Torcana Podcast 33: 5 Important Steps to Get to Financial Freedom

The theme of today's show is the five important steps to get to financial freedom.

One way or another, I think we all aspire to have financial freedom. That means different things to different people, but for most of us, it means having enough money arriving in your bank account each month to cover your bills and responsibilities whether you're actually working or not.

Financially free people can retire whenever they want, but most keep working on stuff they love doing. I think that's a place we would all like to be right?

1. You need a good team

You can't get rich on your own. If you did, then you a) you must be brilliant and b) you could have done it a lot quicker with some help.

In order to build a real estate portfolio, particularly out of state, you need, in no particular order

- property manager
- lender
- realtor
- turnkey provider
- bookkeeper & CPA
- attorney
- insurance agent
- mentor / senior person to rely on

If you're a property flipper like I am, did you need all of the above and several more such as contractors, roofers, AC guys, electricians, plumbers, title agents, wholesalers, admin assistants and last but not least, like-minded business partners who you can push you forward or hold you back depending on your impulses.

2. Live below your means for a long time

To accumulate wealth you need to live below your means year after year after year and consistently invest that excess. It sounds obvious when you say it out loud but a lot of people who have aspirations to get rich don't do it.

They invest very little or very infrequently or spend everything they earn (and sometimes more) because they put lifestyle ahead of wealth. Getting a pay rise and using the money to get a nicer car or go on a nicer holiday is easy and its what we're encouraged to do by big corporations.

Learning to save enough to invest is a habit that can be learned by anybody. Some people might have that habit naturally, but it can be learned by anybody. There are plenty of sensible millionaires in their 40s and 50s who will freely admit they were stupid with their money in their 20s and didn't start using their income productively until they were much older.

3. Don't take too long to create that nest egg

It could take 40 years if all you're doing is putting money in a 401k.
A 401k can give you financial freedom but its super slow and to be honest, its a little lazy. I think it is a bad idea to rely on someone else to take care of your finances. Getting a team is important but everybody should take responsibility for their own finances. If you're in a well paid corporate job, it is a good idea to take advantage of a 401k, but it should only be one stream of many.

There are lots of ways to get financial freedom outside of the 401k world. Real estate is a big one, but there are lots of investment opportunities out there if you take the time to find them.

Doing it in 5 years involves a lot of risks and good luck. 10-20 years is very doable with the right amount of planning and discipline. If you are literally starting now, then assume it will take 10-20 years and to build a multi-million dollar portfolio that will generate enough income for a comfortable lifestyle. That's if you're taking it seriously the whole way through.

4. Leverage is your friend, but don't go crazy on it

I'm a big fan of leverage. It is great that you can use the banks' money to buy multiple properties at a fixed interest rate and use the tenants' money to pay your principal and the interest. That is is a good deal! Millions of regular folks have gotten very rich by taking advantage of it.

However in the short and medium term that "good deal" adds nicely to your net worth and pretty slowly to your income. Unless you have a massive portfolio, you only generate "financial freedom" volumes of income from real estate when those mortgages are paid off. So there is a balance to achieve and it will depend on your age and appetite for risk.

For example, if you were in your late 50s and hoping to retire in 10 years, don't go remortgaging your properties to buy more. Pay off the ones you have and live on that free and clear income. If you're in your 30s and early 40s, then you should put a priority on accumulating assets but make sure they all have adequate reserves and equity cushions.

Whatever you do, don't ever release equity on a house to improve your lifestyle.
I buy properties in foreclosure auctions from people who do that.

Don't remortgage your house to buy a car, take a vacation or renovate the kitchen. If you are taking on debt, only do it if you are investing it in something that will pay a substantially higher return.

5. Anybody can do it but keep educating yourself and hang around with the right people.

You don't need to be a genius to achieve financial freedom at a much younger age than most people. You don't even need to be above average intelligence. Anybody can do it and anybody has.

What you need is some discipline in managing what you earn. You need to keep educating yourself by reading the right kinds of books, listening to the right kinds of podcasts, and even more importantly, hanging out with the right kinds of people.

If nobody in your circle of friends is taking investing seriously, then your chances of doing it are pretty low. I'm not suggesting you dump your buddies, but do start looking for ways to spend time with people further ahead of the curve than you are. Go to networking events, mastermind events, REIA meetings. Don't just ask people to give up their valuable time to help you either. Flip that thinking and instead offer to help people that have something to teach you. Those that give, receive.

Contact Colin

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www.torcana.com