say I was hacked.

    Our Colorado broker spent hours and hours educating us about the local market when we were shopping for a rental property.

    Even though my wife and I had vacationed in the area for years, we didn’t know the first thing about real estate in the area.

    Before we considered any specific units, we had numerous conversations with our broker about our goals and preferences. He helped us pinpoint locations and features that we had not previously through about.

    I still have the pages of notes I took during these conversations, which I reviewed constantly during our search.

    If you are going to shop for properties outside your home market, be sure to find a good broker first.

    The most successful rental property investors have a team of professionals working with them.

    It’s not an exaggeration to say that having the right people on your real estate team can make or break your investing experience.

    Having a good team in place, starting with your real estate broker, will help you avoid mistakes and stay motivated so you can keep your properties long-term. 

    I’ve seen too many investors sell their rental properties after a couple of years because they didn’t have the right people on their team. They end up making preventable mistakes and give up because being a landlord is too hard.

    Unfortunately, that means they give up their properties long before getting the benefits from cash flow, appreciation, debt pay-down, and tax advantages.

    If you’re going to take on the challenge of being a landlord, you might as well hold your properties long enough to reap the benefits. 

    And, you should take all the help you can get along the way, beginning with a great broker.

    You will not regret having a great broker on your team.

    My wife and I have been incredibly fortunate to work with two top-class brokers, first in Chicago and then in Colorado.

    Thinking about it now, our brokers are similar in that they have been teachers and mentors to us.

    Before you start looking for your first rental property, be sure to work with a great broker. Don’t just settle for the first broker you meet with.

    This may take some time. Years ago, my wife and I met with six different brokers in Chicago, who all came highly recommended.

    We were patient, asked a lot of questions, and went with the person who matched our style and who we felt comfortable with. The time we took during this process was well worth it.

    Like a five-star hotel concierge, our brokers have made our investing experience as smooth as possible.

    Without their guidance, I highly doubt we would have bought, and still own, five properties today.

    Have you worked with a real estate broker before?

    What should new rental property investors be on the lookout for?

    Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

  • Money Questions: How to Handle the New Student Loan Changes?

    Money Questions: How to Handle the New Student Loan Changes?

    When we last talked about student loans a few months ago, here’s what I had to say:

    Have you noticed all the attention on student loans lately?

    To say there is some confusion and uncertainty would be an understatement. 

    I don’t have any better idea than you do about what may happen in the student loan landscape.

    No matter what happens, the way I see it, you have two options,

    The first option is to do nothing, get angry, and blame everyone else.

    The second option is to take ownership, get prepared, and educate yourself about the student loan system so you’re ready for whatever comes next.

    If you’ve chosen the second option, you’re in the right place. That means you’re determined to not let outside factors you can’t control hinder your progress towards financial freedom.

    Well, we now know what comes next.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law July 4, 2025, included changes to the federal student loan system. Since then, a number of readers have reached out. 📌 I shared my thoughts on the biggest changes that will impact Think and Talk Money readers, like lawyers and professionals, in a recent post. #thinkandtalkmoney #studentloans #bigbeautifulbill #federalstudentloans #personalfinance

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law July 4, 2025, included changes to the federal student loan system.

    Since then, a number of readers have reached out for my thoughts.

    Today, we’ll cover some of the biggest changes that will impact Think and Talk Money readers, like lawyers and professionals.

    The bottom line is, regardless of how you feel about the changes, you still have two options.

    You can either do nothing, get angry, and blame everyone else.

    Or, you can take ownership, get prepared, and educate yourself.

    If you’ve chosen the second option, let’s get started.

    The basic concepts of paying off student loans has not changed.

    The two biggest changes for student loans relate to the (1) repayment options and (2) the amount that can be borrowed.

    Understanding the changes shouldn’t be too difficult:

    You now have less repayment options and can borrow less money overall from the federal government.

    We’ll talk about the specifics next.

    Before we do, always remember that paying off student loan debt is really not that different from paying off any other form of debt. 

    As significant as the changes might seem, the basic concepts of paying off student loan debt remain the same.

    If you’d like to review the basic concepts of paying off student loan debt, check out this post:

    The Time is Now: Student Loan Basics

    Also, keep in mind that the recent changes apply only to the federal loan system. There will be side effects for the private loan system, but the federal system is getting all the attention right now.

    For example, even before the new law, people commonly needed both federal and private loans because federal loan amounts were capped and college and grad school are expensive.

    Once you took out all the federal loans you were eligible for, private loans became necessary to fill whatever funding gap remained.

    This remains true today, just with a reduced cap on federal loans.

    The point is that while the student loan landscape has certainly changed, the fundamentals remain the same.

    So, while you may need to adjust your strategy, there’s no getting around that paying back student loans felt heavy before and still feels heavy today.

    And, if you’re feeling the weight of your student loans, check out my top student loan tips for lawyers and professionals:

    10 Student Loan Tips for Lawyers and Professionals

    OK, on to the changes.

    There are now only two federal loan repayment options.

    Previously, the federal government offered seven loan repayment plans. There was a standard repayment plan and six other options to help borrowers pay back their loans while still affording their other monthly expenses.

    Now, there are only two repayment options.

    Option 1: The standard repayment option.

    First, borrowers can still use a fixed-payment repayment plan known as a standard repayment plan.

    This means borrowers can pay back loans in equal monthly payments spread over a defined period.

    The previous law set the standard repayment period at 10 years. There were also graduated and extended options that reduced a borrower’s monthly payment but extended the years of required payments for up to 25 years (30 years, in some cases).

    Similarly, the new law provides for a standard repayment plan. Borrowers may choose to make fixed payments for periods ranging from 10 to 25 years, depending on the size of the loan to be paid back.

    People raising their hands in college important because of the changes to federal student loans in The Big Beautiful Bill Act.
    Photo by Edwin Andrade on Unsplash

    Option 2: The income-driven option (RAP).

    In addition to changes to the standard repayment plan, the new law made significant changes to income-driven repayment plans.

    Now, borrowers can enroll in a single income-driven repayment plan, which is known as the Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP).

    Previously, income-driven repayment options included:

    • SAVE: Saving on a Valuable Education
    • PAYE: Pay as You Earn
    • IBR: Income-Based Repayment
    • ICR: Income-Contingent Repayment

    These plans determined your monthly payment based on how much you made and your family size.

    Each option has now been replaced by RAP. One of the ideas behind RAP was to simplify the various income-driven repayment options into one combined plan.

    With RAP, borrowers will pay 1% to 10% of their monthly income for up to 30 years. After 30 years, the remaining loan balances will be forgiven.

    Notably, that’s a longer time period before loan forgiveness kicks in. Under the previous income-driven repayment plans, borrowers were off the hook after either 20 or 25 years. Now, borrowers will have to pay their loans back for 5 to 10 years longer before they are forgiven.

    In addition, monthly payments depend on Adjusted Gross Income instead of discretionary income. This means monthly payments will increase for many borrowers.

    There are new borrowing caps for some federal loans.

    As mentioned above, the new law did not introduce the idea of caps on federal loans. Rather, it reduced the maximum amount for certain loans and eliminated other loan types.

    The first change relates to Parent PLUS loans, which are loans for parents of undergraduate dependent students. The new caps for Parent PLUS loans are $20,000 per year and $65,000 total.

    The next change relates to Grad PLUS loans, which are loans for higher education degrees. Basically, Grad PLUS loans are going away.

    Instead, graduate students will have to take out Direct Unsubsidized Loans.

    The significance is that Grad PLUS loans allowed students to borrow enough to cover the full cost of attendance for graduate school, minus any other financial aid received.

    Now, professional students, like law students or medical students, may borrow $50,000 per year and $200,000 total.

    Additionally, non-professional graduate students, like teachers, may borrow $20,500 annually and $100,000 total.

    Why does all this matter?

    Anyone who has paid for college or graduate school should immediately recognize the challenge here.

    To oversimplify, college and graduate school is expensive.

    These new limits mean that most students (or parents of students) will need private student loans to help pay for higher education.

    Generally, private loans have less protections and are more expensive than federal loans. Private loans also can have tougher eligibility requirements, meaning less people may qualify for loans.

    Add it all up and paying for higher education becomes more difficult for a lot of people.

    Public service loan forgiveness remains the same, for now.

    One last point to highlight sine there’s been some confusion on whether public service loan forgiveness changed.

    So far, the answer is no.

    As of now, public service loan forgiveness remains the same. People working eligible jobs and making loan payments for 120 months can still have their loans forgiven.

    Say tuned as changes are most certainly coming. The likeliest change is going to be a reduction in the types of jobs that are eligible for loan forgiveness.

    What can you do about these changes to federal student loans?

    With these main changes to federal student loans in mind, the question is: what can you do about it?

    Fair question.

    Mid-Manhattan Library where students with federal student loans study even with the Big Beautiful Bill Act.
    Photo by Robert Bye on Unsplash

    The way I see it?

    The changes happened.

    The train has left the station.

    So, let’s spend our energy thinking about strategies.

    Look, I completely understand that anyone with loans, or soon to have loans, is feeling frustrated right now. Rightfully so.

    “Frustrated” may be the wrong word. Please feel free to insert whatever word you want into that sentence that better captures your emotions.

    I also wouldn’t blame you if you felt like yelling at the clouds for a few minutes.

    But, once the frustration is out of your system, you still have two options.

    You can either do nothing, get angry, and blame everyone else.

    Or, you can take ownership, prepare, and educate yourself.

    In today’s environment, there is no excuse for failing to educate yourself and coming up with a strategy for your personal situation.

    Countless websites focus on the student loan industry. In just the past couple of weeks, there have been hundreds of articles and blog posts written on the changes.

    If you stay mad and don’t take action, you have only yourself to blame.

    It is up to each of us to take ownership over our personal finances.

    From where I sit, the student loan changes are just one example of what we all have to deal with on our constant journeys towards financial freedom.

    Laws change. Tax breaks change. Circumstances change.

    It’s up to each of us to stay on top of the changes to continue moving towards financial freedom.

    How do we stay on top of the changes, whether it’s student loans or anything else?

    We can think and talk about money. I assure you that others feel the same way that you do right now. Talk to your people. Then, come up with a plan.

    For starters, you can make reading a blog like this one part of your regular internet routine. As a reminder, I post three times every week on important money and life topics for lawyers and professionals.

    You can also sign up for my weekly newsletter here.

    Additionally, you can also pick up a good money mindset book, like The Simple Path to Wealth or Millionaire Milestones.

    If you’re still frustrated, the biggest mindset shift is to stop hoping other people, including the government, fix your money problems for you.

    By the way, this is advice I could have used recently, as well.

    I foolishly got my hopes up with the new legislation.

    Recently, I was not immune from getting my hopes up that the government would provide a big boost for my personal finances.

    Personally, I wasn’t too concerned with the student loan changes because I paid off my loans already and my kids are still at least 13 years away from college.

    However, I followed the bill closely because of the SALT proposals.

    If you’re unfamiliar, SALT allows people who itemize their federal taxes to reduce their taxable income by the amount they pay in state and local taxes.

    As a real estate investor and mesothelioma lawyer, SALT is very relevant to my personal finances.

    I own four properties and earn W-2 income in Illinois, a high property tax state with a 4.95% state income tax. Plus, I own a property in Colorado.

    I am in the category of people who would benefit from a high SALT cap or no cap at all.

    At various points in the legislative process, there was possibly going to be no SALT cap, or a very high SALT cap, or no SALT deduction at all.

    It was constantly changing. I was hooked.

    In the end, SALT won’t have much impact for me at all. I’ll end up saving some money in taxes this year, but it could have been much more.

    Unfortunately, I made the mistake of getting my hopes up that SALT was going to be a great boon for my family.

    The lesson is that I wasted a lot of mental energy worrying about what the government might or might not do. 

    I should have used that energy to work on my blog, help my clients, or engage with my kids.

    These would have all been better uses of my time and energy.

    Take control of your money, whether it’s student loans or anything else.

    I encourage you to take control of your money decisions, whether that means learning about the student loan changes or any other parts of the legislation.

    The changes happened. More changes will come in the future.

    Now, it’s up to each of us to strategize and plan accordingly so we can stay on top of our finances.

    Were you impacted by the federal student loan changes?

    What about any other changes to the legislation?

    Let us know how you’re coping in the comments below.

  • Your Spouse is the Most Important Person on Your RE Team

    Your Spouse is the Most Important Person on Your RE Team

    If you’re considering your first rental property, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be earning passive income.

    The bottom line is owning rental properties is a job. It’s not a full-time job. It’s not even a regular, part-time job. But, it is a job.

    There will be tenant issues, work orders, money spent, and tough decisions to be made like in any other business.

    For me, the benefits of owning rental properties significantly outweigh the downsides of being a landlord. It’s a tradeoff that I would happily make again and again.

    But, I wouldn’t be saying that if my wife wasn’t also fully committed.

    Before you buy a rental property, I encourage you to talk to your spouse first. Make sure you both are on the same page. 

    No, you do not have to have an equal division of labor. 

    Yes, you each have to commit to the good and the bad that comes along with owning rental properties.

    If you both can make that commitment, you have the best shot at owning your properties for a long time and reaching that ultimate goal: financial freedom.

    Before building out the rest of your real estate team, get on the same page with your spouse.

    Owning rental properties should not be a solo adventure. The entire experience is better when you have someone to share it with.

    Isn’t that true for most things in life?

    Whether it’s a project you’re working on or a vacation you’re taking, it’s better when you do it with other people.

    Owning rental properties is no different.

    In fact, the most successful rental property investors have a team of professionals working with them.

    Having a good team in place will help you avoid mistakes and stay motivated so you can keep your properties long-term.

    It’s not an exaggeration to say that having the right people on your team can make or break your investing experience.

    I’ve seen too many investors sell their rental properties after a couple of years because they didn’t have the right people on their team. They end up making preventable mistakes and give up because being a landlord is too hard.

    Unfortunately, that means they give up their properties long before getting the benefits from cash flow, appreciation, debt pay-down, and tax advantages.

    If you’re going to take on the challenge of being a landlord, you might as well hold your properties long enough to reap the benefits.

    And, you should take all the help you can get along the way.

    There is plenty to say about building out your real estate team. And soon enough, we’re going to talk about the key professionals that can help you run your rental property business successfully.

    But, that’s all for another day.

    Before we get to any of that, we need to talk about the single most important member of your team:

    Your spouse.

    The same holds true whether you have a significant other, partner, girlfriend, boyfriend, or anyone else you share your life wife.

    Don’t worry about analyzing the numbers and finding the perfect deal. The rest of your team came wait.

    Start with your spouse.

    Here’s why.

    Your spouse is the single most important person on your team.

    To be a successful rental property investor, your spouse needs to be on board.

    Even if you are going to be the one actively running the business, you won’t get very far if your spouse is not as committed as you are.

    Before anything else, the first thing you need to do is sit down with your spouse and talk about why you really want to own rental properties.

    That’s because owning rental properties is all about commitment.

    It’s a financial comment, a time commitment, and most of all, an emotional commitment.

    With these kinds of commitments involved, it’s essential that your spouse understands the full scope of what you’re both getting into as rental property investors.

    Here’s what I mean.

    Walking down a remote road near Reykjavik, Iceland indicating that investing in real estate takes a team, the most important person being your spouse or partner.
    Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

    Owning rental properties is a financial commitment.

    This one should be obvious. Owning rental properties is a major financial commitment. It takes capital to buy properties and capital to maintain them.

    When you choose to invest your hard-earned money in rental properties, that means you’re not spending that money elsewhere.

    That might mean sacrificing retirement savings. It could also mean having less money to spend on your dream home. Or, less money to spend on vacations.

    The point is that before you make the financial commitment, your spouse needs to be on board with why you’re making these sacrifices.

    I’m fortunate that my wife and I have been on the same page with our rental properties since Day 1. Neither one of us needed any convincing once we did our homework and learned what was possible.

    Today, we both understand why we’re still doing it: owning rental properties speeds up our journey to financial freedom.

    It took some major financial sacrifices to get here, but we made those sacrifices together.

    As the most obvious example, we delayed buying our “forever home” until I was almost 40 and we already had two kids.

    Instead of buying a home in a nice neighborhood to raise our kids, we used our savings to buy rental properties. We were doing something different and it was important to be committed to our plan.

    It wasn’t easy to see our friends and family members buy beautiful homes in wonderful areas. We definitely noticed more than a few confused looks when we would have people over to our small apartments in the city.

    At times, we both wondered whether we were making a mistake.

    As it turned out, the trade-off was well worth it.

    Owning rental properties is a time commitment.

    Make no mistake about it, owning rental properties is a time commitment.

    We’ve talked about how owning rental properties means having a job. For lawyers and professionals, this means having a second job on top of a primary job. 

    Even with the best team and systems in place, there’s no getting around the fact that owning rental properties will always be a time commitment.

    What does the time commitment look like? What does this have to do with your spouse?

    Depending on your availability and skills, the time commitment will vary from one landlord to the next.

    You might be the type that heads over to the property every weekend to mow the lawn. To take it one step further, maybe you’re the type who has the skills to handle all maintenance requests yourself.

    Or, you might handle all showings and tenant issues personally.

    The truth is that in the beginning, many rental property investors do all of the above themselves.

    Rental property investors think of this time commitment as “sweat equity.”

    Sweat equity is what you contribute to your business but don’t exactly get paid for. When cash flow is tight, as it is for most beginners, we make up for it with sweat equity.

    The more jobs we take on ourselves, the less we pay out to other people.

    The tradeoff is that the more sweat equity you put into your properties, the less time you have to spend at home with your spouse.

    If your spouse is not on board with you being away from home, it’s going to be difficult to succeed as a rental property investor.

    If you have young kids, it’s even harder. When one spouse is at the rental property, the other spouse is usually alone with the kids. Anyone with kids knows which of those two jobs is harder.

    For example, there have been entire weekends that I’ve spent fixing up one apartment or another.

    By the way, if you’ve ever wanted to take a tour called “The World’s Worst Drywall Repairs,” I’ve got you covered.

    If it’s not repairs eating up your free time, it could be analyzing new properties, doing apartment showings, meeting with contractors, or basic bookkeeping.

    With all these time commitments, I’m lucky that my wife and I are on the same page when it comes to our rental property business. We split up these tasks and cover for each other when one person is busy with other responsibilities.

    Yes, you can outsource these jobs. We outsource as much as we can. But, there are certain jobs that you’ll always need to, or want to, handle yourself.

    real estate team meeting near a transparent glass indicating the importance of having the right people on your team before you buy rental properties.
    Photo by Charles Forerunner on Unsplash

    As just one example, we do all our showings ourselves.

    Finding the right tenants is the most important job in owning rental properties. If we outsourced this particular job, we could end up with tenants who could cause us major stress for the next year.

    Regardless of the recipe that works for you and your spouse, have the conversation before investing in rental properties.

    Make sure you each understand the time commitment involved.

    Owning rental properties is an emotional commitment.

    The financial commitment and the time commitment are only the beginning.

    Most of all, owning rental properties is an emotional commitment.

    Without having a spouse on the same emotional wavelength as you, it will be very hard to succeed as a rental property investor.

    When you own rental properties, there will be stressful times and you’ll want to lean on your spouse for support.

    There will also be moments to celebrate, and you’ll want to share those moments with your spouse.

    If your spouse is not on the same wavelength as you, these moments can feel very lonely. The lows can feel much lower and the highs don’t feel quite so high.

    Without someone to commiserate with and celebrate with, you’ll be more likely to give up.

    My wife and I have endless stories about our experiences as landlords that very few other people would truly appreciate. We can each list off the jerks we’ve rented to and the biggest headaches we’ve encountered.

    We once offered a lease renewal to a tenant at her same price. She responded that she would be happy to stay for another year if we simply replaced the kitchen countertops and appliances, added an additional bedroom and built out some new closets.

    Ummm, we’ll pass.

    My wife and I can laugh about these moments because we’re both emotionally committed to the journey. Living through these experiences together has helped us stay the course.

    Unfortunately, I’ve met a number of real estate investors over the years who tried to go it alone. I think that’s a mistake. Oftentimes, these investors don’t stay invested very long.

    It’s not because they bought bad properties or had bad tenants.

    The problem was they never prioritized the most important person on their real estate team.

    When challenges arose, they didn’t have a spouse to lean on.

    When you’re spouse is on board, investing in real estate is a rewarding challenge.

    It’s all about the journey, right?

    When times get tough in our real estate business, my wife and I lean on each other. When we miss out on evenings with the kids or nights out with friends, we remind each other what it’s all about.

    We remind each other that we wouldn’t be where we are today if we didn’t start buying rental properties in 2018.

    We both realize the commitments involved, whether it be our money, our time, or our emotions. If we weren’t in this together, there’s no way we could run our rental property business as well as we do.

    Before you buy a rental property, I encourage you to talk to your spouse first. Make sure you both are on the same page. 

    No, you do not have to have an equal division of labor. 

    Yes, you each have to commit to the good and the bad that comes along with owning rental properties.

    If you both can make that commitment, you have the best shot at owning your properties for a long time and reaching that ultimate goal: financial freedom.

    Did you talk to your spouse before buying rental properties?

    Do you run your rental property business with your spouse?

    What lessons have you learned along the way?

  • Fix Your Personal Finances Before Investing in Real Estate

    Fix Your Personal Finances Before Investing in Real Estate

    When my students ask me a question about how to start investing in real estate, I tend to respond with a question of my own:

    “How much savings does your personal budget generate each month?”

    Yes, I know. It’s so annoying to answer a question with a question.

    This particular question usually leads to a double dose of annoyance from my students.

    My students are first annoyed that I ignored their question about real estate. They didn’t come to me to talk about something boring, like budgeting. They want to know about the exciting stuff, like becoming a real estate investor.

    What I’ve noticed is that after this initial annoyance fades away, another form of annoyance sets in. My students get annoyed because they can’t actually answer the question.

    They realize they have no idea how much money they’re saving each month because they don’t have a personal budget.

    That’s a problem.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    Investing in real estate means running a business. Money comes in and money goes out. To be successful, you have to make sure that more money comes in than goes out. The same logic applies to your personal budget: if you want to get ahead in life, more money needs to come in than goes out. #thinkandtalkmoney #realestateinvesting #realestateinvestor #personalfinance

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    Not having a personal budget is a problem for anyone who wants to be a successful real estate investor.

    Investing in real estate means running a business. Money comes in and money goes out. To be successful, you have to make sure that more money comes in than goes out.

    This is obvious stuff, right?

    The same logic applies to your personal budget: if you want to get ahead in life, more money needs to come in than goes out.

    The problem is most people have a hard enough time managing their personal finances. How are they going to handle managing business finances?

    That’s why I ask my students, “If you haven’t mastered this idea with your personal budget, are you sure you want to take on the stress and risk of an investment property?”

    It would be much easier to simply invest in an index fund, like VTSAX. At least in that case, you don’t have to manage a business budget. You just have to do your best to constantly add money to your investment account.

    It’s usually around this point when my students start nodding in understanding.

    Before investing in real estate, make sure your personal finances are in order.

    My goal here is not to dissuade you from investing in real estate. I am a big proponent of rental property investing.

    I’ve said it before: I think every professional or lawyer can benefit from owning rental properties.

    My only goal is to help you avoid the mistakes that crush so many beginner real estate investors. One of the biggest mistakes I see is people taking on a major financial commitment (and time commitment) without starting from a strong foundation.

    If you’ve been following along on the blog, you likely noticed the progression in topics we’ve covered.

    You’ll see links to each one of these topics featured on the top of the Think and Talk Money homepage:

    We initially covered each of those topics in order from top to bottom. First, we talked extensively about the mental side of money. Without having your money mindset in the right place, nothing else matters.

    We then spent a lot of time talking about personal finance fundamentals, like budgeting, saving, and handling credit and debt responsibly.

    Only after having our personal finance foundation in place did we talk about more fun concepts like investing and real estate.

    There’s a reason we’ve covered these topics in this order.

    If your money mindset is not in the right place, you won’t be able to stay on budget.

    If you can’t stay on budget, you’ll likely fall into debt.

    When you’re falling deeper and deeper into debt, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to prioritize investing.

    A woman holding a jar with savings written on it suggesting you need to get your personal finances in order before investing in real estate.
    Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

    Why bother with real estate if any profits are just going to disappear?

    Let’s focus on that last point for a minute.

    What sense does it make to invest if you’ve never proven to yourself that you can use those investment gains responsibly?

    I never want to see people take on the challenge of investing in real estate just to have any profits disappear because they don’t have a strong personal finance foundation in place.

    Imagine someone does the work to find and sustain a good rental property that generates $1,000 per month in cash flow.

    It’s not easy to earn that much. It takes time and effort, not to mention the risk involved.

    If that same person blows the $1,000 he earned on things he doesn’t care about, what was the point?

    Why take on the risk and do the work if the money will all be gone by the end of the month?

    Unfortunately, this is how many people go through life. They work hard, make good money, and then have nothing to show for it.

    I don’t want that to be your fate. I want you to have a plan for your money before you earn it.

    That means sticking to a budget that consistently moves you closer to living freely on your terms.

    Most of us don’t know where our next dollar is going.

    The reason most people never get ahead with their finances is because they don’t have a plan for where their next dollar is going.

    Their income hits their checking account, they spend it on this or that, and pretty soon that money has disappeared. They haven’t used the money to advance any of their priorities. It’s just gone.

    To me, this is one of the most important money mistakes that we need to fix right away. We definitely need to fix it before we take a chance on investing in real estate.

    If not, you’ll just be making the same mistakes, just with more money to lose.

    Having a plan for our money, before we earn it, is essential if we want to reach our goals. With a plan, we can eliminate the disappearing dollars with confidence that our money is being used to serve our purposes.

    How do you create a plan for your money before you earn it?

    You need to have a budget.

    If you don’t currently have a budget that results in excess money at the end of each month, I encourage you to start there before thinking bout real estate.

    How to create a Budget After Thinking.

    The key to budgeting is to eliminate disappearing dollars by creating a plan for Now Money, Life Money, and Later Money.

    Your Later Money is what you’ll eventually use to accelerate your journey to financial freedom by investing in stocks or buying real estate.

    1. Now Money

    Now Money is what you need to pay for basic life expenses.

    These expenses include housing, transportation, groceries, utilities (like internet and electricity), household goods (like toilet paper), and insurance.

    These are expenses that you can’t avoid and should be relatively fixed each month.

    2. Life Money

    Life Money is what you are going to spend every month on things and experiences in life that you love.

    This bucket includes dining out, concerts, vacations, subscriptions, gifts, and anything else that brings you joy. 

    We can’t be afraid to spend this money. This bucket is usually what makes life fun and exciting. The key is to think and talk so you are spending this money consistently on things that matter to you.

    3. Later Money

    Later Money is what you are saving, investing, or using to pay off debt.

    This bucket includes long term goals, such as retirement plan contributions (like a 401k or Roth IRA), college savings for your kids (like a 529 plan), emergency savings and paying off student loan or credit card debt.

    This bucket also includes any shorter term goals, like saving for a wedding or a downpayment for a house. 

    Most fun of all, this bucket includes any investments you make to more quickly grow your wealth, like investing in real estate or the stock market.

    Later Money is the key category that fuels your ultimate life goals, like financial independence. The more you fuel this category, the faster you can reach your goals.

    black smartphone calculator showing the number 0 indicating how to budget with two simples numbers before investing in real estate.
    Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

    When you have strong fundamentals in place, money becomes fun.

    Being good with money doesn’t have to be stressful. Once you have the fundamentals in place, you’ll start to see how each dollar you earn gets you one step closer to financial freedom.

    Before you think about investing in real estate, make sure that your personal finances are in order.

    Owning rental properties means running a business. When the money comes in, you want to make sure it doesn’t go right out.

    Otherwise, the effort, stress, and risk of owning real estate is not worth it. Any dollar you earn is likely to disappear as quickly as it comes in.

    To prevent that from happening, establish good money habits before you buy real estate.

    In the end, you’ll be so happy that you did.

    For any real estate investors out there, did you jump in before establishing strong personal money habits first?

    What advice would you have for beginners thinking about investing in real estate?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Use Common Sense to Help Identify Good Rental Properties

    Use Common Sense to Help Identify Good Rental Properties

    If you want to be a successful rental property investor, you need to buy good rental properties.

    Good rental properties equal good tenants.

    Good tenants equal less headaches.

    Less headaches equal a longer holding period.

    A longer holding period equals more cash flow, appreciation, debt pay-down, and tax benefits.

    Add it all up and that equals more financial freedom.

    And, it all starts with buying the right property.

    How do I know if I’m buying the right property?

    One of the biggest mistakes that beginners make is buying bad rental properties. The reality is that most properties that hit the market are not good rental properties.

    I typically look at hundreds of properties online before finding any that are even worth walking through. Of the ones I walk through, less than 10% are worth buying.

    Don’t waste your time by running the numbers on every property that hits the market. The numbers only tell part of the story, anyways.

    Instead, the first step is to develop and commit to specific criteria for attractive properties in your market.

    If a property does not meet your criteria, move on.

    This will save you precious time, especially important if you are still working a full-time job.

    It will also save you from the disappointment of visiting properties that looked good on paper but failed to meet your other requirements.

    So, how do you develop a set of standards for quality rental properties in your market?

    Use common sense and your own life experiences to develop criteria for your market.

    Obviously, every market is different. Don’t believe anyone who tells you they have a one-size-fits-all solution for evaluating properties. What works in Chicago won’t necessarily work in Los Angeles.

    However, regardless of what market you’re in, you can and should use common sense and your own life experiences to evaluate rental properties.

    Don’t overcomplicate this part.

    Before you do anything else, think about what you would personally want in a rental property.

    Forget about complex formulas and deal metrics. We’ll get to the numbers soon enough.

    Start with a basic question:

    What would I want if I were a renter in this market?

    Before anything else, write down a list of the most important features that you would want in an apartment. Then, use that list as a guide to finding the right kind of properties.

    By the way, using your own common sense is one of the best parts about investing in real estate. You don’t need an advanced degree or a background in real estate.

    We all have some idea of what makes a neighborhood a good place to live. The same goes for what makes an apartment a good apartment.

    We may not always agree on what those things are, and that’s OK. It may be for a simple reason, like we are not targeting the same potential tenant pool.

    The bottom line is you should absolutely use your common sense and life experiences to help formulate your investing strategy.

    Ask yourself what you would want in an apartment. Don’t waste your time running the numbers on any property that doesn’t match your criteria.

    I prefer to invest in properties that make sense to me.

    Warren Buffett has famously said that he does not invest in companies or products that he doesn’t understand.

    We can apply that same logic to rental properties. Invest in properties that inherently make sense to you.

    If you are a buy-and-hold investor like I am, you are going to be dealing with a certain tenant pool in your market for years to come. You want to make sure that you understand that tenant pool so you can buy properties that will be appealing to them.

    You also want to be able to effectively communicate with prospective applicants and current tenants. The best way to ensure that happens is by investing in markets that you understand.

    @sawyerbengtson picture of the Chicago Bean which is where I invest in rental property because of location, location, location.
    Photo by Sawyer Bengtson on Unsplash

    Work with a real estate broker and don’t be afraid to ask for help.

    If you’re having trouble identifying the key factors to look out for in your market, ask around.

    Talk to your colleagues and friends about what people in your target demographic look for in an apartment. Most of us tend to want the same things.

    Of course, don’t underestimate the importance of working with a good real estate broker.

    A good real estate broker can help you come up with a list of the most desirable features for renters in your market.

    My wife and I have worked with the same broker for almost a decade now. He’s been a mentor to us and helped us come up with our list of key factors. More on that below.

    He also knows exactly what we want in a property and doesn’t waste our time with properties that don’t match our criteria.

    Having a good broker on your team is essential if you want to be a successful investor.

    How I’ve used my life experiences to target rental properties in Chicago.

    I invest in a Chicago neighborhood that typically attracts young professionals in their 20s and early 30s.

    Why do I target young professionals in Chicago?

    Well, I am one.

    OK, fine.

    I used to be one. Oof.

    As a young professional in Chicago, I rented apartments throughout the city for nearly 15 years. Based on my own experiences, I have a good idea of what that demographic is looking for in an apartment.

    I believe that gives me an advantage in targeting the right kinds of properties.

    Plus, I teach nearly 100 law students each year and work with young professionals at my law firm. It’s a demographic that I’m comfortable with and still have a good understanding of what matters in a rental apartment.

    Besides my personal experiences, why else do I target young professionals?

    Generally speaking, young professionals earn consistent paychecks, are respectful to apartments, and are too busy to complain about minor issues.

    All good things, as far as I’m concerned.

    Location, location, location.

    We’ve all heard the number one rule in real estate:

    Location, location, location.

    While a number of factors combine to make particular locations attractive, I’ll highlight one factor that’s very important to me in the Chicago market.

    First, for a bit of context.

    As mentioned earlier, I target properties in Chicago that would be attractive to young professionals.

    Traditionally in Chicago, young professionals commute to office buildings in The Loop (Chicago’s downtown, central business district) via public transportation.

    Yes, even in the “work from home” era, most young professionals living in Chicago commute downtown at least a couple days each week.

    Since I know my ideal tenant likely commutes downtown, I look for properties that make commuting easier.

    That means targeting properties near public transportation.

    More specifically, I target properties within a half mile of the L (Chicago’s train system, short for “elevated.”)

    Young professional enjoying a night out reflecting one of the most important factors in buying rental properties.
    Photo by Pablo Merchán Montes on Unsplash

    I target properties close to public transportation because of my own experiences as a renter and because of what I’ve learned from potential tenants.

    When I was renting apartments in Chicago, I always wanted to be close to the L. There’s nothing worse than walking 20 minutes to a train when it’s 10 degrees or 90 degrees outside.

    It makes sense that now as an investor, I should target these same types of apartments close to public transportation.

    Having done hundreds of apartment showings over the years, I’m confident that young professionals want to live close to public transportation.

    I believe that the most desirable properties for young professionals are the ones close enough to an L station that people can walk there in 10 minutes or less.

    Plus, coffee shops, restaurants, shops and other attractive offerings tend to be located near L stations.

    So, in terms of location, proximity to the L is one of the most important factors for me.

    No matter how attractive a property looks online, I’m not interested if it doesn’t satisfy this requirement.

    What are some of my other top requirements for a rental property?

    What I look for in a rental property may be different from what you look for. Use your own life experiences and common sense to decide if these elements would be beneficial in your market.

    My wife and I have relied on our own life experiences, coupled with advice from our real estate broker, to come up with this list.

    It’s not an exhaustive list, but here are some of the most important factors we evaluate when considering rental properties in Chicago:

    1. Location, location, location. See above. Proximity to the L and social life (coffee shops, restaurants, bars, etc.) are crucial. Most of the young professionals we rent to are still in the “going out” phase of life. They want to live in fun neighborhoods so they can enjoy themselves when they’re not working. They typically stay in our apartments for 2-3 years, oftentimes before buying a place of their own and “settling down.”
    2. Taxes. Property taxes can eat away your cash flow. We have high property taxes in Chicago across the board, but taxes vary widely from neighborhood to neighborhood. I look for properties in areas that have more attractive taxes.
    3. Big bedrooms. One of the most common questions I get when I do apartment showings is, “Can I fit a king size bed in here?” People love big beds these days. This can be a challenge considering Chicago’s standard 25-foot wide lot. I look for properties with a minimum bedroom size of 10 x 10.
    4. Outdoor space. Young professionals want to have outdoor space, even if they never use it. When I was a renter, I always wanted an apartment with a balcony for my grill. It didn’t matter to me that I only used it a handful of times each year. Maybe having outdoor space made me feel more grown up?
    5. Parking. Even though Chicago is a very public transit-friendly city, people still like having cars. Because most young professionals aren’t using their cars every day, they want to keep it safe in a dedicated parking space.

    There are certainly other factors we consider, but these are some of the first things I’m looking for when I look through listings on the internet.

    These factors were important to me when I was a renter and are still important to the young professionals I rent to today.

    While I don’t invest in other cities besides Chicago, I imagine these factors would also be important for young professionals everywhere.

    What is your specific criteria for rental properties?

    The fist step in purchasing good rental properties is having a set of specific criteria that match your needs and market.

    Don’t overcomplicate it. Use your common sense and life experiences as a framework.

    Run your criteria by your real estate broker and other investors in your market.

    Only after you have come up with a list of important features should you worry about running the numbers.

    Whether you currently own rental properties or are hoping to get started, what factors are most important in your market?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Why do You Really Want to Own Rental Properties?

    Why do You Really Want to Own Rental Properties?

    Before you start doing something, figure out why you’re doing it.

    Someone smart probably said that at some point, right?

    We’ve spent a lot of time recently talking about the main reasons why I invest in rental properties. We’ve also talked about the work involved with owning rental properties.

    I’m a big believer in the power of real estate. I’ve also come to appreciate just how much work is involved in owning rental properties.

    The reason I’ve spent so much time writing about the benefits and the work involved is to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting yourself into.

    Once you fully understand and appreciate the benefits and the work involved, you’re ready for the next step:

    Think and talk about why you want to own rental properties.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    No city fines this time! #thinkandtalkmoney #landlord #landlordtips #realestateinvesting

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    Depending on why you want to own rental properties, your strategy may be different than mine or someone else’s strategy.

    The key is to figure out your “Why” before making costly mistakes, in terms of both money and time, that don’t help advance your goals.

    Don’t skip this crucial step and jump right to analyzing deals.

    The last thing you want to do is take on such a big commitment without truly knowing why you’re doing it.

    To help you start thinking about a strategy, let’s review the benefits and also the work involved in owning rental properties.

    You can read much more in my series on real estate here.

    1. Rental property cash flow is king.

    With cash flow, you can cover your immediate life expenses. For anybody hoping to reach financial freedom, it is essential to have income to pay for your present day life expenses. 

    For my money, cash flow from rental properties is the best way to pay for those immediate expenses.

    If your present day expenses are already covered, you can use your cash flow to fund additional investments. 

    That might mean buying another rental property or investing in another asset class, like stocks.

    2. Long-term wealth through appreciation.

    Appreciation simply refers to the gradual increase in a property’s value over time. 

    While cash flow can provide for my immediate expenses, appreciation is all about the long-term benefits.

    Like investing in stocks over the long run, real estate tends to go up in value. The key is to hold a property long enough to benefit from that appreciation.

    To benefit from appreciation, all I really need to do is make my monthly mortgage payments, keep my property in decent condition, and let the market do the rest.

    Blue and orange apartment symbolizing that you need to know your strategy before buying rental property
    Photo by Brandon Griggs on Unsplash

    3. With rental properties, other people pay off my debt.

    When I buy a rental property, I take out a mortgage and agree to pay the bank each month until that mortgage is paid off. At all times, I remain responsible for paying back that debt.

    However, I do not pay that debt back with my own money. 

    Instead, I rent out the property to tenants. I do my best to provide my tenants with a nice place to live in exchange for monthly rent payments.

    I then use those rent payments to pay back the loan.

    As my loan balance shrinks, my equity in the property increases. Equity is just another way of saying ownership interest.

    When my equity in a property increases, my net worth increases. 

    4. Real estate investors earn massive taxes benefits.

    When you earn rental income, you must report this income on your tax return. Rental income is treated the same as ordinary income.

    However, the major difference between rental income and W-2 income is that there are a number of completely legal ways to deduct certain expenses from your rental income.

    Common rental property expenses may include mortgage interest, property tax, operating expenses, depreciation, and repairs. We’ll touch on a few of these deductions below.

    With all of these available deductions, the end result is that most savvy real estate investors pay little, or nothing, in taxes on their rental income each year.

    Yes, you read that right.

    I’ll say it again, just to be clear:

    Most savvy real estate investors legally pay nothing in taxes on their rental income each year.

    Do not own rental properties if you want passive income.

    Now that you know the benefits, let’s highlight just how much work is involved in owning rental properties.

    At one point or another, you may have heard someone say, “I want to invest in rental properties for some passive income.”

    Yes, we all want passive income.

    No, investing in rental properties is not passive.

    Think of owning rental properties as a way to earn “semi-passive” or “partially-passive” or “somewhat-passive” income.

    Don’t think of owning rental properties as a way to earn “passive” income.

    If you want passive income, you should be investing in index funds, like VTSAX. For more on investing in the stock market, you can check out my series on investing here.

    For me, the benefits of owning rental properties significantly outweigh the downsides of being a landlord. It’s a tradeoff that I would happily make again and again.

    How does the old saying go? “If it were easy, everybody would do it.”

    Being a landlord is not easy. It’s definitely not for everyone.

    But, then again, neither is financial freedom.

    In the end, if you are willing to put in the effort, owning rental properties will accelerate your journey to financial freedom.

    Do you still want to own rental properties after knowing the benefits and the work involved?

    Now, you know the main benefits and the work involved with owning rental properties.

    Like I said, owning rental properties is not for everyone. It takes time and effort to learn the basics.

    Then, it takes more time and effort to do your research and develop a strategy.

    At some point, you’ll need to take a chance and make a purchase. That means putting your hard-earned dollars at risk.

    None of this will be easy.

    But, it sure is a lot of fun.

    And, there is a lot of upside.

    If you still want in, I’m going to help you get started.

    for rent sign in window reflecting that all rental property investors need other know their why before they start buying.
    Photo by Aaron Sousa on Unsplash

    Ask yourself: what are my main goals in owning rental properties?

    Before you start analyzing deals, you need to think long and hard about what your goals are.

    Depending on what your’e trying to accomplish, your strategy is going to be different.

    For example, are you looking to move to an expensive neighborhood and just want to offset your ownership costs?

    You may benefit from owning a home with a coach house, granny flat, or garden unit. You can then live in the primary unit and rent out the second unit to reduce your monthly costs.

    Or, your goals might be to leave full-time employment and use rental property cash flow to fund your life. In that case, you’ll need a property that generates significant cash flow, possibly at the expense of personal comfort or long-term gains.

    On the other hand, you may love your job and have no plans of leaving anytime soon. You’re not concerned about present day cash-flow. Instead, you’re looking for long-term gains through appreciation, debt pay-down, and tax benefits.

    In this scenario, you may target markets that have shown strong growth but don’t necessarily cash flow.

    These are just a few possible considerations. One of the things I love most about investing in real estate is how many options there are. It’s up to you to decide what options are most attractive for your goals.

    This is why the first step is to think and talk about why you want to own rental properties.

    Don’t ignore this first step. Spend some serious time thinking about what you’re trying to accomplish.

    Because different properties may offer different benefits, you need to commit to a strategy before you start worrying about how to analyze specific deals.

    Too many beginner investors skip this step and realize much too late that a property they bought doesn’t help achieve their goals.

    My goal in owning rental properties is to accelerate my journey to financial freedom.

    My wife and I invest in rental properties in Chicago and Colorado to accelerate our journey to financial freedom.

    In order to be truly financially free, we need cash flow to cover our present day expenses. So, we’ve targeted properties in Chicago that generate strong monthly cash flow.

    Don’t get me wrong, we certainly hope to benefit from appreciation, debt pay-down and tax advantages. That’s why we’ve chosen to invest in neighborhoods that we think are only getting better.

    However, we view those long-term gains as more of a bonus. Our focus with our Chicago properties is on present day cash flow.

    On the other hand, our Colorado property is a long-term play. It does not generate positive cash flow. That said, we use the rental income to help offset our ownership costs.

    We are planning to keep our Colorado condo in our family for decades to come. Offsetting the ownership costs with rental income will help us accomplish that goal.

    At the same time, we are hoping that our Colorado condo appreciates in value, making it a solid long-term investment. So, even though it does not generate cash flow for us, it still fits into our long-term plans for financial freedom.

    One key point: just because my wife and I invest for cash flow doesn’t mean we are planning on leaving full-time employment.

    I am a big proponent of all lawyers and professionals having multiple streams of income. I refer to these various income streams as Parachute Money.

    Because my wife and I are earning steady paychecks, we’ve been able to use our cash flow for other investments. We have multiple income streams and are putting all those income streams to work. That’s one reason we’ve been able to scale our portfolio so quickly.

    What are your goals in owning rental property?

    You now know the benefits, the work involved, and some different strategies to consider regarding rental properties.

    Now, it’s time to ask yourself why you want to own rental properties.

    Once you figure out the “why,” you can then move onto the “how.”

    So, if you’re considering owning rental properties, what is your why?

    What goals are you trying to accomplish?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Do Not Invest in Real Estate if You Want Passive Income

    Do Not Invest in Real Estate if You Want Passive Income

    Turbo 200 Universal Capacitor 67.5MFD: $501.00

    Add Puron-410A, Replace Valve, Freon Charging: $729.00

    CO2 Drain Purge, Remove Water: $437.00

    2 Ton R 410A Coil: $2,000.00

    Total for A/C Repairs: $3,667.00

    If you’re thinking that’s a rough year for air conditioner repairs, you wouldn’t be wrong.

    Unfortunately, those are all repairs we’ve needed on different units in the past 10 days.

    It gets better (worse?)… the average high temperature in Chicago over the past ten days has been around 90 degrees.

    Still want to own rental properties?

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    Owning rental properties does not generate passive income. Being a landlord is a job. Even if you rely on a property manager, it’s still a job. #thinkandtalkmoney #realestateinvesting #realestateinvestor #passiveincome #financialfreedom

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    Why would anyone want to own rental properties?

    We’ve spent a lot of time recently talking about the four main reasons why I invest in rental properties:

    1. Monthly cash flow
    2. Appreciation
    3. Debt pay-down
    4. Massive tax benefits

    When these benefits combine, real estate investors can generate significant wealth over the long run.

    But, make no mistake:

    Owning rental properties does not generate passive income. Being a landlord is a job. Even if you rely on a property manager, it’s still a job.

    Before we talk about the job of owning rental properties, here’s a quick breakdown of each of the four main benefits.

    For a more detailed description of each benefit, you can read my series on investing in real estate here.

    1. Rental property cash flow is king.

    With cash flow, you can cover your immediate life expenses. For anybody hoping to reach financial freedom, it is essential to have income to pay for your present day life expenses. 

    For my money, cash flow from rental properties is the best way to pay for those immediate expenses.

    If your present day expenses are already covered, you can use your cash flow to fund additional investments. 

    That might mean buying another rental property or investing in another asset class, like stocks.

    2. Long-term wealth through appreciation.

    Appreciation simply refers to the gradual increase in a property’s value over time. 

    While cash flow can provide for my immediate expenses, appreciation is all about the long-term benefits.

    Like investing in stocks over the long run, real estate tends to go up in value. The key is to hold a property long enough to benefit from that appreciation.

    To benefit from appreciation, all I really need to do is make my monthly mortgage payments, keep my property in decent condition, and let the market do the rest.

    3. With rental properties, other people pay off my debt.

    When I buy a rental property, I take out a mortgage and agree to pay the bank each month until that mortgage is paid off. At all times, I remain responsible for paying back that debt.

    However, I do not pay that debt back with my own money. 

    Instead, I rent out the property to tenants. I do my best to provide my tenants with a nice place to live in exchange for monthly rent payments.

    I then use those rent payments to pay back the loan.

    As my loan balance shrinks, my equity in the property increases. Equity is just another way of saying ownership interest.

    When my equity in a property increases, my net worth increases. 

    4. Real estate investors earn massive taxes benefits.

    When you earn rental income, you must report this income on your tax return. Rental income is treated the same as ordinary income.

    However, the major difference between rental income and W-2 income is that there are a number of completely legal ways to deduct certain expenses from your rental income.

    Common rental property expenses may include mortgage interest, property tax, operating expenses, depreciation, and repairs. We’ll touch on a few of these deductions below.

    With all of these available deductions, the end result is that most savvy real estate investors pay little, or nothing, in taxes on their rental income each year.

    Yes, you read that right.

    I’ll say it again, just to be clear:

    Most savvy real estate investors legally pay nothing in taxes on their rental income each year.

    person in black pants and white and black sneakers standing on brown wooden floors about to do repairs as a landlord because owning rental properties is not passive income.
    Photo by Bernie Almanzar on Unsplash

    Rental properties do not generate passive income.

    At one point or another, you may have heard someone say, “I want to invest in rental properties for some passive income.”

    Yes, we all want passive income.

    No, investing in rental properties is not passive.

    Think of owning rental properties as a way to earn “semi-passive” or “partially-passive” or “somewhat-passive” income.

    Don’t think of owning rental properties as a way to earn “passive” income.

    If you want passive income, you should be investing in index funds, like VTSAX. For more on investing in the stock market, you can check out my series on investing here.

    For even more, JL Collins literally wrote the book on investing in VTSAX. His book is called The Simple Path to Wealth and is tremendous. You can read my review here.

    By the way, there’s nothing wrong with wanting passive income. For those of us on our journeys to financial freedom, passive income is what it’s all about.

    It’s just that owning rental properties is not passive.

    To be a successful rental property investor, you have to appreciate that it is a job.

    Owning rental properties is like having another job.

    It’s not a full-time job. In fact, there might be months that go by when you don’t actually do much of anything. Your main job is to be at-the-ready in case a tenant messages with an issue.

    On the other hand, there will be 10-day stretches where you have three a/c units break requiring multiple service calls, tenant coordination, and $3,600 in repairs.

    Granted, this 10-day stretch was just about the worst stretch for maintenance and repairs we’ve had as landlords. It just so happened to occur in the days leading up to me writing this post about being a landlord. Life’s funny, huh?

    Still, talk to any landlord and they will have similar stories to share about the stress involved with being a landlord.

    red and blue repair neon light signage indicating that owning rental properties requires repairs and is not a source of passive income.
    Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

    Most rental property investors who give up did not realize the work involved.

    I’ve known countless rental property investors over the years.

    In my experience, the ones who end up selling their rental properties after a couple of years did not appreciate that becoming a landlord means taking on a job.

    Unfortunately, they sell their properties long before getting the benefits from cash flow, appreciation, debt pay-down, and tax advantages.

    These landlords had likely been misled into thinking that owning rental properties was an easy way to generate passive income.

    Look back at the top of the post for the four main reasons I invest in rental properties.

    Cash flow, appreciation, debt pay-down, and tax benefits.

    Did I say anything about easily earning passive income?

    Don’t make the same mistake that so many unsuccessful landlords have learned.

    If you’re considering your first rental property, don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ll be earning passive income. There will be tenant issues, work orders, money spent, and tough decisions to be made like in any other business.

    This remains true even if you have a property manager. You’ll often hear real estate investors griping about “managing the property manager.”

    The bottom line is owning rental properties is a job. It’s not a full-time job. It’s not even a regular part-time job. But, it is a job.

    At times, it can be very easy. Other times, it’s very stressful.

    If you can handle the job, you can generate massive long-term wealth for you and your family.

    I accept that owning rental properties is a job and have benefitted immensely.

    For me, the benefits of owning rental properties significantly outweigh the downsides of being a landlord. It’s a tradeoff that I would happily make again and again.

    How does the old saying go? “If it were easy, everybody would do it.”

    Being a landlord is not easy. It’s definitely not for everyone.

    But, then again, neither is financial freedom.

    Coming up, we’ll talk about tips on how to make your experience as a landlord as smooth as possible. You can also follow me on socials for current issues I’m dealing with as a landlord.

    In the end, if you are willing to put in the effort, owning rental properties will accelerate your journey to financial freedom.

    Are you a rental property investor?

    Do you agree that owning rental properties is a job?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Is There Value in Keeping Both of Our Sapphire Reserves?

    Is There Value in Keeping Both of Our Sapphire Reserves?

    I recently posted about the major overhaul to Chase’s popular luxury credit card, the Sapphire Reserve. The change catching most people’s attention is the higher annual fee.

    I wrote that even with the increased annual fee, I am keeping the Sapphire Reserve in my wallet.

    I heard from a number of readers who also decided to keep the card despite the increased annual fee.

    Just as good, I heard from some readers who applied for the Sapphire Reserve for the first time after reading my post.

    I love hearing these types of comments from readers. Keep ’em coming!

    Today, I want to share my thoughts on another question that came from multiple readers. The question goes something like this:

    My spouse and I both have our own, separate Sapphire Reserve accounts from before we were married. With the higher annual fee, we are wondering if it makes sense to keep both accounts open.

    If we closed one account, we could then add that person as an authorized user on the other account.

    What do you think?

    This is a great question because there’s lots to think and talk about.

    Besides maximizing credit card value and minimizing fees, this question also touches on how couples manage their finances together.

    While that is an incredibly important conversation, we’ll have to leave it for another day. Today, I’ll simply highlight some of the relevant considerations.

    Finally, I love this question because it’s a good reminder that talking about money is not taboo. We all benefit when we discuss how to use money as a tool that works for us, not the other way around.

    Let’s get to it.

    What changed with the Sapphire Reserve?

    The Sapphire Reserve now comes with an annual fee of $795 (up from $550). That is the highest annual fee in the luxury credit card market.

    On top of that, the fee for authorized users increased from $75 to $195.

    In its press release announcing the revamped card, Chase advertised $2,700 in annual value for cardmembers. 

    Compared to an annual fee of $795, that sounds like a whole lot of value.

    The problem is it takes effort to receive all that value. More than effort, it takes spending. This can get complicated, even with only one card. With two cards, it can be even more challenging.

    For a complete description of all of the potential benefits, you can visit the Sapphire Reserve website.

    Remember that with all credit cards, the more you spend, the more you earn. That’s true whether you are accumulating points or utilizing shopping or travel credits and other discounts.

    This is a good place to emphasize the first rule of responsible credit card usage: 

    Don’t spend money just to earn rewards. That’s a recipe for financial disaster.

    The Sapphire Reserve is no exception to this rule, regardless of whether you have one or two cards in your household.

    Before we go further, it’s important to understand what it means to be an authorized user.

    What is an authorized user on a credit card?

    An authorized user is someone added to the primary account holder’s credit card account. Authorized users typically include spouses, partners or children of the primary cardholder.

    The authorized user gets his own physical card, but all spending is tracked on the primary account holder’s account.

    Importantly, that means that the primary account holder remains responsible for all payments.

    That also means the primary account holder receives all the points earned when the authorized user makes a purchase.

    Break time with aerial view of two people hugging and talking about whether to keep two Chase Sapphire Reserve credit cards.
    Photo by Guilherme Stecanella on Unsplash

    With cards like the Sapphire Reserve, the authorized user gets most of the same perks and benefits as the primary cardholder. Most notably, that includes lounge access and other travel perks.

    Not all credit cards offer the same perks for authorized users. Be sure to understand the rules about authorized users for any card you are considering.

    Before you add an authorized user to your account, make sure you understand that you are 100% responsible for that person’s spending.

    On the flip side, before you become an authorized user, understand that all of your points earned will go the primary account holder.

    If either of these restrictions are enough to give you pause about adding or becoming an authorized user, there’s no need read any further.

    You should continue to have separate credit card accounts.

    And, you should review my post to help you decide whether the Sapphire Reserve is right for each of you on an individual basis.

    If you have no problems with adding somebody as an authorized user, read on to find out whether it makes sense in your situation.

    What is the actual cost difference for adding an authorized user instead of keeping our accounts separate?

    Assuming you are OK with adding or becoming an authorized user, let’s look at what the actual cost is compared to keeping your accounts separate.

    Here are the options for couples that currently have two Sapphire Reserve accounts:

    • Option 1: Keep both accounts open and pay $1,590 in annual fees.
    • Option 2: Close one account, add an authorized user to the open account, and pay $990 in annual fees.

    Note: while you don’t have to add an authorized user to your account, I’m assuming you’re reading this post because you are considering it.

    If you stopped your analysis here, you’d see that there is a $600 difference if the couple keeps both Sapphire Reserve accounts open.

    That’s a lot of money and may lead you to think cancelling one of the cards is the easy decision.

    However, just like we explored in my post on why I’m keeping the Sapphire Reserve, there are ways to offset and reduce the annual fee.

    You can check out my post if you’re curious how I evaluate and use credit cards.

    For today’s purposes, remember that the Sapphire Reserve offers a $300 annual travel credit. The credit gets automatically applied whenever you make a qualifying travel purchase.

    It’s safe to assume that anyone willing to pay $795 for a luxury travel card is going to spend at least $300 per year on travel.

    The same assumption goes for couples thinking about keeping two Sapphire Reserve cards: they are going to spend at least $600 on travel between the two of them each year.

    Applying the $300 travel credit, the total cost for each scenario drops as follows:

    • Option 1: Keep both accounts open and pay $990 in total fees. (Each account holder receives a $300 travel credit, reducing the total cost by $600.)
    • Option 2: Close one account, add an authorized user, and pay $690 in annual fees.

    So, the real question becomes: is it worth an extra $300 annually to keep both Sapphire Reserve accounts open?

    When the extra cost of keeping both cards drops from $600 to $300, the decision gets a bit tougher.

    You may still be thinking that $300 is too much money to spend each year to have two of the same cards in your household.

    Personally, I agree with you.

    Below, I’ll show you what my wife and I do instead of having two Sapphire Reserve cards.

    However, there are some reasons why it may be beneficial for couples to keep both cards. Let’s look at those reasons now.

    Why it might make sense for couples to have two Sapphire Reserve credit cards.

    Here are some of the main reasons why it would make sense for a couple to keep two Sapphire Reserve cards.

    Trust issues. The bottom line is some couples just don’t trust each other when it comes to spending and paying bills. There’s no shame in that. It’s just a reality.

    Like we discussed above, if you find yourself in this situation, it doesn’t make sense to add or become an authorized user. The potential downsides, resentment, and arguments outweigh the $300 in annual savings.

    Accounting challenges. When you add an authorized user, all purchases get tracked together on the primary cardholder’s account. If it’s important for you to know who is making each purchase, this can be an accounting nightmare.

    Plus, some couples maintain separate bank accounts and pay bills separately. Having all credit card purchases appear on only one person’s account makes it more difficult to figure out who should pay for what.

    This shot was taken during a roadtrip with a couple of friends in the Dolomites. This pretty much sums up the lovely adventures we had over there – just us (and some beers) in the mountains for one week. Although it is just a snapshot, it captures a true, precious moment of togetherness and friendship, made possible by using Chase Sapphire Reserve.
    Photo by Felix Rostig on Unsplash

    Business expenses. It’s also not uncommon for lawyers and professionals to use their Sapphire Reserve cards for business purposes and then get reimbursed by their employers.

    If that’s the case, it may not make sense for you to blend personal and business expenses on one card. You could use one Sapphire Reserve strictly for business purposes and the other for personal expenses.

    Impact on your Credit History. You may not want to close your account because of the potential impact it will have on your credit history. This is particularly important if your Sapphire Reserve is the card you’ve had for the longest time.

    While this is a valid concern, there are ways to close your account without having any impact on your credit history whatsoever.

    The best thing to do before you close your account is to transfer your available credit line to one of Chase’s other credit cards, like the Freedom Unlimited.

    The Freedom Unlimited is the only other credit card I keep in my wallet.

    There is no annual fee with the Freedom Unlimited, and it’s the perfect compliment to the Sapphire Reserve.

    If you need help with this part, reach out to me on Instagram or LinkedIn, and I’ll walk you through the exact steps.

    Sign-up Bonuses and Credits. If you are thinking about getting a Sapphire Reserve, now is the time to do it. Chase is offering its biggest sign-up bonus ever: 125,000 points for new applicants.

    Using The Points Guy’s valuation, 125,000 points are currently worth $2,562.50.

    Combined with some of these other reasons, these bonus points might make this decision a no-brainer.

    Besides the sign-up bonus, the Sapphire Reserve comes with a number of other credits and benefits valued at $2,700 annually.

    For a complete description of all of the potential benefits, you can visit the Sapphire Reserve website.

    If you and your spouse or partner will independently take advantage of all these perks, then it could be worth it to keep both cards.

    In the end, if any one of the above applies to your situation, it may make sense to keep two Sapphire Reserve cards despite the extra $300 annual cost.

    My wife and I used to have two Sapphire Reserve cards.

    There was a time in my life when I had 10 different credit cards because I wanted to maximize the points I earned on every purchase.

    My wife and I each had Sapphire Reserve cards, too.

    We did earn a lot of points. But, it was so stressful.

    Keeping track of what card to use for every single purchase was complicated. Making sure we paid off each card every month was even harder. In the end, it wasn’t worth it.

    We now keep things simple, and I recommend most people do the same.

    Today, I only have two credit cards in my wallet: the Sapphire Reserve and the Freedom Unlimited.

    I use the Sapphire Reserve for travel (4 points per dollar spent on airlines and hotels) and dining (3 points per dollar).

    I use the Freedom Unlimited for everything else. The Freedom Unlimited earns 1.5 points across the board for every purchase. In contrast, the Sapphire Reserve only earns 1 point per dollar spent in non-bonus categories.

    Same as me, my wife only carries the Sapphire Reserve and Freedom Unlimited. This way, we can combine points to maximize our rewards. 

    Together, we still earn plenty of points and our finances are much simpler.

    I prefer to have two different cards that offer distinct but complimentary benefits.

    If your household is going to keep multiple cards, I suggest having different cards instead of doubling up on the same one. That’s true whether you combine accounts or keep them separate.

    That way, you can reap a more diverse set of benefits for a comparable cost.

    If you go this route, it’s helpful to keep your credit cards within the same bank (i.e. stick with Chase or stick with American Express) so you can combine points and accumulate rewards faster.

    Even if the Freedom Unlimited doesn’t appeal to you, I’d suggest looking at other credit cards within the Chase portfolio that earn Ultimate Rewards points.

    For example, my wife and I have the Chase Ink Business Unlimited and the Chase Ink Business Cash for our various rental property businesses.

    Each card earns Ultimate Rewards points that we can combine with our Sapphire Reserve.

    Let us know in the comments below how you view having two of the same cards in your household.

    As always, reach out if I can be of any assistance.

  • Invest in Real Estate for Massive Tax Benefits

    Invest in Real Estate for Massive Tax Benefits

    When was the last time you took a look at your actual pay statement?

    Most of us working W-2 jobs have direct deposit, meaning our paychecks are automatically deposited into our bank accounts. On pay day, all we have to do is wake up, open our banking app, and confirm we got paid.

    When we do this, all we see is our net pay, or take-home pay. Our net pay is what we earn after all deductions are subtracted from our gross pay.

    Deductions may include voluntary contributions, like to our 401(k) and HSA, as well as other benefits, like health insurance.

    That’s all nice so far.

    Not so nice is that our paychecks are further reduced by mandatory tax withholdings.

    For high earning lawyers and professionals, taxes can easily reduce our W-2 income by 25%-40%.

    This is not groundbreaking news to anyone, right?

    As employees, we are accustomed to having significant taxes withheld from our paychecks.

    We’ve become so accustomed to paying taxes as W-2 employees that none of this should surprise us. Taxes are just part of the bargain when you’re an employee.

    Well, what if I told you that automatically paying taxes every month does not have to be part of the bargain?

    In fact, I know of a way to make money where taxes can be reduced or deferred for a long time, if not eliminated altogether.

    And, that means you get to keep and benefit from more of your hard-earned money each month.

    This leads us to the fourth main reason I invest in real estate:

    Real estate offers massive tax benefits.

    I earn income through W-2 employment and rental properties.

    As a W-2 employee and a real estate investor, I know firsthand that not all income is created equal.

    My W-2 income is heavily taxed every month.

    My rental property income is not.

    Today, we’ll introduce some of the main reasons why real estate investors pay less in taxes than W-2 employees.

    Before we talk about these tax benefits, let’s review the first three reasons why I invest in real estate. Each of these reasons has accelerated my journey to financial freedom.

    Note: I am not an accountant or tax professional, so please be sure to consult with an expert for tax advice for your personal situation.

    1. Rental property cash flow is king.

    With cash flow, you can cover your immediate life expenses. For anybody hoping to reach financial freedom, it is essential to have income to pay for your present day life expenses. 

    For my money, cash flow from rental properties is the best way to pay for those immediate expenses.

    If your present day expenses are already covered, you can use your cash flow to fund additional investments. 

    That might mean buying another rental property or investing in another asset class, like stocks.

    2. Long-term wealth through appreciation.

    Appreciation simply refers to the gradual increase in a property’s value over time. 

    While cash flow can provide for my immediate expenses, appreciation is all about the long-term benefits.

    Modern kitchen in a rental property, which is easier to pay for because of the tax advantages of investing in real estate.
    Photo by Jason Briscoe on Unsplash

    Like investing in stocks over the long run, real estate tends to go up in value. The key is to hold a property long enough to benefit from that appreciation.

    To benefit from appreciation, all I really need to do is make my monthly mortgage payments, keep my property in decent condition, and let the market do the rest.

    Now that we’ve reviewed how cash flow and appreciation work together to generate long-term wealth, we can look at the additional benefits of debt pay-down.

    3. With rental properties, other people pay off my debt.

    When I buy a rental property, I take out a mortgage and agree to pay the bank each month until that mortgage is paid off. At all times, I remain responsible for paying back that debt.

    However, I do not pay that debt back with my own money. 

    Instead, I rent out the property to tenants. I do my best to provide my tenants with a nice place to live in exchange for monthly rent payments.

    I then use those rent payments to pay back the loan.

    As my loan balance shrinks, my equity in the property increases. Equity is just another way of saying ownership interest.

    When my equity in a property increases, my net worth increases. 

    On top of monthly cash flow, appreciation, and debt pay-down, the tax benefits offered to real estate investors is another way to generate wealth through real estate over the long run.

    Let’s take a look at some of these massive tax benefits.

    What are the primary tax benefits to investing in real estate?

    When you earn rental income, you must report this income on your tax return. Rental income is treated the same as ordinary income.

    However, the major difference between rental income and W-2 income is that there are a number of completely legal ways to deduct certain expenses from your rental income.

    Sign, Harlingen, Texas. 1939, but if you have real estate, you may not pay any taxes at all on your cash flow. Photographer Lee Russell
    Photo by The New York Public Library on Unsplash

    Common rental property expenses may include mortgage interest, property tax, operating expenses, depreciation, and repairs. We’ll touch on a few of these deductions below.

    With all of these available deductions, the end result is that most savvy real estate investors pay little, or nothing, in taxes on their rental income each year.

    Yes, you read that right.

    I’ll say it again, just to be clear:

    Most savvy real estate investors legally pay nothing in taxes on their rental income each year.

    Would you rather have rental income or W-2 income?

    This post is not meant to be a primer on income taxes, but we can use a very basic tax bracket calculator to highlight the distinction between rental income and W-2 income.

    I currently receive both types of income so readily appreciate the difference in how each form of income is taxed.

    Let’s say you live in Illinois and are a high-earning lawyer or professional making a gross annual income of $250,000. Based on 2024’s federal tax rates, you will owe $53,015 in federal income tax. That’s 21% of your income.

    an example of how much you'll pay in taxes if you earn $250,000 as a W-2 employee.
    Source: taxact.com

    Illinois is one of the 42 states that also levies a state income tax. Illinois levies a flat state income tax of 4.95%. For our example, that means an additional $12,375 in taxes each year.

    In total, a W-2 employee earning $250,000 in Illinois pays $65,390, or nearly 26%, in income taxes each year.

    Again, this is not meant to be a tax primer. And yes, most W-2 employees take the standard deduction, meaning they’ll get a small refund when they file their tax returns.

    Still, there’s no getting around the reality that when you’re a W-2 employee, you have limited options to reduce your taxable income.

    In the end, you will pay a significant percentage of your income to the government every year.

    On the other hand, real estate investors have a number of legal tax deductions at their deposal.

    That means a real estate investor earning $250,000 in rental income likely pays very little, or even nothing, in income taxes.

    How is that possible?

    Let’s find out.

    How is it that real estate investors pay so little in income taxes?

    The federal government has long encouraged investment in real estate. People need places to live, work, and socialize. The government long ago decided to reward investors who take on the risk of providing these opportunities.

    The key way the government incentivizes real estate investors is through tax deductions.

    To accomplish its goal, the government allows real estate investors to deduct certain rental property expenses from their income.

    black platform bed wit white mattress inside bedroom of rental apartment where the landlord is getting massive tax benefits.
    Photo by Sonnie Hiles on Unsplash

    As mentioned above, common rental property expenses may include mortgage interest, property tax, operating expenses, depreciation, and repairs.

    When properly tracked and reported on your tax return, these expenses can oftentimes negate all the rental income you earned.

    For today’s purposes, I’ll highlight one key deduction that shows just how much the government wants to encourage real estate investment:

    Depreciation.

    What is Depreciation?

    Depreciation is an accounting method that allows real estate investors to deduct some of the cost of owning a property over time.

    This accounting process is not a trick and is completely legal.

    Calculating your property’s depreciation can get complicated and is best left to the tax professionals.

    In general terms, if you own residential rental property and use standard depreciation like me, you can deduct the cost of owning that property over 27.5 years.

    Each year, you can then reduce your rental income by that annual depreciation.

    Here’s an example to help illustrate how depreciation works.

    Let’s say you buy a rental property for $500,000, and the closing costs are $10,000. The property’s in excellent shape so no capital improvements are needed.

    That means your total initial cost for this rental property is $510,000.

    When you buy a rental property, you are actually buying the land and the building. Your city, county or town’s assessor typically attaches a value to each the land and the building.

    For depreciation purposes, only the value of the building is depreciable. The land is not.

    In our example, let’s say the land was valued at $110,000. You are not allowed to depreciate the value of the land.

    So, your depreciable basis is the initial cost of the property less the land value:

    Initial Cost – Land Value = Depreciable Basis

    $510,000-$110,000=$400,000

    For residential rental properties, you can spread out that depreciable basis over 27.5 years to figure out the annual depreciation.

    Depreciable Basis / 27.5 = Annual Depreciation

    $400,000 / 27.5 =$14,545.45

    What this means is that you can deduct $14,545.45 from your rental income each year.

    Combined with the other available deductions, you can see why real estate investors end up paying very little, or nothing at all, in rental income taxes each year.

    Note: If you sell your rental property, you are responsible for paying depreciation recapture tax, which is a topic for another day. To keep it simple, depreciation recapture is a non-factor for this conversation for many reasons. The most important reason for that is because you have to pay this tax even if you never claimed depreciation on your tax return.

    Your tax professional will help ensure you get all the tax benefits for owning rental properties.

    Fully understanding taxes is not easy. That’s why we have licensed professionals to help us.

    A concept like depreciation can be very complicated. Rest assured that your tax professional will help you benefit as a real estate investor from all the available tax breaks.

    The point of today’s post is to introduce you to the definitive truth that the tax code favors real estate investors.

    While we barely scratched the service today, hopefully you can start to see why it is so advantageous from a tax perspective to own rental properties.

    coffee mug near open folder with tax withholding paper reflecting the massive tax benefits of investing in real estate.
    Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

    I personally earn rental income and W-2 income.

    When you legally deduct your rental property expenses, it’s likely that your taxable rental income for the year will be reduced to nothing.

    Compare this reality to that of a high-earning W-2 employee, who regularly pays between 25% and 40% in income taxes each year.

    The W-2 employee needs to earn significantly more money to take home as much as the rental property investor.

    I personally earn rental income and W-2 income.

    One source of income hits my bank account in full on the first of every month. I never worry about taxes.

    The other source of income gets drastically reduced by taxes before I ever see a dime.

    Which type of income do you think I prefer earning?

    How about you?

  • Is the New Chase Sapphire Reserve Worth the Annual Fee?

    Is the New Chase Sapphire Reserve Worth the Annual Fee?

    Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission if you decide to apply using my links, but at no additional cost to you. Please read my Disclosure for more information.

    Making big waves in the credit card world, Chase just announced a major overhaul to its popular luxury credit card, the Sapphire Reserve.

    Think and Talk Money readers know that I only have two credit cards in my wallet: the Sapphire Reserve and the Chase Freedom Unlimited.

    Since the announcement of the changes to the Sapphire Reserve, I’ve received a number of questions about whether I’m keeping my card.

    To be fair, all the changes are a bit complicated to sort through.

    Along with a revamped points structure, the card offers new travel perks and a variety of spending credits.

    However, it’s not the changes to the earning potential or redemption options that’s prompting all the questions.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    Chase just announced a major overhaul to its popular luxury credit card, the Sapphire Reserve, including increasing its annual fee of $795 (up from $550). On top of that, the fee for authorized users is increasing from $75 to $195. I analyzed whether these changes are worth keeping the card here: https://thinkandtalkmoney.com/is-the-new-chase-sapphire-reserve-worth-the-annual-fee/ #chase #sapphirereserve #thinkandtalkmoney

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    What is the change to the Sapphire Reserve that’s driving most of the questions?

    The Sapphire Reserve now comes with an annual fee of $795 (up from $550). That is the highest annual fee in the luxury credit card market.

    On top of that, the fee for authorized users is increasing from $75 to $195.

    Ouch.

    Offsetting some of that pain for new cardmembers , Chase is currently offering a sign-up bonus of 125,000 points, the largest bonus ever offered.

    That translates to $2,562.50 in value, according to The Points Guy.

    Even with these increased fees, I am keeping the Sapphire Reserve in my wallet.

    Today, I’ll walk you through my thought process as to why I’m keeping the card.

    I’ll show you how I value certain benefits and ignore other potential benefits, mostly because they’re just too complicated or don’t apply to my personal situation.

    Whether you are thinking about applying or are a current cardmember, this post will give you the tools to decide for yourself if the Sapphire Reserve is right for you.

    Before diving in, let’s start with a little bit of context.

    I used to have 10 different credit cards to maximize points.

    There was a time in my life when I had 10 different credit cards because I wanted to maximize the points I earned on every purchase.

    I had airline branded cards, hotel branded cards, and general travel rewards cards. I had credit cards with Chase, American Express, and CitiBank.

    My wallet was thicker than my Chicago accent.

    I did earn a lot of points. But, it was so stressful.

    Keeping track of what card to use for every single purchase was complicated. Making sure I paid off each card every month was even harder. In the end, it wasn’t worth it.

    Stock photo of the Business Man with a credit card by rupixen illustrating why I'm keeping the Chase Sapphire Reserve in my wallet despite the higher annual fee.
    Photo by rupixen on Unsplash

    I now keep things simple and recommend people do the same. The exception would be if you enjoy the challenge of maximizing every credit card purchase and perk.

    How do I keep my credit card life simple?

    I use the Sapphire Reserve for travel and dining and the Freedom Unlimited for everything else.

    Same as me, my wife only carries the Sapphire Reserve and Freedom Unlimited. This way, we can combine points to maximize our rewards.

    Together, we still earn plenty of points and our finances are much simpler.

    Before we go any further, to read more about the responsible use of credit cards, check out my series on credit here. A good place to start is my post with 10 credit card tips for lawyers and professionals.

    The Sapphire Reserve’s benefits are geared towards high spenders and frequent travelers.

    In its press release announcing the revamped card, Chase advertised $2,700 in annual value for cardmembers.

    Compared to an annual fee of $795, that sounds like a whole lot of value.

    For a complete description of all of the potential benefits, you can visit the Sapphire Reserve website.

    The problem is it takes effort to receive all that value.

    More than effort, it takes spending!

    With all credit cards, the more you spend, the more you earn. That’s true whether you are accumulating points or utilizing shopping or travel credits and other discounts.

    This is a good place to remind you of the first rule of responsible credit card usage:

    Don’t spend money just to earn rewards. That’s a recipe for financial disaster.

    The Sapphire Reserve is no exception to this rule.

    In general, if you are a high spender and/or frequent traveler, the card likely offers more than enough benefits to make it valuable to you.

    If you aren’t a high spender and/or frequent traveler, you may end up paying more than the card is worth.

    Here are the Sapphire Reserve benefits that actually matter to me.

    Today, I want to highlight the benefits of the Sapphire Reserve that matter most to me. The reality is that so many of the offered benefits don’t apply to my situation or are too complicated to use.

    You may find value in some of the benefits that don’t matter to me. Regardless, you can go through the same thought process to determine if the Sapphire Reserve is right for you.

    To begin, the Sapphire Reserve will cost my wife and I $990 per year in annual fees. To justify that cost, I’m looking for benefits that equal at least that much. 

    There are 3 annual credits that matter for my personal situation.

    Not all of the offered credits are useful to me. Here are the three that matter for my personal situation:

    1. $300 Annual Travel Credit

    Each year, cardmembers earn $300 in credits for travel purchases. These credits are automatically applied when you make a qualifying travel purchase, which is broadly defined.

    Put simply, the annual travel credit is not hard to earn. If you book even one flight throughout the year, you’ll qualify.

    Applying the annual travel credit, the overall cost drops to $690 per year.

    2. $125 credit for Apple TV+

    I already subscribe to Apple TV+, so this one is a no-brainer.

    I don’t currently have Apple Music, but there’s an additional $125 credit available for this subscription. Because I’m keeping my Sapphire Reserve either way, I’ll probably subscribe to Apple Music, too.

    Important Note: if you’re not already spending money on Apple TV+ or Apple Music, I would not recommend using this benefit as a justification for offsetting the annual fee. 

    Remember the cardinal rule: never spend more money just to qualify for a benefit. Since I’m already a subscriber, this is a good benefit for me.

    Applying the Apple TV+ credit, the overall cost drops to $565 per year.

    3. $10 monthly credit for Peloton memberships

    Like Apple TV+, I already pay for a Peloton membership. This one’s another no-brainer.

    Applying the Peloton credit, the overall cost drops to $445 per year.

    In total, these three credits reduce the true cost of the Sapphire Reserve for me to $445.

    Cutting the true cost in half definitely helps me feel better about the initial sticker shock of the $990 annual fee.

    Importantly, I do not have to change my spending habits in any way to qualify for the credits. I would be paying for these things regardless of the credits, so these are true benefits for me.

    Here are some of the credits that I won’t ever use.

    In contrast to the above credits, there are some other credits offered that are either too complicated or that I won’t really use.

    Don’t overlook this distinction. You never want to justify having a credit card because of hypothetical perks. Only focus on the ones you’ll use.

    For example, Chase advertises $300 in DoorDash promos. Here’s the offer:

    DashPass members get up to $25 each month to spend on DoorDash, which includes a $5 monthly promo to spend on restaurant orders and two $10 promos each month to save on groceries, retail orders, and more.

    Uh, come again?

    I think what this means is I can save $5 once per month on a restaurant delivery. Then, I can spend more money on two other deliveries per month (but not for food), and save $10 each time.

    Did I get that right?

    This is way too complicated. I’m ignoring this credit for my analysis.

    If I regularly used DoorDash, this might be a different story. Because I don’t use DoorDash, and the credit is so complicated, this one is meaningless to me.

    white market light illustrating that some credit card benefits are so confusing they aren't worth considering in your evaluation of whether to get the Chase Sapphire Reserve.
    Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

    There are other credits like this one attached to the card that don’t do anything for me.

    Other examples include credits for dining through the Sapphire Reserve Exclusive Tables and credit for stays with The Edit. In all likelihood, I won’t ever take advantage of these credits. 

    When reviewing the offered credits, you should do the same analysis and only count what you’ll actually use.

    If you won’t currently use the credit, don’t force yourself to use it to justify the cost of the card.

    I also don’t put much weight on travel benefits like lounge access and hotel status.

    The Sapphire Reserve offers access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide through Priority Pass, plus access to Chase Sapphire Lounges.

    The Chase Sapphire lounges admittedly look awesome. The problem is there is not a lounge at my primary airport, Chicago O’Hare.

    There also isn’t a lounge at any airports I regularly fly to. I likely will get very little benefit from these lounges, unless one opens at O’Hare.

    The same goes for the lounges offered through the Priority Pass program. I’ve found this to be a great benefit when traveling internationally but not very useful when traveling domestically. 

    If you are a frequent traveler and would take advantage of all these lounges, this is a major perk of the card. Personally, lounge access doesn’t do much for me.

    The same goes for hotel status through IHG simply because I don’t typically stay at IHG branded hotels.

    In short, these benefits may be meaningful to you but don’t provide much in terms of value for me.

    If anything, I view them as a bonus. Maybe I’ll take advantage of these travel benefits a couple of times throughout the year, and that would be great.

    But, they’re not a factor in my current decision to keep the card.

    I am keeping my Sapphire Reserve because I will earn significantly more than $445 in points value.

    By this point in my analysis, I’ve reduced the fee as much as possible for my situation. Instead of the sticker shock of $990, the real cost is $445 per year. 

    Now, I need to decide if I will earn enough points to justify the $445 cost of the card.

    It is easier than you think to calculate how much value you’re getting in points.

    I like The Points Guy for determining the value of credit card points. While it’s not an exact science, The Points Guy calculates the value of each credit card company’s points and miles every month.

    The Points Guy currently values Chase Ultimate Rewards points at 2.05 cents/point. For comparison, American Express Membership Rewards are valued at 2 cents/point.

    Meaningful to me, the new Sapphire Reserve offers 4 points per dollar spent on airfare and hotels. It also offers 3 points per dollar spent at restaurants. Finally, you’ll earn 1 point per dollar on everything else.

    In my situation, I want to know if I will earn enough points to justify the $445 annual cost. This will require some basic math.

    Here’s what the math looks like:

    1 point = 2.05 cents.

    $445 annual cost x 100 cents = 44,500 cents.

    44,500 cents / 2.05 cents per point = 21,707 points.

    So, I need to earn 21,707 points to justify keeping the card.

    Now, I need to figure out how much I spend each year.

    It’s easy to determine how much you spend each year.

    The next step is to open your Chase app and look to see how much you normally spend in each category. This is very easy to do.

    Chase, like most credit cards today, automatically categorizes your spending for you. Look for the “Spending Planner” option in your app.

    Once there, you can find out exactly how much you spent on categories like travel, food, and everything else.

    I recommend reviewing your spending for all of last year and so far this year. Then, you just need to do some quick math.

    In my case, I use my Sapphire Reserve primarily for travel and dining out, so almost every dollar I spend earns 3 or 4 points.

    I can see on the Chase app that I spend thousands of dollars in each category per year. That’s more than enough spending to earn 21,707 points.

    In other words, my current spending levels make it an easy decision for me to keep the card.

    To put it in perspective, if I spend $5,426.75 per year on flights and hotels, that alone would generate enough points to cover the cost of the card.

    5,426.75 x 4 = 21,707 points

    Or, if I spend $7,235.67 on dining, I would earn 21,707 points, enough to cover the cost of the card.

    In reality, I spend in both categories so neither one has to even reach that level of spending.

    That’s all there is to it.

    You can follow these same steps to determine if the Sapphire Reserve is worth it to you.

    If you aren’t getting enough value, consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred.

    The Chase Sapphire Preferred is a less expensive version of the Sapphire Reserve with less overall benefits.

    I had the Sapphire Preferred for years before my spending justified switching to the Sapphire Reserve.

    You can do the same analysis that we just went through to determine if the Sapphire Preferred is a better card for your personal situation.

    Now you can decide if it’s worth applying for or keeping the Sapphire Reserve.

    Now you know the exact process I went through when I learned the Sapphire Reserve was undergoing some major changes.

    I don’t put much weight on the harder-to-quantify benefits, like lounge access and hotel status, because I don’t have the chance to use those perks very often. If I do get the chance, that’s a nice bonus.

    For me, I earn enough points each year to justify the true cost of keeping the Sapphire Reserve in my wallet.

    Do you currently have the Sapphire Reserve?

    Are you keeping yours or replacing it with something else?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Invest in Real Estate and Other People Pay Your Debt

    Invest in Real Estate and Other People Pay Your Debt

    Imagine that you have the chance to own something that might be worth a lot of money down the road.

    To buy this thing, you will need to pay 25% of the purchase price. The other 75% of the price will be paid by someone else.

    Your job is to take care of that thing and keep it for a long time. It won’t be easy, but if you can handle it, you’ll wake up years from now owning something outright that is very valuable.

    So far, this sounds pretty good, right?

    Of course, there’s a catch. That person paying for 75% of the item will want to be paid back. He’ll want to earn interest, too.

    You might be thinking that this opportunity doesn’t sound so promising anymore. Having to pay off that debt might be enough to convince you not to move forward with buying this thing.

    You’re smart to be thinking about the debt. I could understand if the prospect of paying back a debt like this didn’t appeal to you. Who really wants to use their own hard-earned money to pay off debt anyways?

    Fair enough.

    But, what if I told you that other people are going to pay back that 75% (plus interest) on your behalf?

    Even more, while those other people are paying back the debt, you still get to benefit from owning the item.

    Does that change how you’re viewing this opportunity?

    Maybe now you’re thinking that this is too good to be true?

    Nope.

    This is exactly how real estate investors generate long-term wealth. They buy a property using a loan and then pay back that loan using other people’s money.

    This example leads us to the next main reason I invest in real estate:

    Other people pay off my debt.

    When you acquire the right rental properties, your tenants will pay monthly rent and that rent can be used to pay off your loan.

    That means you can pay off that loan without using any of your own money.

    As your loan balance shrinks, your net worth increases. As your net worth increases, you are creating wealth for you and your family.

    Along the way, you can reap the benefits of monthly cash flow and appreciation. That means your net worth increases even more.

    That’s a powerful combination to generate long-term wealth.

    If this concept sounds like something you may be interested in, read on.

    Before we talk more about debt pay-down, let’s review two of the other main reasons I invest in real estate.

    1. Rental property cash flow is king.

    With cash flow, you can cover your immediate life expenses. For anybody hoping to reach financial freedom, it is essential to have income to pay for your present day life expenses. 

    For my money, cash flow from rental properties is the best way to pay for those immediate expenses.

    One of the hottest destinations in Spain is Costa Blanca, these luxury homes are situated in Villamartin, Campoamor, Torrevieja, Orihuela, located near to the coast, golf course, and shopping center, an example of other people paying my debt through rent.
    Photo by Frames For Your Heart on Unsplash

    If your present day expenses are already covered, you can use your cash flow to fund additional investments.

    That might mean buying another rental property or investing in another asset class, like stocks.

    2. Long-term wealth through appreciation.

    Appreciation simply refers to the gradual increase in a property’s value over time. 

    While cash flow can provide for my immediate expenses, appreciation is all about the long-term benefits.

    Like investing in stocks over the long run, real estate tends to go up in value. The key is to hold a property long enough to benefit from that appreciation.

    To benefit from appreciation, all I really need to do is make my monthly mortgage payments, keep my property in decent condition, and let the market do the rest.

    Now that we’ve reviewed how cash flow and appreciation work together to generate long-term wealth, we can look at the additional benefits of debt pay-down.

    With rental properties, other people pay off my debt.

    When I buy a rental property, I take out a mortgage and agree to pay the bank each month until that mortgage is paid off. At all times, I remain responsible for paying back that debt.

    However, I do not pay that debt back with my own money.

    Instead, I rent out the property to tenants. I do my best to provide my tenants with a nice place to live in exchange for monthly rent payments.

    I then use those rent payments to pay back the loan.

    Each time I make a mortgage payment, part of the payment goes to interest on the loan and part of the payment goes toward the principal. This concept is known as amortization.

    By the way, this is how real estate investors use Good Debt, also know as leverage, to generate wealth.

    You may be totally against debt of all kind. That’s OK. Debt certainly carries risk. I’m not here to convince you that debt is a good thing or a bad thing. I’m just showing you how it works.

    For more on the difference between good debt and bad debt, check out my post here.

    What is loan amortization?

    Amortization is the process of paying back a loan over time in predetermined installments. While your payment amount remains the same, the composition of that payment changes over time.

    In the early years of paying off a mortgage, the vast majority of your payment goes to the interest. With each additional payment, more of the money goes towards the principal.

    When you take out a mortgage, your lender will give you an amortization table that shows you exactly how much of your monthly payment goes towards interest and principal for the duration of the loan.

    For example, if you take out a 30-year mortgage, you’ll receive a chart that shows 360 payments (12 monthly payments for 30 years). You can then look at any month in that 30-year period to see how much of your payment goes to interest vs. principal in that month.

    We hung that art piece by Tekuma artist Lulu Zheng, and I particularly loved how Lulu combines architecture and organic forms. Even if it is in the background, her 3D elephant brings the focus of the viewer towards her work, representing how renters can make a home feel like their own while they pay off my real estate debt.
    Photo by Naomi Hébert on Unsplash

    If you’re so inclined, you can also use an online calculator, like this one at calculator.net, to create an amortization chart for any loan you have.

    I’ll admit, looking at the amortization chart is the least fun part of any real estate closing.

    Seeing debt payments as far out as 30 years is a bit scary. It’s hard not to think of all the things that can go wrong during such a long time period. That’s why I prefer to think of amortization in general terms instead of specifics.

    Generally speaking, I know that some of my monthly payment goes to interest and some goes to principal. The longer I pay back the loan, the more of my payment goes to principal. That’s good enough for me.

    With a fixed-rate loan, your monthly payment remains the same.

    When you have a fixed-rate mortgage, your payment remains the same for the duration of the loan.

    At the same time, because of inflation, rents tend to go up over the long run. Rents may also go up if market conditions improve or if you have forced appreciation through enhancements to your property.

    When your rental income goes up, and your debt obligation remains constant, that means more cash flow for you.

    For example, say your monthly mortgage payment is $2,500 each month for the next 30 years. And, let’s say you currently earn $3,000 in monthly rent payments.

    Over time, your rental income should gradually increase. Some years in the future, you may be earning $4,000 or $5,000 per month in rental income. All the while, your monthly mortgage payment remains $2,500.

    You can use that extra income, after covering all other expenses, to pay for your immediate life expenses, pay off your loan faster, or invest in other assets.

    It’s for these reasons that having a fixed debt payment over a long time horizon is one of the biggest advantages to investing in real estate.

    Think of it this way. Just like with your personal Budget After Thinking, you can make significant strides towards financial freedom when your income increases and your expenses remain fixed.

    What do you think of investing in real estate so other people can pay off your debt?

    Now, you know three of my main reasons for investing in real estate: cash flow, appreciation, and debt pay-down.

    Regarding debt pay-down, each month my tenants pay rent, I can use that income to shrink my loan balance.

    As my loan balance shrinks, my equity in the property increases. Equity is just another way of saying ownership interest.

    When my equity in a property increases, my net worth increases.

    So, on top of monthly cash flow and appreciation, debt pay-down is another way to generate wealth through real estate over the long run.

    That’s three ways to make money off of a single investment.

    Not bad, huh?

    If you’re a real estate investor, let us know how you’ve used debt to increase your net worth.

  • Money on My Mind: Read The Simple Path to Wealth

    Money on My Mind: Read The Simple Path to Wealth

    The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins is the best book on investing I’ve ever read.

    It is a must-read for anyone trying to figure out why and how to invest in the stock market.

    If you’re a new investor and don’t understand how to invest in the stock market, Collins will set you on your way.

    If you’re a seasoned investor unsure what to do in times of economic uncertainty, Collins is here to help.

    Maybe you just need a bit of motivation or a reminder of how simple it is to build long-term wealth. There’s no one better than Collins to provide that pep talk.

    Who is JL Collins?

    JL Collins is sometimes described as “the Godfather of Financial Independence” in the personal finance community. He has a popular blog where you can read more about his story.

    The short version is that he wrote a series of letters to his then teenage daughter about money, investing, and life. He wanted to impart the wisdom he had accumulated during his lifetime and help her avoid the mistakes he had made.

    Those letters eventually led to his blog, which then led to his bestselling book, The Simple Path to Wealth, first released in 2015.

    Since then, Collins has been a thought-leaders in the financial independence community. He has inspired thousands, if not millions, of people around the world to accumulate massive wealth by following a few simple rules.

    What makes Collins so transformative is his ability to make seemingly complex topics (like investing) into easily digestible and actionable information.

    If you have any intention of becoming financially independent and haven’t read The Simple Path to Wealth, now is the time to do so.

    I’ve read his book cover-to-cover twice and constantly refer back to his lessons.

    purple flower filed during daytime illustrating how beautiful the simple path to wealth should be.
    Photo by Jack Skinner on Unsplash

    Each time I read his book, I’m reminded how simple it is to reach financial independence if I can just follow a few simple tips.

    I’ll share those simple rules with you at the bottom of the post. Before I do, here is a bit of context about each time I read his book, first in 2019, then again in 2025.

    Seeing those dates, you may already be wondering if world events between 2019 and 2025 changed his philosophies.

    Let’s find out.

    I first read The Simple Path to Wealth in 2019 as a DINK.

    I first read The Simple Path to Wealth in 2019 and just finished the updated version. Even if you’ve read the original version, I highly recommend you read new edition released in 2025.

    Here’s why.

    When I read the original version in 2019, market conditions and the world economy were in very different places than they are in 2025.

    Back in 2019, the stock market had been closing out one of the best decades in history. As reported by US News:

    From a market’s perspective, the 2010s will forever be remembered as an era of slow but steady gains on Wall Street, and a period of sustained growth for investors and their retirement accounts.

    By the end of the 2010s, the market had been on the longest bull run in history. It was such an epic run that it was fairly common for most people to see big gains in their portfolios without much effort or knowledge.

    On a personal level, my life was also very different in 2019. My wife and I were enjoying married life before having kids. We had just purchased our first rental property in a trendy Chicago neighborhood.

    On top of that, we were DINKs (“Dual Income No Kids) and able to save aggressively for our next investment.

    We were considering another rental property, but I first wanted to learn more about the power of investing in the stock market.

    This is what led me to read The Simple Path to Wealth the first time.

    Side note: If you are currently a DINK, or will soon be a DINK, please pay extra attention here.

    Don’t waste this powerful opportunity to supercharge your investments.

    When you’re in a relationship where you have two incomes coming in and are sharing financial responsibilities, you have the opportunity to supercharge your Later Money goals.

    This is what my wife and I were able to do, even if we didn’t know what a DINK was. We each had good incomes coming in and our monthly expenses were low.

    Also, we didn’t have to worry about childcare. We were young so the odds of unexpected medical care were lower. All things considered, it was pretty easy to keep our Now Money to a minimum with plenty to spare for Life Money.

    This allowed us to fuel our Later Money goals. We had money in the bank and seemingly endless choices.

    And, I didn’t want to screw it up.

    Reading The Simple Path to Wealth was a way to educate myself in hopes of not screwing it up.

    I read the new version of The Simple Path to Wealth in 2025.

    Fast forward to 2025. I read the new version o The Simple Path to Wealth because I was curious if Collins’ viewpoint had changed due to major world events, like the Covid-19 pandemic.

    I was also curious to see whether his advice would still resonate with me now that I’m a seasoned real-estate investor and have a personal finance blog.

    Well, I’m happy to report that Collins’ message hit me stronger today than it did in 2019.

    If anything, Collins’ lessons are even more applicable today than they were in the 2010s when markets were soaring.

    In the new edition, Collins discusses how recent world-changing events, like the Covid-19 pandemic and international wars, actually strengthen his long-time recommendations.

    This was very refreshing to learn because I have been following his advice and recommending his book for years.

    In times of economic uncertainty, Collins explains, it’s even more important to have a plan for your money.

    Once you have that plan, you need to stick to it, no matter what.

    Collins provides the motivation and tools to stick to the plan.

    Why is The Simple Path to Wealth such an important book?

    When I teach my personal finance class to law students, I ask at the beginning of class what my students hope to learn.

    One of the most common responses I hear every year is, “I want to learn how to invest in the stock market.”

    OK, fair enough.

    The truth is I’ve yet to find any resource better than The Simple Path to Wealth to teach us how and why to invest in the stock market.

    What makes Collins such a good teacher?

    In The Simple Path to Wealth, Collins uses basic, every day, language that we can all understand. This is his greatest gift.

    Too many books on investing are so dense that they are useless to the average person.

    Collins is different. He successfully blends his life experiences with the historical data, in easy to understand terms, to show us that investing is not hard.

    For many people, especially people at the beginning of their careers, investing can seem intimidating.

    As Collins explains, that’s because it’s big business for investment companies and banks to make investing seem hard and scary.

    These companies spend billions of dollars marketing every year to convince us that investing is complicated. Their goal is to convince us to pay them lots of money to manage our money.

    You don’t have to believe them. You certainly don’t have to pay them tons of money to invest in the stock market.

    Collins will not only show you how invest on your own, he’ll also give you the tools to outperform the financial professionals.

    What are Collins’ simple rules to live by?

    Collins’ main message is that investing should not be complicated. When done the right way, it’s simple and effective. Hence, the title of his book.

    Collins explains that each of us can achieve long-term wealth by following a few simple rules:

    1. Spend less than you earn.
    2. Invest the surplus.
    3. Avoid debt.

    Sound advice, indeed.

    If you can live by these simple rules, the next question is what to do with your surplus money earmarked for investments.

    Collins has a simple and effective plan for you that he details in his book.

    What is Collins’ simple and effective plan for investing?

    Collins’ plan is both simple and effective. He doesn’t expect you to just take his word for it, either. He has the research and historical data to back it up.

    Make no mistake: just because something is simple does not mean it is ineffective.

    So, what is Collins’ simple and effective plan to invest for long-term wealth?

    1. Invest in low-cost, broad-based index funds. His favorite investment has always been Vanguard’s total stock market index fund, VTSAX.
    2. Ignore the noise. Be mentally tough. Stay the course.

    That’s it.

    You don’t need fancy investments. You don’t need a financial advisor. All you need to do is commit to the plan.

    If you’re thinking that this is too good to be true, you need to read The Simple Path to Wealth.

    How can it really be that simple?

    You might be thinking, how can it really be that simple? If all people had to do was invest in index funds, everyone would be rich.

    That’s exactly Collins’ point!

    Everyone could be rich if they follow these simple rules.

    The problem is most people allow their emotions to get in the way and steer them off the path.

    Collins does his best to help you deal with those emotions.

    If you don’t believe that index fund investing will make you wealthy, look at this stat about the recently announced sale of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers:

    That’s right. The Buss family would have an extra $3 billion today if they had invested in the S&P 500 instead of purchasing the Lakers in 1979!

    Many thanks to blog reader, DJ, for passing this one along!

    I know, I know. Owning the Lakers was probably a ton of fun. They also surely made money on the team along the way.

    The point remains: investing in an S&P 500 index fund also would have generated massive wealth. And, that wealth would have come without the effort and the headaches of running a major professional sports organization.

    I can picture Collins having a good laugh about stats like this.

    Read The Simple Path to Wealth.

    I recommend The Simple Path to Wealth to all of my students and friends who ask me about investing.

    There is not a better book out there to make the concept of investing seem approachable for all of us.

    Collins is clear and humorous. He’s also stern when he needs to be.

    If you read this book, you’ll realize that becoming wealthy through the stock market does not have to be complicated.

    It can be wonderfully simple.

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Invest in Real Estate for Wealth Through Appreciation

    Invest in Real Estate for Wealth Through Appreciation

    We previously looked at the main reason I invest in real estate:

    Rental property cash flow is king.

    With cash flow, you can cover your immediate life expenses. For anybody hoping to reach financial freedom, it is essential to have income to pay for your present day life expenses.

    For my money, cash flow from rental properties is the best way to pay for those immediate expenses.

    What if you don’t need your cash flow to cover your immediate life expenses? Maybe you have a full-time job that provides more than enough.

    That’s even better. There’s no rule that says you have to spend your cash flow.

    If your present day expenses are already covered, you can use your cash flow to fund additional investments. That might mean buying another rental property or investing in another asset class, like stocks.

    The point is cash flow gives you options. Having options is never a bad thing, right?

    That’s why cash flow is the number one reason I invest in real estate.

    However, cash flow is not the only reason.

    I also invest in real estate to generate long-term wealth for me and my family.

    I am a buy-and-hold real estate investor.

    That means when I buy a property, I intend on keeping it for many years. Circumstances may change, of course, but my intention is to hold property for a minimum of ten years.

    The reason I buy-and-hold for the long term leads us to the next major reason I invest in real estate:

    Appreciation.

    While cash flow can provide for my immediate expenses, appreciation is all about the long-term benefits. Appreciation is how I will generate long-term wealth for my family through real estate.

    Today, I want to talk about what appreciation is and how it can significantly improve your net worth over time.

    Let’s dive in.

    What is appreciation in real estate?

    Appreciation simply refers to the gradual increase in a property’s value over time. 

    For example, if you buy a property for $500,000, and some years later it’s valued at $750,000, your property has appreciated by $250,000.

    That means through appreciation, your net worth has increased by $250,000.

    Except for when you’ve forced appreciation (we’ll discuss below), you have earned that money through appreciation by doing very little. All you have to do is make your monthly mortgage payments, and let the market do the rest.

    This is exactly how many Americans generate significant wealth over time.

    Mini house and key illustrating how to generate long-term wealth through real estate with appreciation.
    Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash

    How to target properties with a strong likelihood of appreciating is beyond the scope of this post. I’ll soon share with you my criteria, but there’s no one way to do it. 

    Entire websites and books have explored this topic. If I were just starting out, I would spend a lot of time on BiggerPockets.com.

    For that matter, even as an experienced investor, I still spend a lot of time on BiggerPockets.

    For now, remember one main point when it comes to appreciation:

    Appreciation takes time.

    Successful real estate investors know that appreciation takes time.

    I’m not talking about speculators or gamblers. I’m talking about people who are interested in building long-term wealth for their families.

    To build long-term wealth through real estate, you need to remember this main rule about appreciation.

    It’s so important, it’s worth repeating:

    If you can hold a property for years or even decades, you have a really good chance of that asset being worth significantly more than when you paid for it.

    Your property may not appreciate at the same rate every year. Some years, your property may even lose value. That’s OK because you’re in it for the long run.

    The hard part is just holding on long enough to realize the benefit of appreciation.

    In this way, investing in real estate is like investing in stocks.

    How is investing in real estate like investing in stocks?

    Many of the same fundamentals apply to investing in real estate as to the stock market.

    We just mentioned one of the biggest keys with either asset: the longer you hold that asset, the more that asset should eventually be worth. 

    With stocks, we’ve already spent a lot of time in the blog discussing why you need to invest early and often.

    For more information on investing in stocks, you can read a variety of posts here.

    When you invest in stocks early and often, you can benefit from compound interest and safely ride out down market cycles. The stock market does not always go up every year, but given enough time, it does always go up.

    In large part, the same is true when you invest in real estate.

    If you buy good properties in good markets, given enough time, your property should appreciate in value. Like with stocks, the key is your ability to hold on and ride out down market cycles. 

    Want to know the secret to riding out down markets?

    Cash flow.

    You saw that one coming, didn’t you?

    Cash flow will help you ride out market cycles and benefit from appreciation.

    When you own strong, cash flowing rental properties, the cash flow covers all the expenses.

    That means you can stay patient in down markets because holding that property is not costing you any money.

    To take it a step further, as long as your property is cash flowing, you can hold it for decades and generate massive wealth through appreciation.

    Cash flow and appreciation working together is a powerful force. You can see why real estate investors get so excited about their investments.

    When a property is performing, the cash flow allows an investor to hold that property indefinitely. During that time, the property becomes more valuable through appreciation.

    It’s a beautiful partnership.

    What is forced appreciation?

    I mentioned earlier that there is one other form of appreciation worth talking about here: forced appreciation.

    Forced appreciation is when you improve your property in such a way that it increases in value. 

    Common examples may include remodeling the kitchen or bathrooms or adding another bedroom. When you make these enhancements to your property, your property should increase in value.

    This is what house flippers do. They buy a property in need of some work, do the improvements, and then aim to sell that property for a profit.

    It’s not a strategy that I personally use, but it has worked for many people for many years.

    The thing is, forced appreciation is not just for house flippers or investors hoping to realize a quick profit.

    When done correctly, forced appreciation is another way to make money over the long-term for buy and hold investors, like me.

    For example, in one of our rental buildings, we added in-unit washers and dryers. By doing so, our units now command a higher monthly rent, which in turn increases the value of the property.

    As a final point, forced appreciation is one way investing in real estate is different from investing in stocks.

    When you buy real estate, you are in control. You decide what improvements to make and not to make. Many real estate investors love having this type of control over their assets.  

    By contrast, when you own stock in a company, there is very little (if anything) you can do to impact how that company is run. Unless you have boatloads of stock in a particular company, you’re essentially just along for the ride until you sell your stock.

    What do you think about generating long-term wealth through appreciation?

    Now you know two of my favorite reasons for investing in real estate: cash flow and appreciation.

    Have you invested in real estate and benefited from appreciation?

    Did you force appreciation or hang tight and let the market do it’s thing?

    Let us know in the comments below!

  • Money Question: What Would I do with $10 Million?

    Money Question: What Would I do with $10 Million?

    In a recent post, I asked: If you woke up tomorrow with $10 million in your bank account, would you do anything differently?

    I ask a version of this question whenever I teach my personal finance course to law students.

    Asking what you would do with $10 million is just another way to ask what you would do with financial freedom.

    Attaching a specific dollar amount to the question helps make financial freedom seem real. It turns the aspirational concept of financial freedom into actual numbers.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    In a recent post, I asked: If you woke up tomorrow with $10 million in your bank account, would you do anything differently? I ask a version of this question whenever I teach my personal finance course to law students. Attaching a specific dollar amount to the question helps make financial freedom seem real. Many thanks to one of our blog followers, Ian, for turning the question around and asking me what I would do with $10 million! #thinkandtalkmoney

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    Many thanks to one of our blog followers, Ian, for turning the question around and asking me what I would do with $10 million!

    It’s been some time since I put some real thought into this question. I’m happy to have gone through the thought process in crafting this post.

    If you haven’t already, I encourage you to do the same and think about exactly what you would do if you woke up with $10 million.

    Before I share my answer, I want to highlight some other reader responses to the question, which should shed some light on my decisions.

    Let’s get to it.

    🚨If you know anybody who would benefit from thinking and talking about money even just a little bit, please share the Think and Talk Money blog with them! I post 3 times every week. 🚨

    Disappearing on a beach.

    The most common response to what people would do with $10 million involved some version of:

    Invest the money and then disappear on a faraway beach.

    In a way, the “disappear on a beach” response illustrates what many of us are striving for with financial independence. By that, I mean the goal of having enough money to then not have to work if we don’t want to.

    palm tree near sea shore illustrating that life on a beach may get lonely after a while, which is why I would not disappear with $10 million.
    Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash

    Personally, I share the goal of becoming financially free, but I’m not looking to retire early and disappear. After all, I believe in FIPE not FIRE.

    I think jetting off to the beach would be nice at first but then get old pretty fast. That said, I can certainly appreciate the desire to take some time away from life’s daily stressors.

    Invest and then buy a shotgun.

    One reader, Sean, shared a pretty sensible plan:

    Put $9 million in the S&P 500, pay off debt with the rest and buy a nice shot gun.

    It’s hard to argue with this plan. Of course, it’s never a bad idea to pay off debt or invest in the S&P 500.

    I think it’s also important to treat yourself, within reason. I’m not in favor of earning financial freedom if it means being afraid to spend money on the things that make you happy.

    While I don’t know the first thing about shotguns, I’m guessing they represent a hobby of Sean’s. I’m certainly in favor of spending on hobbies, experiences, and activities that bring you joy.

    Well done, Sean.

    The struggle between “should” and “want.”

    Finally, Zach shared a sentiment that many of us struggle with when it comes to money decisions:

    I know what the answer should be but I’d really like to buy a house and a couple of the cool cars I’d always ogled over growing up.

    Zach’s comment stood out to me in the way he phrased it. He knows what he should do, which in his mind is different from what he wants to do.

    Zach’s one sentence comment sums up a money struggle that many of us have.

    We know what we should do, but we’re constantly fighting what we want to do.

    I would challenge Zach, and anyone else feeling this way, to take some time thinking about what you truly want out of life. I did this when I wrote down my Tiara Goals for Financial Freedom while on a beach in Florida.

    If you put some real thought into it, you might find that material possessions are actually not that important to you. Rather, buying your freedom is so much more valuable.

    I would want to know more about Zach’s desire to buy a couple of cool cars. Maybe, like our previous reader wanting a shotgun, having cool cars is a hobby for him that brings much joy.

    However, I have my doubts that’s what Zach meant. The way he phrased it (“cars I’d always ogled over growing up”) leads me to believe he wants these cars to show off.

    Here’s the problem with that type of spending.

    Buying a couple of cool cars would likely only give you a short-lived burst of happiness. Sure, it would be fun to drive them around at first. Maybe it’d also be fun to have your friends over and show off what you just bought.

    But, studies routinely show that the burst of happiness from material possessions like cars only lasts for so long.

    When that initial burst fades away, you’re stuck with the hassle of owning multiple cars that you probably wouldn’t even drive much. Your friends would stop caring before too long.

    Add in the cost of insurance, maintenance, and garage space, and these cool cars will be a major drag on your financial freedom.

    By the way, there’s nothing at all wrong with buying a house. You need to live somewhere. Just keep it reasonable.

    Otherwise, you’ll end up working long hours for a lot of years just to keep the house. That might not be a trade off you want to make.

    What I would do with $10 million.

    Without further ado, here’s exactly what I would do if I woke up with $10 million tomorrow.

    1. $50,000 to go on an African safari with my wife.

    My wife and I have three kids at home ages five and under. With a newborn, even date night can feel like an epic adventure. My wife does so much for all of us, that this is the easiest decision I’ve ever made.

    With the first $50,000, she and I are packing our bags for Africa and leaving the kids with Grandma. Since this would be our first big trip in six years, we’re balling out without worrying about the cost.

    I am a big advocate of using money as a tool to build memories. How could I do better than taking a dream vacation with my wife?

    2. Pay off my house.

    My goal is to be financially free. A big part of that is not having any debt. That’s why the next chunk of the $10 million is going to pay off my house.

    I could certainly make more money long-term by investing in the stock market or purchasing more rental properties. But, with $10 million at my disposal, I don’t need any more money. I know when enough is enough.

    I love my house and my community and would rather know that I can stay here with my family for the long run.

    3. Pay off my rental ski condo.

    In 2021, my wife and I bought a ski condo in Colorado. We currently rent it out for most of the year.

    If I had $10 million, I would pay off the mortgage on the ski condo, stop renting it out, and spend a lot more time out west with my family.

    Hiker on a log illustrating what I would do with $10 million, like hiking with my family.
    Photo by Jon Flobrant on Unsplash

    As I mentioned, one of my main goals in life is to create as many experiences and memories as possible with my family.

    Paying off my condo would allow all of us to spend more time together doing the things we love, like skiing, hiking, biking, and swimming.

    Best of all, we could do these things while sharing our condo with our extended family members.

    4. $250,000 in a high yield savings account.

    Everyone should have an emergency savings account. I would put $250,000 into a high yield savings account and turn to this money as my first line of defense in case of emergencies.

    After eliminating my mortgage debt on my primary home and my ski condo, $250,000 would be enough to fund my life for about 2 years. That’s a lot of runway and provides peace of mind.

    5. $300,000 total in my kids’ 529 college savings accounts.

    Besides eliminating debt, my other major financial goal right now is to save enough to pay for my three kids’ college. To cross this goal off my list once and for all, I would put a combined $300,000 into their 529 accounts.

    I landed on $300,000 by playing around with an online calculator, like this one. $300,000 should be enough to reach my goal for each kid.

    6. 70% of the rest in a total stock market index fund.

    I am an index fund investor, through and through. I have no interest in trying to beat the market or time the market.

    I’m perfectly happy with earning around 10% per year, which is the historical annual average return of the S&P 500.

    So, I would put 70% of the rest of my money in a total stock market index fund. I prefer Vanguard’s popular offering, VTSAX.

    If you’re wondering why I’m not putting all my money in “safer” asset categories, like cash or bonds, it’s because I still have a long investment horizon in front of me.

    I plan on investing for decades to come. I’m OK riding out the market swings that come with investing in stocks. I also want to keep up with inflation so my purchasing power remains strong in the future.

    7. 30% in a total bond market index fund.

    While I would mostly be invested in stocks, I would be highly motivated to preserve more of my wealth. Like I mentioned before, enough is enough.

    Investing in bonds is a good way to de-risk your portfolio, even if it means earning less each year.

    For that reason, I would allocate the remaining 30% of my money to a total bond market index fund. I would choose Vanguard’s VBTLX.

    I would not pay off my rental properties or quit my job.

    You may have noticed I did not mention paying off my rental properties or quitting my job.

    My rental properties are all on very low-rate mortgages and generate strong monthly cash flow. These properties are performing beautifully as is.

    I don’t see any good reason to mess with a good thing. I could always re-visit if circumstances changed.

    With $10 million, why am I not quitting my job and jetting off to a beach?

    The truth is I really like my life right now. I don’t see any good reason to make sudden, major life changes.

    I like the people I work with and the work that we do for our mesothelioma clients.

    On top of that, I like where I live and am not really craving any major purchases. I would probably get some new furniture for the house. Maybe I’d plant another tree or two in the backyard.

    Plus, because I’m still earning an income in this scenario, I can continue to use my income to fund my life. That’s why I didn’t account for daily spending in my plan for $10 million.

    In fact, I’d have more income available because the $10 million is more than enough for my long-term savings and investment goals.

    I could use the money I had been saving for these goals for more present day spending. I’m not sure I would, but I could spend more freely, if I wanted to.

    So, there you have it. That’s exactly what I would do with $10 million right now.

    What do you think of my plan?

    Would you do anything differently?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Invest in Real Estate Because Cash Flow is King

    Invest in Real Estate Because Cash Flow is King

    You may be wondering whether it’s better to invest in real estate or the stock market.

    It’s a valid question. We all have limited dollars (some more than others) and need to decide what to do with those dollars.

    The debate between investing in real estate or stocks is a good one. There’s no doubt that both asset classes can provide significant long-term growth.

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    Landlord Tip of the Week! ☑️🏡 #thinkandtalkmoney #landlord #landlordtips #realestateinvesting #realestateinvestor

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    There are also advantages and disadvantages to both types of investments. Advocates on either side of the debate can be very passionate about their preferred asset class.

    I personally invest in both asset classes. I have 10 rental apartments in Chicago and a rental ski condo in Colorado. In addition, I invest in the stock market primarily through index funds.

    Both asset classes play a key role in my journey to financial freedom. From my perspective, you don’t have to choose one asset class over the other. You can invest in real estate and own stocks.

    We’ve spent a lot of time in the blog already talking about the significant long-term upside of investing in the stock market. If you need a refresher, check out my post on investing early and often to benefit from the magic of compound interest.

    Today, I want to discuss one of the main reasons to invest in real estate. The reason comes down to a simple term:

    Cash flow.

    When investing in real estate, cash flow is the money left over each month after paying all your bills.

    There’s an old saying, “Cash is king.”

    For me, “Cash flow is king.”

    My goal is to use real estate to accelerate my journey to financial freedom. To that end, I invest in real estate primarily for the cash flow.

    Let’s dive in.

    Stocks and real estate will each provide incredible long-term benefit.

    Both stocks and real estate can provide significant long-term upside. Besides that upside, I invest in real estate for the immediate benefits of cash flow.

    In terms of your Budget After Thinking, your Later Money is for future expenses. Your Now Money and Life Money are considered immediate life expenses.

    Let’s talk about the Later Money category for just a moment. We can hopefully agree that both the stock market and real estate investments can generate incredible long-term wealth.

    The S&P 500 has historically provided an average annual return of 10%. While not guaranteed to continue in the future, 10% average annual returns represents a powerful wealth generator.

    With real estate, the long-term prospects can be harder to sum up with one simple number. There are a lot of variables at play, not least of which are the type of real estate and the geographic market.

    For example, I primarily invest in small multi-family properties in Chicago. According to Redfin, residential home prices in Chicago were up 9.1% compared to last year.

    Certain neighborhoods in Chicago have fared even better. In the neighborhood I invest in, prices are up 11.1% since last year.

    Those are nice short-term trends.

    On the other hand, in the past 25 years, home prices in Chicago have only doubled, which actually lags the national average. That’s not so nice.

    By the way, you can find data like this for most markets across the country so you can do your own homework on your market.

    So, what’s the takeaway?

    For me, it’s quite simple:

    If you hold real estate for long enough (think decades, not years), it will go up in value.

    Given enough time, like the stock market, real estate always goes up.

    How much your real estate will increase in value is hard to predict.

    My expected long-term returns in Chicago are different from somebody who invests in condos in San Francisco. Likewise, my Chicago rentals are different from my Colorado rental ski condo.

    I don’t expect my Chicago properties to increase in value at a rate of 10% over the long-term. I certainly hope the value of my properties beat the historical average in Chicago, but I’m not expecting that either.

    The point is, whatever happens long-term, I’m OK with it. The reason I invest in Chicago rental properties is not really about the long-term upside.

    It’s about the cash flow.

    For me, cash flow is king.

    Cash flow is king because it can cover present day expenses.

    To be truly financially free, you need to cover immediate life expenses at the same time you are saving for future life expenses.

    My definition of being financially free means not being dependent on the income from a primary job to cover your life expenses.

    My goal is to be truly financially free. That means I need money to pay for my life now, not just decades from now.

    African lion photography by Bisakha Datta symbolizing that cash flow is king when it comes to financial freedom.
    Photo by Bisakha Datta on Unsplash

    We just talked about how the stock market and real estate can both help with the future life expenses.

    For me, the primary benefit of investing in real estate is to help with those present day, immediate expenses.

    In terms of your Budget After Thinking, that means helping with your Now Money and Life Money.

    This is where cash flow comes in.

    I can use the cash flow from my rental properties to help cover my present day expenses. By having cash flow available in this way, I have accelerated my journey to financial freedom.

    In fact, I’ve been hard-pressed to find any other asset class that provides as many benefits in the here-and-now, while also providing benefits in the future.

    Let’s explore that point next.

    I prefer cash flow from real estate over stock dividends for my current expenses.

    Don’t get me wrong, you can certainly reach financial freedom by investing in the stock market. As we just talked about, the stock market provides significant long-term upside.

    Plus, you can certainly cover your current expenses with dividends from your stock investments.

    However, I think cash flow from real estate is a better option.

    Here’s why.

    In order to fund your current life with your stock investments, you either need to withdraw some of your earnings or even sell some of your stocks.

    When your stock portfolio is growing, you can leave your principle untouched and live off of the earnings. That’s pretty nice.

    But, what happens when the market drops? You still have bills to pay and a life to fund. To cover those expenses, you may need to sell some of your stock assets.

    Selling assets is not a great way to sustain long-term wealth.

    With real estate, you can live off of the cash flow without having to sell the asset.

    While your property may go through periods where it decreases in value, if you keep it long-term, the asset will increase in value. During that time frame, you can use the cash flow to fund your life.

    Let’s explore this concept a bit further with an example using the popular 4% Rule.

    What’s better for monthly expenses: cash flow from real estate or dividends from stocks?

    Let’s say you just received a windfall of $250,000. Pretend it’s a bonus from work or an inheritance from a distant relative.

    Your goal is to achieve financial freedom as soon as possible so you are not dependent on your W-2 job.

    You are considering two investment options.

    Option 1: You invest the $250,000 into a total stock market index fund, such as Vanguard’s popular offering (VTSAX).

    You’ve done your homework and know that based on the 4% Rule, you can safely withdraw 4% of your money in the first year and then 4% plus an adjustment for inflation in subsequent years. If you do so, your money should last 30 years.

    That means you can safely withdraw $10,000 in the first year year, and a bit more each year after that. For simplicity, let’s just look at the first year when you can safely withdraw $833.33 per month ($10,000 / 12 months = $833.33).

    Remember, your goal is to leave your primary job. With this investment, you can assume you’ll have $833.33 per month available to cover your monthly expenses. Not too bad.

    One important note: the 4% rule contemplates that your original investment should fund your lifestyle for 30 years. Importantly, there’s a chance your portfolio may be completely depleted after 30 years.

    There’s also a chance your portfolio may be worth more in 30 years than when you started withdrawing.

    Your results in large part depend on the percentage of stocks you own in your portfolio. If you are interested, you can read more about the 4% Rule and successful withdrawal rates here.

    One of keys to remember is that while the market does not always go up every year, you will still be making withdrawals every year.

    There may be a year where the market drops by 5% on top of the withdrawals you made that year. When that happens, your account balance drops. If you are not flexible in your withdrawal rate, this could lead to problems.

    True, when the market goes up, your account balance goes up. The 4% Rule attempts to factors in these up-and-down cycles over a 30 year period.

    However, when you are making constant withdrawals over a long enough period, there’s a chance that your account balance will eventually drop to zero.

    Keep this in mind as we consider our next option.

    Option 2: You use the $250,000 for a down payment on a rental property valued at $1 million.

    We will soon learn how to evaluate rental properties. Countless books have been written on the broad topic, and it’s beyond the scope of this post.

    Humor me for now since this is only a hypothetical scenario.

    Without getting into specifics, I am willing to bet that any decent real estate investor could generate more than $833.33 per month from a $1 million property.

    Personally, if I had $250,000 to invest in Chicago, I would not settle for anything less than $2,000 per month in cash flow. And, that would be the bare minimum for me to even tour a property.

    With an initial investment of $250,000, my focus would be on finding a rental property with at least $3,000 in monthly cash flow.

    For now, you’ll just have to trust that cash flow like that is possible with rental properties. I’ll soon show you how to do the analysis and manage your properties to target returns like this.

    Photo from Zach Angelo created for his church symbolizing that cash flow is king when it comes to financial freedom.
    Photo by Megan Watson on Unsplash

    To recap, with the same $250,000 investment, you should be able to earn more monthly cash flow in real estate than dividends from stocks.

    It gets even better.

    If you hold your property long-term, your monthly cash flow should increase over time. Over those 30 years, inflation will naturally cause your rental income to increase.

    At the same time, if you have a fixed rate mortgage for 30 years, that major expense stays constant. The difference between your increased rental income and constant mortgage payment results in more cash flow.

    So, if you are hoping to sustain financial freedom without a primary job, which investment gets you closer to covering your monthly expenses?

    Investing in real estate offers so much more than just cash flow.

    Don’t stop reading yet.

    On top of the monthly cash flow, real estate provides so much more.

    Here’s a sneak peak continuing our prior example:

    After 30 years, you will own an asset without any debt. In our example, even without any appreciation, you would own a $1 million property debt-free. And, that debt was paid off entirely by your tenants.

    Add in appreciation, another major reason to invest in real estate, and your property will likely be worth $2-$3 million debt-free after 30 years.

    Compare that to the example with stocks using the 4% Rule. After 30 years of depleting your investment account, your investments may be gone.

    To put a bow on this point:

    With stocks, you can earn $833 in monthly dividends and possibly have no money left after 30 years.

    With real estate, you should reasonably earn $2,000-$3,000 per month (improving over time), and after 30 years will own an asset worth $2 million-$3 million, debt free.

    When you look at it this way, the choice is really not that hard, is it?

    On your journey to financial freedom, are you convinced that cash flow is king?

    I’m not saying it’s bad to invest in stocks or you should only invest in real estate. I personally invest in stocks and real estate.

    I see a place for both asset classes in my future.

    If you haven’t previously considered investing in real estate, maybe you’ll now think about how that monthly cash flow can fit into your overall investment portfolio.

    If you’re striving for financial freedom, are you convinced that rental property cash flow can accelerate your journey?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Real Estate has Accelerated my Journey to Financial Freedom

    Real Estate has Accelerated my Journey to Financial Freedom

    I invest in real estate for one reason and one reason only:

    To accelerate my journey to financial freedom.

    Through monthly cash flow, debt pay-down, appreciation, and tax benefits, I’m convinced that owning rental properties is the fastest way to reach financial freedom.

    We’ll soon discuss each of these advantages in more detail. For now, here’s a quick overview:

    • Cash Flow: After paying all the bills each month, whatever is left is considered cash flow. You can use this cash flow however you want.
    • Appreciation: Real estate tends to increase in value over the long-term. If you hold real estate long enough, you should benefit from appreciation. This also means that your net worth grows.
    • Debt Pay-down: If you have a mortgage on a rental property, your tenants are the ones paying down that mortgage each month. That means your net worth grows because your debt is shrinking.
    • Tax Benefits: The tax code favors real estate investors. Whereas W-2 income is heavily taxed, many real estate investors pay little in taxes (and sometimes nothing in taxes). Some of the biggest reasons for this are depreciation and lower tax rates for capital gains.

    With these four major advantages in mind, you can hopefully start to see how investing in real estate will accelerate your journey to financial independence.

    Additionally, you may have noticed that investing in real estate provides both immediate and long-term financial benefits. 

    Let’s focus on that point for a moment.

    Investing in real estate offers immediate and long-term financial benefits.

    To be truly financially free, you need to cover immediate life expenses and prepare for future life expenses.

    In terms of your Budget After Thinking, your Now Money and Life Money are considered immediate life expenses. Your Later Money is for future expenses.

    Rental properties can help you in each budget category. The monthly cash flow and tax benefits will cover your Now Money and Life Money needs. Debt pay-down and appreciation offer significant upside for your Later Money.

    I’ve been hard-pressed to find any other asset class that provides as many benefits for both for the here-and-now and the future.

    There’s another major reason I believe in the power of investing in real estate.

    It has to do with one of my ultimate life goals: to create more time to spend with my family. This is one of my major life goals, in part, because of what I’ve learned in my career as an attorney.

    What I’ve learned about time and family as an attorney.

    I graduated law school at age 24 and spent the first couple of years of my career clerking for an appellate court judge.

    To this day, I tell my students that clerking for a judge is the best job for recent graduates. I recommend that all my students apply for judicial clerkships.

    When my clerkship ended, I joined my current law firm where I continue to represent people with mesothelioma, a rare and terminal cancer caused by asbestos.

    If it wasn’t for what I’ve learned from my mesothelioma clients, I would have never started investing in real estate.

    Let me explain what I mean.

    I’ve learned invaluable life lessons from my clients with mesothelioma.

    Most of my clients are in their 70s and 80s. That’s because mesothelioma is a disease that takes decades to manifest. A person can be exposed to asbestos in his 30s and not get sick until his 70s.

    A significant part of my job has been meeting with my clients in their homes after they have just found out they have incurable cancer. Before we ever get around to talking about the case, we inevitably end up talking about life.

    During these conversations, I do most of the listening. You can imagine what I’ve learned about life in these moments. It is not a stretch to say that many of my core beliefs have been shaped by these powerful experiences.

    When I listen to my clients talk about life, certain themes continue to surface.

    One major theme I hear from my clients is the importance of family. They’ve taught me the importance of creating experiences and memories with loved ones, usually involving family vacations or time spent with friends.

    Summer in Paphos representing creating more experiences with family.
    Photo by Natalya Zaritskaya on Unsplash

    Like my clients, I want to create as much time as possible with my family and friends. When I look back on my life, I want to look back on all the experiences and memories I’ve created.

    With rental properties, I can earn money without being physically present. And while investing in real estate is not completely passive, it provides tremendous upside without requiring all of my time.

    That means I can spend more time with my wife and three kids while still making money.

    Because of what I’ve learned from my clients, there’s nothing more important to me.

    I started investing in real estate in my mid-30s.

    By the time I reached my mid-30s, I had paid off my student loan debt. I had successfully saved up for an engagement ring and a wedding. Newly married, my focus shifted to saving up for a downpayment on a home.

    At the time I started saving up for a home, I had no idea that I could use my savings to invest in real estate.

    It wasn’t until I went to a Cubs game with a good friend of mine, The Professor, that I learned about real estate investing. This is when my journey to financial freedom really accelerated.

    See, The Professor had a beautiful condo with an incredible rooftop deck near Wrigley Field. During the game, he told me he was selling the condo and moving into a 4-flat with his fiancee in an up-and-coming part of town.

    Huh?

    Why on earth would you give up your amazing condo? And move to a random neighborhood I’d maybe been to one time in my life?

    I thought The Professor had lost his mind. Back then, I had no idea what a 4-flat even was. I couldn’t even point to his new neighborhood on a map of Chicago.

    The Professor set me straight.

    door key symbolizing how investing in real estate can accelerate your journey to financial freedom.
    Photo by Maria Ziegler on Unsplash

    He walked me through the numbers. He explained that he was going from paying $3,000 per month for his condo to receiving $700 per month on top of living for free in the 4-flat. That’s a $3,700 difference per month!

    I immediately thought about the experiences and memories that I could create with my wife if we had an extra $3,700 per month to spend.

    I already knew what my clients would say about the opportunity to create such memories.

    It almost sounded too good to be true.

    I did my homework and bought my first investment property less than a year later.

    During my talk with The Professor, he introduced me to BiggerPockets.

    If you haven’t heard of BiggerPockets, it is a treasure trove of online resources to help real estate investors of all levels.

    At BiggerPockets, you can listen to podcasts, read blog posts, and ask questions on the forums. You can also choose from a wide selection of incredible books on real estate investing.

    One of my favorite BiggerPockets books is Chad “Coach” Carson’s book, Small and Mighty Real Estate Investor: How to Reach Financial Freedom with Fewer Rental Properties.

    Coach Carson’s message is right there in the title: you can use real estate to efficiently reach financial freedom. He makes a compelling argument to use real estate to build a life, not the biggest bank account.

    Being introduced to BiggerPockets was a game changer for me. I believe in the motto, “Trust but verify.” With BiggerPockets, I could do my own research and decide for myself if real estate investing was for me.

    Over the next few weeks, I read everything I could about investing in real estate. When I wasn’t reading about real estate, I listened to podcasts.

    It didn’t take long before I was convinced that I wanted a 4-flat of my own.

    I am using real estate to accelerate my journey to financial freedom.

    To me, investing in real estate is all about fast-tracking my journey to financial freedom. It has not always been easy, but it’s definitely been worth it.

    I’m fortunate that my career has introduced me to so many wonderful people.

    I am convinced that I would not have been as motivated to act if it weren’t for my conversations with my mesothelioma clients. If nothing else, I know that talk with The Professor about real estate would not have resonated with me the same way.

    Fast forward to the present day, I now own 10 apartments in Chicago and a rental ski condo in Colorado.

    Coming up in the blog, I’ll share with you everything I’ve learned about investing in real estate along the way.

    As always, reach out if you have any questions or leave a comment below.

  • What if You Woke up Tomorrow with $10 Million?

    What if You Woke up Tomorrow with $10 Million?

    If you woke up tomorrow with $10 million in your bank account, would you do anything differently?

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    What would you do if you had $10 million in your bank account right now? #thinkandtalkmoney #financialfreedom #whatwouldyoudo

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    I ask a version of this question whenever I teach my personal finance course to law students. I’ve also asked this question to a lot of my friends and family members.

    Whether in class or with friends, this question is a great conversation starter. It’s not so much about the dollar amount as it is about the money mindset that goes along with that amount.

    That’s because asking what you would do with $10 million is just another way to ask what you would do with financial freedom.

    Attaching a specific dollar amount to the question helps make financial freedom seem real. That’s because it turns the aspirational concept of financial freedom into actual numbers.

    With those numbers in mind, you can more realistically think about what your life could look like if you were financially free.

    That’s why I love the question. I find it very interesting to talk to people about what they would do with financial freedom.

    Why I love talking about financial freedom.

    If you hear $10 million in the bank and think of spending it on mansions, boats, and cars… this is not the blog for you.

    I want to talk about using that $10 million to buy something way more valuable than material possessions: your freedom.

    When you are financially free, you can choose to do work that is meaningful to you without worrying about how much it pays. You can also choose to spend more time with people who are meaningful to you.

    I am striving for both of those things on my journey to financial freedom.

    By the way, $10 million is just an arbitrary number. Maybe your number is $3 million or $8 million or $15 million. For this conversation, use whatever number represents financial freedom to you.

    The amount may differ based on your age, spending habits, debt level, dependents, etc.

    The idea is to pick a dollar amount that is high enough that you wouldn’t have to work anymore unless you wanted to. In its simplest form, that’s what financial freedom means.

    I’ve found that when I have this conversation, $10 million is a good, round number to get people thinking about what they would do with financial freedom.

    So, today we’re going to ask ourselves if we would do anything differently if we woke up with $10 million in the bank.

    To help get the wheels turning, let’s start with some simple math to see what having $10 million in the bank really means.

    What does $10 million in the bank really mean?

    Let’s do some simple math using the 4% Rule to help frame the question.

    The 4% Rule suggests that you can safely withdraw 4% of your investments each year and expect your money to last for 30 years. 

    Without getting too technical, the 4% Rule is based off of research looking at historical investment gains, inflation, and other variables. I view the 4% Rule as a useful tool to ballpark your magic retirement number.

    The 4% Rule is a great place for us to start thinking about what you could do with $10 million.

    Here’s what the formula looks like using $10 million as our current savings:

    Current Savings x 4% (.04) = Annual Retirement Spending

    $10,000,000 x .04 =$400,000.00

    This means that according to the 4% Rule, you could spend $400,000 annually and expect your money to last 30 years.

    This is a useful calculation that puts into perspective how much money $10 million really is. You can essentially view having $10 million in the bank as the same as having a job that pays you $400,000 per year.

    The major difference is you don’t have to get out of bed in the morning to receive this $400,000.

    Note for simplicity’s sake, we’ll set aside the tax implications of investment income v. W-2 income for this hypothetical.

    One other note: if you had $10 million in the bank, you don’t have to spend $400,000 per year. Rather, the 4% Rule suggests you could spend up to that amount and not run out of money for 30 years. If you spend less than 4% each year, your $10 million will last longer.

    How much can you spend each month with $10 million in the bank?

    To help you picture your life with $10 million in the bank, we can break down that $400,000 annual spending amount even more.

    I like to know how much I could safely spend on a monthly basis if I had $10 million in the bank. Knowing the amount I could spend monthly helps make the $10 million more digestible.

    That requires just a bit more very simple math:

    $400,000 annually / 12 months = $33,333.33

    So, if you have $10 million in the bank, you should be able to safely spend about $33,000 per month.

    The way to the cabin lady with arm out her window symbolizing what you can do with $10 million in the bank.
    Photo by averie woodard on Unsplash

    Now, you can view that number in the context of your Budget After Thinking. You might learn that you’re spending way less than $33,000 per month. Or, you may be spending way more.

    Either way, it puts that $10 million into smaller, more digestible numbers.

    To recap, we now know that $10 million in the bank means we can spend roughly $33,000 per month and not run out of money for 30 years. The important question then becomes:

    Would you make any changes to your current life if you started each month with $33,000 in the bank without having to work?

    Let’s explore what your answer may say about your current work situation.

    Would you still work your current job if you had $10 million in the bank?

    If you had $10 million in the bank, would you continue to work your current job?

    If your answer is “Yes,” that’s a great sign that you enjoy your work and the people you work with. You also most likely have motivations for working that go beyond earning money. That’s a really nice position to be in.

    By the way, I know a good amount of people in this boat. Even with $10 million, they wouldn’t change a thing about their work situation.

    If your answer is “No,” it’s worth thinking about why you wouldn’t keep working your job. Is it the people? The hours? The lack of stimulation? Overall stress?

    $10 million in the bank should be enough to leave your job for new pursuits. You can start to ask yourself what you would do for work if you didn’t have to work for money.

    I also know a lot of people in this boat. If they had $10 million, they would be out the door tomorrow.

    Why am I talking about new pursuits instead of shutting it down completely?

    With $10 million in the bank, your initial thought might be to just shut it down completely. For people of a certain age or people with health considerations, that certainly could be the right choice.

    Setting those reasons aside, I do not believe in retiring early. I’m convinced that humans are meant to be productive. We are social creatures who at our core want to be contributing.

    I think this especially holds true for high achievers who have put in the work and made sacrifices to become financially free in the first place.

    That’s why I don’t believe financial independence has to mean retiring. It’s also why I don’t like the popular acronym, FIRE: Financial Independence, Retire Early.

    The problem for me is that the FIRE end game is suggested right there in the name: become financially independent so you can retire.

    I don’t like what the word “retire” implies.

    If you look it up, you’ll see that the word “retire“means to withdraw, to retreat, to recede.

    None of those things sound appealing to me at all. 

    Each word implies moving backwards. I’m not working so hard to achieve financial freedom so I can move backwards in life.

    Instead, I like to view my financial freedom journey as FIPE:

    Financial Independence, Pivot Early.

    I believe in FIPE not FIRE.

    When you have financial independence, you have options. You can make decisions based on your core values instead of making decisions based on money. You can pivot, if you want.

    One of the ways you can pivot is by taking more control of what you do with your working hours. It’s not about quitting work entirely and wasting away on a beach. As nice as that might sound right now, it will get old fast.

    That’s why I believe in FIPE not FIRE.

    I encourage you to think about how you might use $10 million to pivot instead of to retire. Could you use that money to buy yourself the freedom to pursue more meaningful work?

    So, what would you do with $10 million in the bank?

    The point in asking about $10 million is to help you think about your current choices and whether it’s time to make some adjustments.

    Having this conversation with your friends and family will teach you a lot about your current situation. Remember, talking about money is not taboo.

    In these conversations, pay attention to what you learn about yourself and how you presently spend your time.

    Even though $10 million may seem like a distant dream, you don’t need to have that much money to start your own financial freedom journey.

    You can start making choices today to put yourself in a better position to pivot, if you so choose.

    Maybe you wouldn’t change a single thing about your career choices. Or, maybe you would be out your employer’s door tomorrow.

    In the end, thinking about what you could do with $10 million in the bank will help you lead a more intentional life.

    So, let us know in the comments below.

    What would you do with $10 million in the bank?

  • How to Prioritize Investment Account Types While in Debt

    How to Prioritize Investment Account Types While in Debt

    Recently, we’ve been talking about some tricky money questions related to investing.

    We first looked at whether it makes sense to invest while you’re in debt.

    We then looked at whether to prioritize investing for retirement or for your kid’s college.

    These are questions that commonly come up when I’m teaching law students and young lawyers. Of course, these questions are best answered when we consider both the emotions and the math of money.

    Today, we’ll look at a third question that comes up regularly:

    How should you prioritize certain investment account types, especially if you’re still paying off debt?

    @thinkandtalkmoney

    Airport walks ✈️💭 401k? Roth IRA? Savings? Debt? Don’t know how to prioritize where to put your money first? I break it down here: https://thinkandtalkmoney.com/how-to-prioritize-investment-account-types-while-in-debt/ #thinkandtalkmoney #401k #rothira #savings #debt #financialfreedom

    ♬ original sound – Thinkandtalkmoney

    This is another great question.

    If you’re wondering what I mean by different investment account types, you can read about my four favorite account types here.

    Below are my thoughts on how I would choose between different investment account types while paying off debt.

    Let me know if you agree or would prioritize a different order in the comments below.

    1. Invest just enough to qualify for your employer match.

    Your first goal should be to invest enough in your 401(k) plan to qualify for the employer match.

    Many employers today offer a match to incentive employees to contribute to their 401(k) plans. To qualify for the match, you must be participating in your company’s plan and make contributions yourself.

    The match is usually a percentage of your overall salary, usually between 3% and 6%. 

    For example, let’s say your salary is $100,000 and your employer offers to match your contributions up to 5% of your salary.

    That means if you contribute $5,000 (5% of your salary), your employer will contribute an additional $5,000 (5% match) to your account.

    In other words, your $5,000 automatically turns into $10,000.

    Think about that for a moment.

    That’s a guaranteed 100% return on your contribution. You put in $5,000 and you automatically get another $5,000. You won’t find a guaranteed return like that anywhere else.

    That’s why if your company offers a match, it’s a no-brainer to take advantage of that match.

    For this reason, an employer match is often described as “free money.”

    I don’t like the term “free money” because it implies that you have not earned that money as an employee for your company. I prefer to refer to the company match as a bonus you’ve rightfully earned. 

    The key is to accept that earned bonus by ensuring you are meeting the minimum requirements to qualify.

    Whether you think of it as free money or as a bonus you’ve earned, make sure you contribute enough to your 401(k) plan to qualify for the employer match.

    2. Pay off all credit card debt.

    After you hit the employer match, and before you think about further investments, you should pay off all credit card debt.

    Note that credit card debt is in a category of its own because of the extremely high interest rates that accompany credit cards.

    Currently, the average credit card interest rate is 20.12%.

    The S&P 500 has historically averaged a 10% annual return.

    That gap is so large that it’s a good idea to pay off your credit card debt before turning to further investments.

    Think about it like this: with credit card debt, you are guaranteed to pay a penalty of around 20% until you pay off that debt. When investing, you can reasonably hope to earn around 10% interest.

    Because the penalty you’re paying is twice the rate you’re hoping to earn, the smart move is to eliminate that penalty.

    For help on paying off your credit card debt, check out my top 10 tips here.

    Why not pay off your credit card debt entirely before investing in your 401(k)?

    You may be wondering why I recommend qualifying for your employer match before paying off credit card.

    Even with such high credit card interest rates, there’s a good reason to prioritize qualifying for your employer match. We touched on that reason above.

    Let’s revisit our example. With an employer match, if you contribute $5,000, your employer will also contribute $5,000.

    As we said, that’s like earning a 100% guaranteed return on your money. A 100% guaranteed return is too good to pass up.

    No other reasonable investment option offers a 100% guaranteed rate of return. You can’t even reasonably hope to match the 20% penalty that credit card companies charge.

    That’s why eliminating your credit card debt should be your next priority after receiving your employer match.

    3. Allocate 75% of available funds to other loans and 25% to investments.

    Once you have paid off your credit card debt, I recommend putting 75% of your available funds to loans and 25% to other investments.

    When I say loans, I am referring to student loans, personal loans, lines of credit, and HELOCs. Note, I am not referring to primary mortgage debt.

    It’s not uncommon for law students to have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. The same is true for students in medical school and business school.

    It’s not just people with student loan debt who face this question. As one example, perhaps you’ve used a HELOC to buy investment property, like I have.

    There’s a reason credit card debt is in a separate category from other loans, like student loans and HELOCs.

    Unlike credit card debt, student loan debt and HELOC debt typically come with lower interest rates.

    The current lowest federal student loan interest rate is 6.53%.

    The current average HELOC interest rate is 8.27%.

    Your loans may have even lower interest rates. Regardless, the odds are that your interest rate is below the historical 10% average annual return of the S&P 500.

    While it’s never a bad idea to eliminate debt, there are some good reasons why you should invest even though you’re in debt.

    We explored these reasons and why I recommend a 75/25 ratio in my recent post on investing while in debt:

    A Tricky Money Question: Should You Invest While in Debt?

    If you’re on board with investing while paying off debt, the question becomes: where should you invest that money?

    That brings us to my next suggestion.

    4. Max out your 401(k) plan.

    Once you reach this step, you should have no credit card debt. You should also be applying either the 75/25 ratio to invest while you’re in debt, or have no other debt to pay off.

    At this point, I suggest maxing out your 401(k) with your remaining available funds.

    The reason I suggest maxing out your 401(k) is because these contributions are made with pre-tax dollars. In other words, you get a tax break today by investing in your 401(k).

    To put it another way, you will save money on taxes every year you contribute to your 401(k) plan.

    Don’t sleep on the impact of taxes on our money decisions. Over the long term, taxes can be hard to predict, but they should not be ignored.

    changed priorities ahead illustrating the options you have as an investor with different account types.
    Photo by Ch_pski on Unsplash

    Nobody really knows what taxes are going to be like in the future. Yes, it’s a safe assumption that taxes will keep going up.

    But, taxes have always been complicated. I’m guessing they will always be complicated. Even if taxes generally go up, there’s no telling the exact impact taxes will have on your personal situation.

    That’s why I prefer to take the guaranteed tax savings now. I’m ok with the possibility of paying more in taxes decades from now. That’s especially true because I have plenty of good uses for those tax savings right now.

    That’s why I recommend maxing out your 401(k) before moving on to my final suggestion.

    5. Max out your HSA, Roth IRA and 529 plan.

    Once you reach this step, you’re in great shape. Reaching this point means you have maxed out your 401(k) plan, which means you’re receiving an employer match.

    It means you have no credit card debt. On top of that, you are paying down your other loans with a 75/25 ratio or have eliminated those loans entirely.

    Now, you have options. You’ve earned the right to choose the best investment account type for your situation.

    Besides a 401(k), my other favorite account types are a Roth IRA, a Health Savings Account (HSA), and a 529 account.

    You can read all about my favorite investment account types in this recent post:

    My 4 Favorite Investment Accounts for Long-term Wealth

    Depending on your income, a Roth IRA may be the best account type for additional retirement savings.

    If you’re healthy and can cover certain medical expenses, maybe you would benefit from an HSA.

    Have kids and worried about paying for college? Maybe a 529 plan is right for you.

    The point is you’ve earned the right to pick the best investment accounts for your present situation.

    You really can’t go wrong with any of these choices.

    What do you think of this plan to prioritize certain investment accounts while in debt?

    What do you think about this plan to prioritize certain investment account types, especially if you’re still paying off debt?

    Let us know in the comments below.

    If you’ve already made it to step 5 and are looking for help with what to do next, the truth is that you have too many options to cover in this post.

    To help you start thinking about your choices, you could:

    • Invest in a traditional brokerage account;
    • Invest in real estate; or
    • Pay down your primary mortgage.

    If you’ve already made it to step 5, reach out and I’d be happy to help you think and talk about your options.

    The best way to reach me is to sign up for my weekly email and reply to any email.

  • How to Think About Investing for Retirement and College

    How to Think About Investing for Retirement and College

    We recently talked about the tricky question of whether you should invest while you’re in debt.

    It’s a choice many people struggle with because we know debt can be bad and investing can be good.

    The desire to tackle both goals raises the question: should we focus on eliminating the bad thing or doing more of the good thing?

    In that post, we explored the four main reasons why I think it’s a good idea to invest while in debt. You can read more here.

    Today, we’ll talk about another challenging question that many of us face:

    Should we prioritize investing for retirement or investing for our children’s college?

    Like the question of whether to invest while in debt, this question presents a difficult choice because two things are true at once:

    Investing for retirement is a good thing.

    Helping our kids is a good thing.

    So, what should we do?

    This is a question I think about a lot now that I have three young kids.

    There are powerful emotional reasons on both sides of the question. And while money decisions are certainly emotional, using simple math can help you choose the right balance between retirement and college.

    Let’s start by looking at some of the emotional reasons and then explore how simple math can help us with this difficult choice.

    As a parent, I want to help my kids as much as I can.

    On the one hand, as a parent, I want to help my kids as much as I can. College is expensive and is only getting more expensive.

    I have personally felt the heavy burden of debt. It’s not a good feeling. If I can help my children avoid that feeling by paying for college, I will.

    I want to be free to retire on my terms.

    On the other hand, I want to be free to retire on my terms. To do so, I know that I need to start investing early and often. Just like college is expensive, retirement can also be very expensive.

    I don’t want to be in a position where I’m forced to work longer than I otherwise would because I don’t have enough saved up.

    If I skip out on investing for retirement to pay for college, I may end up in that situation.

    With powerful emotions on both sides of the question, is it possible to come up with a plan that helps accomplish both goals?

    Yes, I think we can. In this instance, it helps to remember that money decisions are both emotional and mathematical.

    Let’s revisit some of the math we’ve previously looked at to help us get closer to a decision.

    What does the math say about paying for college?

    We took a deep dive into saving for college in my post on using 529 plans for sky high college costs.

    While nobody can say for certain how much college will cost or how your investments will perform, you can make reasonable estimates and use an online calculator to help form your strategy.

    I like the calculator available on Illinois Bright Start 529 website. What’s nice about this website is you can look up the future estimated cost of attending specific schools around the country.

    I also like using calculator.net. They have a College Cost Calculator where you can see how much college costs on average today and how much it is estimated to cost when your child starts college.

    Whatever online calculator you use, you’ll have to make some assumptions when you start plugging in numbers, like an investment return rate.

    The S&P 500 has historically provided a 10% average annual return. So, 10% seems like a reasonable return rate to me for your estimations.

    Besides the estimated return rate, you’ll also need to account for the rising costs of college. Most of the online calculators recommend you assume the cost of college will increase by 5% each year. That also sounds reasonable to me.

    Graduation with woman with purple gown on because her parents saved for retirement and college.
    Photo by MD Duran on Unsplash

    With these assumptions in mind, let’s look at an example using a current kindergarten student.

    Since I live in the Chicago-area, we’ll assume in this example that the kindergarten student is going to the largest in-state college, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I).

    Illinois’ Bright Start 529 calculator estimates that the cost of a current kindergarten student attending U of I will be $264,735.

    Assuming you don’t have any current savings and you estimate a 10% annual rate of return, the Bright Start 529 calculator indicates you should save $10,796 per year.

    That comes out to $900 per month.

    By doing the math, you now have a reasonable estimate as to how much you should be saving for college.

    You do not have to rely exclusively on long-term savings to pay for college.

    If $900 per month seems like a lot of money, keep in mind that you don’t have to depend exclusively on these savings to pay for college.

    There are two key reasons for that:

    1. Your child can take out student loans.

    While it may not be your plan right now, don’t forget that your child always has the option of using student loans to help pay for college. Your child may also earn scholarships or qualify for other financial assistance.

    On top of that, there are hundreds of good colleges at varying price points around the globe. It is not the end of the world if your child ends up going to a lower-ranked but less expensive school.

    The bottom line is that there are options when it comes to paying for college. It is not exclusively up to your savings to ensure your child gets a good college education.

    In other words, don’t convince yourself that your student will be prohibited from attending college if you don’t save enough right now.

    2. You will likely still be earning income when your child starts school.

    Besides the availability of other options to pay for college, also keep in mind that you will likely still be working when your child starts school. There is no reason that you can’t use some of that income to help pay for school.

    If you continue to make intentional, solid money decisions, you should have extra funds available in your budget when your kid starts college.

    One way make sure that happens is to keep your expenses constant as your career progresses and you make more money. As an example, let’s say you bought a home while your kids were young. Of course, this is a common path for a lot of professionals who are starting a family.

    If you stay in that home long-term, your housing costs should be relatively fixed. As you earn more money, instead of upgrading your home, you can use that excess money to help pay for college.

    Once again, the point is that there are options to help your children pay for college even when your investments fall short.

    Now, let’s look at the math to figure out how much we should be saving for retirement.

    Just like we can use an online calculator to estimate the cost of college, we can also use a calculator to estimate how much we need to save for retirement.

    We took a detailed look at how to do this in my post on figuring out your magic retirement number.

    The key is to start with the 4% Rule,

    The 4% Rule suggests that you can safely withdraw 4% of your investments each year and expect your money to last for 30 years. 

    Without getting too technical, the 4% Rule is based off of research looking at historical investment gains, inflation, and other variables.

    For simplicity, let’s say you have $1 million in your portfolio. According to the 4% Rule, you can safely withdraw $40,000 per year (4% of your portfolio) and not run out of money for 30 years.

    Current Savings x 4% (.04) = Annual Retirement Spending

    $1,000,000 x .04 =$40,000.00

    The 4% Rule also works in reverse. 

    By that, I mean you can use the 4% Rule to ballpark how much money you’ll need in retirement to maintain your current lifestyle.

    Let’s say that you reviewed your Budget After Thinking and learned that you spend $6,000 per month in Now Money and $4,000 per month in Life Money. 

    Combined, that means your lifestyle costs you $10,000 per month, or $120,000 per year.

    To figure out how much you would need in investments to cover your current lifestyle for 30 years, divide $120,000 by .04.

    Current Spending / 4% (.04) = Magic Retirement Number

    $120,000 / .04 =$3,000,000.00.

    That means to maintain your current lifestyle of spending $120,000 per year for 30 years, you would need $3 million in investments.

    In other words, your magic retirement number is $3 million.

    Now that you know you will need $3 million in retirement, you can figure out how much you need to be investing today to hit that number.

    I like the calculator available on investor.gov for this part.

    With this calculator, you can plug in your investment goal, initial investment, years until retirement, and interest rate to figure out how much you need to save each month.

    Let’s continue our example assuming your magic retirement number is $3 million.

    We will also assume that you currently have $100,000 saved for retirement and you plan to retire in 30 years. We’ll also use the same 10% annual rate of return we used before.

    Based on these assumptions, you would need to save $635.82 each month to hit your magic retirement number of $3 million.

    With this information, you can now plan accordingly to make sure you are saving enough for retirement each month before you start worrying about college.

    woman on hammock near river relaxing because she invested for her future retirement while saving for college.
    Photo by Zach Betten on Unsplash

    Aim to hit your monthly retirement target before saving for college.

    By using these simple online calculators, you can estimate exactly how much you need to save for college and to save for retirement.

    I recommend that you aim to hit your monthly retirement target first before funding your college savings accounts.

    As we mentioned above, you and your child will have other options to help pay for college, like loans, scholarships, and concurrent income.

    By contrast, these options are not readily available to fund your retirement. You’re more-or-less on your own to sustain yourself.

    Think about it: by definition, retirement means ceasing to work. That means no income coming in besides your retirement savings. There are not any loans (at least reasonable ones) or scholarships to bail you out in retirement.

    Sure, you could try to work part-time during retirement. But, that means you’re really only partially retired. Plus, it would be nice to have the choice to work in retirement because you want to work instead of being forced to do so.

    It’s for these reasons why you should prioritize saving for retirement over saving for college.

    In an ideal world, you can do both. If you control your expenses as your income grows, you give yourself the best chance to do both.

    How are you balancing investing for retirement with investing for college?

    While money decisions are certainly emotional, using simple math can help you choose the right balance between retirement and college.

    My recommendation is to prioritize retirement over college because of the additional options available to help pay for college. You’re essentially on your own when it comes to retirement.

    Once you’ve calculated your magic retirement number, you can then calculate exactly how much to save each month.

    When you can comfortably hit that number, you can then figure out how much to be saving for college.

    • Are you currently saving for retirement and for college?
    • How do you balance doing both?
    • Have you thought about other ways to help pay for college besides the options we discussed?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • Money on My Mind: Bears, Net Worth and Exercise

    Money on My Mind: Bears, Net Worth and Exercise

    On my journey to financial freedom, I’m consistently striving to learn as much as I can from others who have done it before me.

    This week, I read a few great blog posts from some of my favorite authors and bloggers.

    Let’s take a look and see what we can learn together.

    What to do in a bear market.

    JL Collins recently posted about the big mistake that people make during bear markets. A bear market is when the stock market drops by 20%.

    Collins is one of my favorite authors on investing. He just released the new edition to his best-selling book, The Simple Path to Wealth.

    I highly recommend you pick up a copy if you are interested in learning the easy way to invest and grow your net worth.

    You can read my full review of The Simple Path to Wealth in my post here.

    Back to the question at hand:

    As an investor, what should you do during a bear market?

    Nothing!

    Easier said than done, right?

    Human instinct is to act. Our natural instinct tells us to do something when confronted with danger. We’ve all heard the saying, “fight or flight.” It’s our body’s way of protecting us from potential harm.

    For example, if you encounter a bear in the woods, despite what survival experts may tell you, I’m betting you’re running for your life in the opposite direction.

    That’s exactly what my wife and I did when we saw a black bear in Colorado a couple summers ago.

    Even though we were at least 100 yards away when we saw the bear, and the bear was walking away from us, we ran in the opposite direction as fast as we could.

    Survival experts, we are not.

    Doing nothing in a bear market is easier said than done, like not running away from a black bear when you see one on the trail up ahead.

    If you zoom in (and squint), you can see the ferocious beast in this picture.

    When it comes to investing, the saying should be modified to include a third option: “fight or flight or do nothing.”

    And as JL points out, doing nothing is usually the best decision.

    When the market drops, you have the chance to buy stocks at a discount. Whenever the market bounces back, you will benefit from all those discounted stocks you purchased.

    Of course, nobody knows when the market will bounce back. For that matter, nobody knows when it’s going to drop, either. However, history has shown us that the market has always recovered.

    What if the market doesn’t recover?

    Then, we all have bigger problems to worry about than our money.

    It may take a long time for the market to recover. That’s OK. When you invest early and often, time is on your side.

    By combining time and the courage to do nothing, you will benefit immensely in the long run.

    The Rise of Middle Class Multi-Millionaires

    Another one of my favorite authors and bloggers, Financial Samurai, recently posted about the rise of middle class, multi-millionaires.

    If you haven’t picked up a copy of his new book, Millionaire Milestones, I highly recommend it. I recently ranked it as one of my favorite money mindset books.

    You can read my full review of Millionaire Milestones here.

    In his post on middle class multi-millionaires, Financial Samurai raises a great point:

    How come people are so enthralled by high incomes instead of high net worths?

    Like me, have you wondered why people tend to be more interested in someone’s salary rather than his net worth?

    I have one theory for why society continues to value income more than net worth: income can be more easily measured and more easily used for marketing purposes.

    To put it another way: income is sexier than net worth.

    One example I thought of: remember when you applied to college, grad school, law school, etc.?

    Did you notice how schools commonly advertise the average or median income of their graduates. Schools love to show off that if you go to their school, you’ll make a certain amount of money upon graduating. 

    However, you’ll never see data on the net worth of its graduates.

    Why is that?

    Because an impressive net worths can take decades of discipline to manifest. That type of slow progress doesn’t make for sexy marketing for schools.

    Plus, a top flight education may help you earn a high income but doesn’t guarantee a high net worth. Many high earners are also high spenders. You’d be surprised how many people are good at making money but not keeping it.

    It’s up to each of us to turn that income into a high net worth. Again, that’s harder for schools to market.

    If you are a personal finance enthusiast, you know to value net worth more than income. In fact, the most impressive feat of all is when you have a high net worth on just a standard income.

    For my kids, I’d be way more impressed to see what schools crank out students with high net worths 20-30 years after graduation instead of the median income upon graduation.

    To learn how and why to track your net worth, you can read my post here.

    Does early retirement negatively impact your life expectancy?

    I read a fascinating post on Early Retirement Now that looked at the potential consequences of someone’s life expectancy based on when that person retires.

    There has been a lot of academic research done on the topic. Somewhat surprisingly, there are studies that indicate retiring early may negatively impact your life expectancy.

    Check out the post on Early Retirement Now for a closer look at some of these studies.

    I’m not too worried about the conclusions about life expectancy based on when someone retires. At best, there are conflicting studies on that question.

    Rather, what I found most interesting about the post was that I’ve rarely thought about the potential health consequences about retiring early.

    I regularly think about the mental side of retiring early. Specifically, how does someone keep his mind sharp in early retirement?

    This is one of the main reasons I believe in FIPE not FIRE.

    However, I’ve never really thought about the physical effects of retiring early.

    Does retiring early negatively impact your physical health?

    I may have mistakenly assumed that someone’s physical health would automatically peak in early retirement. I’ve based that assumption on the idea that you’ll have so much time to exercise and eat right when you don’t have to worry about a job.

    In other words, if you’re not spending 50+ hours per week sitting at a desk, there would be no excuse to skip out on exercising regularly and preparing healthy meals at home.

    This post has me thinking about other factors I’ve failed to consider.

    For one, your body may trend towards lethargy if you’re not forced to wake up, get dressed and work 50+ hours per week. Plus, as much as people may not like commuting, at least it gets you out of the house and moving around.

    My takeaway is that if you’re considering retiring early, be sure to plan ahead for physical activity as much as mental activity.

    Your body may not want to exercise every day. You may need a motivational boost from group exercise classes or clubs. Maybe you’ll need a personal trainer or coach.

    If you don’t currently have any hobbies tied to physical activity, I would suggest exploring different options before you leave full-time employment. It may take some time to find your groove with an activity or two that interests you.

    Let us know what you think about these posts.

    What do you think about these posts from popular personal finance writers?

    • Are you brave enough to do nothing in the face of a bear?
    • Have you been tricked into thinking a high income is more impressive than a high net worth?
    • What are your thoughts about the physical side of retiring early?

    Let us know in the comments below.

  • How to Think About Investing While in Debt

    How to Think About Investing While in Debt

    One of the most difficult money decisions people have to make is whether to invest while in debt. That’s because it can be challenging to plan for the future while worrying about past debts.

    It’s also a tough decision because we know two things to be true at once:

    Debt can be bad.

    Investing can be good.

    So, should we focus on eliminating the bad thing or doing more of the good thing?

    You can see why it’s a tricky question.

    The way I see it?

    You don’t have to choose only one door to walk through.

    You can invest while in debt.

    I regularly get questions like this from law students who take my personal finance class. People just starting out in their careers are rightfully thinking about whether they should invest while paying off student loan debt.

    It’s not uncommon for law students to have hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. The same is true for students in medical school and business school. The question about investing or paying off debt makes perfect sense.

    It’s not just people with student loan debt who face this question. Perhaps you’ve used a HELOC to buy investment property like I have. Maybe you have mortgage debt, medical debt, or consumer debt.

    The choice to pay down debt or invest for the future is tricky.

    Whatever the case may be, the choice to pay down debt faster or invest for the future is tricky.

    For people feeling the heavy burden of debt, the idea of investing for some future goal can seem a little bit comical. I completely understand.

    If you’re facing monthly debt payments for the next 10 years, you may not be ready to think about retirement 50 years from now.

    Trust me, I get it.

    I know firsthand how heavy debt can feel.

    In my 20s, I had both student loan debt and credit card debt. It was not fun to carry that debt burden. I’ll never forget the incredible feeling of accomplishment when I paid off those debts. I felt so much lighter. 

    I now have HELOC debt that I’m focused on paying off. That HELOC debt stems from buying five properties in seven years. My real estate portfolio is now exactly where I want it to be, so I’ve shifted from acquisition mode to debt-reduction mode.

    Just about every day, I think about how good it’s going to feel to have that HELOC debt paid off.

    The point is: you don’t have to convince me why you may want to focus on paying off debt. I understand completely.

    However, I think it’s worth considering the advantages of investing at the same time you’re paying off debt. You don’t have to go all-in on paying off debt or all-in on investing. You can strike a balance.

    In today’s post, I’ll share my perspective to help you think about the right balance between debt reduction and investing.

    Four main reasons to invest while in debt.

    There are four main reasons to consider when thinking about whether you should invest even though you’re in debt. If you’re not investing at all because you’re focused on debt, these four reasons should give you something to think about.

    Muir Woods trails illustrating the tricky choice between investing and paying off debt.
    Photo by Caleb Jones on Unsplash

    1. Invest while in debt because of the emotions of money. 

    It feels good to see your investment accounts grow. This is especially true when you are accustomed to looking at huge debt balances on your laptop or phone screen.

    Yes, it feels good to see those debt balances shrink. It also feels really good to see your investment accounts grow.

    As a professional, you work hard for your money. You spend a lot of hours away from home so you can work and make a living. You deserve to experience the fruits of your labor.

    When your career is stressing you out, it can be very uplifting to observe a growing investment account balance month-to-month.

    2. Invest while in debt to develop the habit.

    It’s important to get in the habit of investing as early as possible in your careers. Once you start investing, even if it’s only $25 per month, you are creating a habit. This is the type of habit that will pay off immensely in the long run.

    Humans have a tendency to resist change. That’s why it’s difficult to break bad habits. This tendency also works in our favor when we have established good habits, like investing. We tend to just keep doing what we’ve always done.

    When you’ve established the good habit of investing, it’s easy to increase your contributions as you earn more money. The same is true when you’ve eliminated all your debt. You can easily use the money you had been putting towards debt for your already-established investments.

    That’s because your accounts will already be set up. All you need to do is increase your monthly investment contributions.

    This makes it easier to solidify and benefit from the good habit you’ve cultivated.

    3. Invest while in debt because of compound interest.

    Compound interest is the most powerful force in all of personal finance. The earlier you start investing, the more benefit you’ll get from compound interest.

    You can check out more about the power of compound interest in my post on investing early and often.

    Even investing a small amount of money while paying off debt will lead to massive gains over the long term because of compound interest.

    4. Invest while in debt because of the math.

    Even though money decisions are closely connected to our emotions, the math of investing can be hard to ignore. If you prefer to make money decisions primarily based on the math, here’s what you can do.

    We’ve talked before about how the S&P 500 has historically earned an average annual return of 10%. Of course, there’s no guarantee that you will earn 10% if you invest. You may earn less or you may earn more. Still, based on the historical data, it’s a reasonable estimate.

    You can then compare that 10% return to the amount you’re paying in debt interest.

    Close up of man hand using calculator to figure out whether to invest while in debt.
    Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash

    For example, let’s say you have student loan debt. In this example, let’s also assume you’ve created an extra $200 in your monthly budget to allocate towards either debt or retirement.

    You’ll next want to look up your current student loan interest rates. For illustration purposes, the current interest rate for undergraduate federal loans is 6.53%. The current interest rate for graduate and professional students is 8.08%.

    Then, you can use an online calculator to help make your decision about whether to invest the $200 or put that money to debt.

    If you put the money to debt, you’ll obviously pay off that debt faster. You can read more about how to easily do these calculations in my post on Debt Snowball vs. Avalanche.

    Likewise, you can use an investment calculator to see how much that $200 will grow in an investment account over the long run. You can see how to do these calculations in my post on risk as the cost to invest.

    Armed with the math, you can then make a decision that makes the most sense to you.

    You may value getting out of debt faster. Or, you may be motivated by the larger balance in your retirement account.

    It may come down to how high the interest rate is on your student loans. The higher your interest rate is, the more sense it makes to prioritize paying off that loan.

    The point is that there are mathematical reasons to start investing even while paying off debt.

    One final note about the math: your student loan interest rate is effectively locked in (unless you have a variable rate). On the other hand, your investment return rate is only a projection. That makes a difference.

    It means that when you are in debt, you are guaranteed to be charged interest every month. In contrast, there are no guarantees you will make money when you invest. As you make your decisions, don’t ignore this key difference.

    I prefer to allocate 75% to debt and 25% to investments.

    When you consider these four main reasons, you may be convinced that it makes sense to invest even while paying off debt. 

    So, the obvious next question becomes: how much money should you put towards debt and how much should you invest?

    The ratio that works for me is 75% towards debt and 25% towards investment goals. In other words, if I had $1,000 to allocate in my budget for debt and investments, I would use $750 for debt and $250 for investments.

    I used this ratio when I had student loan debt and continue to use it to eliminate my HELOC debt.

    You can read more about my primary goal of paying off HELOC debt in 2025 in my post on money and cheeseburgers:

    Great Talk: Money and Cheeseburgers

    This 75-25 ratio gives me the dual benefit of paying off my debt faster while also seeing my investment accounts grow over time. Once my debts are paid off, I will have already established the good habit of investing. In the meantime, I’m currently benefitting from compound interest and the math of investment returns.

    The reason I lean more towards debt is because I don’t like the feeling of being weighed down by debt. It’s hard to feel completely free when you are carrying the burden of debt. That’s why I am currently prioritizing paying off HELOC debt.

    That said, I’m not willing to entirely delay investing for the future. The 75-25 ratio is a good balance for me and helps me accomplish multiple goals.

    75-25 has worked well for me. Having reached my 40s, I’m very happy that I did not neglect my investments entirely while dealing with debt.

    Don’t agonize about finding the perfect ratio between debt and investments.

    Whatever balance works for you, keep one important tip in mind:

    Don’t agonize about finding the perfect balance between debt reduction and investing for the future.

    Take a step back and think about it for a moment:

    Paying off debt is great.

    Investing for the future is also great.

    If you’re doing both of these things in some fashion, you’re already making great money choices!

    If you’re able to pay off debt and invest at the same time, you most likely have already created a successful Budget After Thinking. You have proven that you can stay disciplined enough to allocate funds to your Later Money goals each month.

    You have already done the hardest part.

    I consider this whole conversation of putting money towards debt or investments a win-win decision. There’s no reason to stress yourself out in search of the perfect balance. You’re already winning.

    Find a balance between debt and investments that works for you and stick to it. You really can’t go wrong. Either way, you are making progress on your money goals.  

    Some day in the future your debt will be paid off. 

    The bottom line is, one way or the other, you are going to pay off your debt. That’s assuming you are a reasonably responsible person on a typical career trajectory.

    If you have student loans, it might feel like you will never get out of debt. I assure you that you will.

    To put it in perspective, if you are on a standard repayment plan, you’ll be debt-free in 10 years. For most students, that equates to being debt-free sometime in your 30s.

    My guess is that by the time you retire, you won’t even remember how much debt you had or exactly when you paid it off. The only reason I remember when I paid off my debt is because I’ve been keeping a money journal since 2011.

    On the other hand, towards the end of your career, you will very much be aware of how much money you have saved for retirement. You will be counting on that money to allow you to step away from full-time employment.

    If you’ve figured out your magic retirement number, you’ll know how long you can sustain yourself on your retirement savings. 

    As hard as it is to do when you’re in debt, try and picture that older version of yourself who is nearing retirement. That older version of yourself will be very grateful that you had the discipline to start investing even while paying off debt.

    That’s why I allocate 75% of my available funds to debt and 25% to investments. When my debt is gone, I’ll put the full 100% to investments.

    • So, what do you think?
    • Are you currently investing while paying off debt?
    • What other factors went into your decision besides the four main reasons discussed above?

    Let us know in the comments below.