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Comparing Cash vs Leveraged Real Estate Investing
Personal FinanceReal Estate

Comparing Cash vs Leveraged Real Estate Investing

Does all-cash really beat leverage? Analyze a side-by-side comparison of annual cash flow, tax benefits, and ROI to determine which strategy fits your current financial goals.

•⏱ 2 min read
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Investing in Fourplexes 10 Years Apart
Personal FinanceReal Estate

Investing in Fourplexes 10 Years Apart

Don't wait for "perfect" deals from a decade ago. Learn why lowering expectations and understanding today's interest rates are key to pulling the trigger on your next investment.

•⏱ 4 min read
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Matching Expenses with Passive Income
Personal FinanceReal Estate

Matching Expenses with Passive Income

How I compare my real monthly expenses to passive income streams and track progress toward covering costs without relying on active income.

•⏱ 5 min read
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Investing in a Pre-Construction Fourplex
Personal FinanceReal Estate

Investing in a Pre-Construction Fourplex

A step-by-step look at pre-construction fourplex investing, from contract to completion, with costs, timelines, and expected rental setup.

•⏱ 4 min read
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My 2025 Spending Review
Personal Finance

My 2025 Spending Review

A transparent 2025 spending review breaking down my real credit card expenses by category and rewards earned—no housing costs included.

•⏱ 5 min read
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How to Build Your Kid's Credit Score
Credit Score

How to Build Your Kid's Credit Score

Want to help your kid start adulthood with excellent credit? Learn how to legally and safely build your child’s credit score before age 18 using proven strategies.

•⏱ 7 min read
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9 Money Moves to Make in 2025
InvestingRoth IRA

9 Money Moves to Make in 2025

Looking to build wealth and lower your taxes in 2025? Discover 9 expert-backed money moves to help you save more, invest smarter, and stay ahead financially.

•⏱ 5 min read
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My 2024 Year-End Review
Investing

My 2024 Year-End Review

After the close of every year, it’s a good time to review how your investments fared compared to the overall market, myself included. In 2024, investors had a great year, with the

•⏱ 4 min read
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How to Calculate How Much You Need to Retire
Retirement

How to Calculate How Much You Need to Retire

It doesn’t matter how old you are; you need to know how much you need to retire. The sooner you understand this, the better equipped you’ll be to plan your financial roadmap..

•⏱ 4 min read
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Pros and Cons of Retiring With Debt
DebtDebt-free

Pros and Cons of Retiring With Debt

When planning for retirement, one of the biggest hurdles you’ll face is deciding whether to retire with or without debt. Debt can be a strong wealth-building tool, but it carries r

•⏱ 6 min read
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Year in Review of My 2023 Investments
Financial IndependenceFinancial Freedom

Year in Review of My 2023 Investments

About 3.5 years ago, I set a goal to reach $10 million by age 40. However, I set this goal when I lived in an expensive city in Silicon Valley, where median home prices exceeded $1

•⏱ 3 min read
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Financial Resolutions with Little Effort but Big Rewards
Financial IndependenceFinancial Freedom

Financial Resolutions with Little Effort but Big Rewards

Happy New Year! I hope your finances had as great a comeback in 2023 as mine did! Now that it’s the start of a new year, you’re probably setting some resolutions for yourself. So b

•⏱ 5 min read
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Negotiation Tactics When Buying a Home
Real Estate

Negotiation Tactics When Buying a Home

In today’s real estate market, you really need to know what you’re doing. Interest rates haven’t been this high in decades, pushing most home buyers to the sidelines. It’s also sid

•⏱ 5 min read
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How To Evaluate Investments
InvestingStocks

How To Evaluate Investments

Whenever I talk shop with another investor, I’m often asked how I determine if an investment is a good one. While the answer is very subjective and personal, I evaluate 5 specific

•⏱ 4 min read
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How My Investments Are Faring in 2023
InvestingStocks

How My Investments Are Faring in 2023

Near the end of 2022, about 9 months ago, I shared that my net worth had plummeted a whopping $1.7 million! The losses were primarily attributed to a terrible year for stocks, with

•⏱ 6 min read
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Launching a New House Flipping Business In 2023
House Flipping

Launching a New House Flipping Business In 2023

As a follow up to my post on investing with other people’s money, one way I’ve invested with other people’s money this year is by partnering with another investor. Specifically, at

•⏱ 4 min read
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Life Update As An Early Retiree
FIRE

Life Update As An Early Retiree

2022 was a crazy busy, expensive, and transitional year for my family and me. We moved and settled in twice last year, closed on our brand new home, bought big ticket items, and ju

•⏱ 6 min read
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4 Ways To Invest With Other People's Money
Borrowing

4 Ways To Invest With Other People's Money

Generally, you need to have money to make money. But wouldn’t it be great if you could simply borrow other people’s money to invest? Well, most of the time, you can’t just borrow m

•⏱ 6 min read
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5 Things That Helped Me Retire Early
FIRE

5 Things That Helped Me Retire Early

When I tell people that I’m retired, they usually assume that I came from money, struck gold from a tech IPO, or that I got lucky throwing my life savings into Tesla or Bitcoin. Bu

•⏱ 6 min read
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Actions I’m Taking During These Uncertain Times
Investing

Actions I’m Taking During These Uncertain Times

I can’t believe 6 months have flown by since my last blog post! Life has been absolutely crazy for my family and me, having just retired at the end of last year, moving from Califo

•⏱ 5 min read
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How I’ll Spend $2 Million Dollars
Investing

How I’ll Spend $2 Million Dollars

After selling my primary residence in California for almost $1 million over asking price, I received over $2 million in cash from the sale. I can’t let that amount of cash just sit

•⏱ 6 min read
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What's A Better Investment: Primary Residence or Stocks?
Investing

What's A Better Investment: Primary Residence or Stocks?

Normally, a primary residence should not be considered an investment unless you house hack and rent out part of the home while you live in it or you end up selling the home. In the

•⏱ 5 min read
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What It's Like Living in Texas as a California Native
Cost of Living

What It's Like Living in Texas as a California Native

Moving from California to Texas was not an easy decision. After all, my entire family is California-native. Nevertheless, after much research and planning, we firmly believe we mad

•⏱ 7 min read
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5 Things I’ve Learned From My 1st Month of Retirement
Retirement

5 Things I’ve Learned From My 1st Month of Retirement

I officially retired in early November of 2021. However, since we moved from Silicon Valley, California to Dallas, Texas in December, most of my time in November and December was s

•⏱ 6 min read
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2022 Business and Personal Goals
Financial FreedomFinancial Independence

2022 Business and Personal Goals

Happy New Year! To kick off every new year, I like to set goals for all aspects of my life, both personal and professional. By publicizing my goals, it helps me stay accountable fo

•⏱ 5 min read
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My 2021 Year-End Review
Financial FreedomFinancial Independence

My 2021 Year-End Review

At the start of 2021, I set out to accomplish some business and personal finance goals for the year. By the middle of the year, I published a review of how those goals were progres

•⏱ 9 min read
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I Just FIRE’d Myself At 31
Financial FreedomFinancial Independence

I Just FIRE’d Myself At 31

When I was studying computer science in college just over 10 years ago, I told my partner that I was going to retire early. They didn’t understand what this meant at the time,.

•⏱ 10 min read
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How to Reduce Your Tax Bill with Tax-Loss Harvesting
Tax-Loss Harvesting

How to Reduce Your Tax Bill with Tax-Loss Harvesting

Now that we’re in the final innings of 2021, it’s a good time to assess how your investments are performing and how they’ll impact your taxes. Your stock portfolio may no longer be

•⏱ 8 min read
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Doubling My $125K Investment to $250K in 1 Month
House Flipping

Doubling My $125K Investment to $250K in 1 Month

I thought that flipping one of my out-of-state properties for over $100,000 in profits in under 4 months was out of this world! While I wasn’t wrong about its success, I also never

•⏱ 4 min read
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When It Makes Financial Sense To Relocate
RelocationGreat Resignation

When It Makes Financial Sense To Relocate

The Great Resignation (AKA the “Big Quit”) of 2021 is the incredible phenomenon driven primarily by millions of Millennials and Gen Zers who have been quitting their jobs in droves

•⏱ 5 min read
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How I Turned My 2nd Flip Into My 1st Airbnb
AirbnbShort-term Rentals

How I Turned My 2nd Flip Into My 1st Airbnb

At the start of 2021, I set out to start an out-of-state flipping business and flip an average of 1 home per quarter (4 for 2021). By May, I had already purchased all 4 of my flips

•⏱ 9 min read
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Mega vs Regular Backdoor Roth: What's the Difference?
Backdoor RothMega Backdoor Roth

Mega vs Regular Backdoor Roth: What's the Difference?

For high income earners, the Backdoor Roth conversion is a popular way to get around the income limits that prevent high earners from contributing directly to a Roth IRA. The Mega

•⏱ 4 min read
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Mid-Year Review of My 2021 Personal and Money Goals
Personal Finance

Mid-Year Review of My 2021 Personal and Money Goals

At the start of 2021, I set out to accomplish some business and personal finance goals for the year. Since we’re right at the middle of the year (6/30/21), it’s a good time to revi

•⏱ 7 min read
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5 Ways To Pass Down Generational Wealth Tax-Free
Generational Wealth

5 Ways To Pass Down Generational Wealth Tax-Free

If you happen to be in a financial position where you’re planning to pass down generational wealth, congratulations! You’re in a great situation, compared to the bottom ⅔ of Americ

•⏱ 9 min read
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Why Turning A Primary Residence Into A Rental Is A Bad Idea
Rental Property

Why Turning A Primary Residence Into A Rental Is A Bad Idea

If you’re thinking about or already have turned a primary residence into a rental, you might want to rethink that. Even if your property is allegedly in a “high appreciation” marke

•⏱ 5 min read
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8 Steps To Buying A Home Anywhere
Home Ownership

8 Steps To Buying A Home Anywhere

The home-buying process can be overwhelming, especially for 1st-timers. Even experienced real estate investors have their work cut out for them since every real estate transaction

•⏱ 11 min read
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How To Save For Your Child’s College Education
529 Savings Plan

How To Save For Your Child’s College Education

To state the obvious, the cost of education is extremely high. According to Vanguard’s college cost calculator, the projected cost of a public 4-year college (in-state) 18 years fr

•⏱ 9 min read
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Investing in My 3rd Triple-Net Leaseback Rental Property
Investment Property

Investing in My 3rd Triple-Net Leaseback Rental Property

Investing in triple-net leaseback rental properties is a very niche area of real estate investing. I’ve done it 3 times in my real estate investing career, and each experience has

•⏱ 6 min read
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Takeaways From My 1st Out-of-State Flip
Real EstateHouse Flipping

Takeaways From My 1st Out-of-State Flip

At the beginning of the year, I announced all my financial goals for 2021, one of which was to start an out-of-state flipping business. By the end of January, I had already closed

•⏱ 6 min read
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My Top 9 Tips For 1st-Time Home Buyers
Real EstateHome Ownership

My Top 9 Tips For 1st-Time Home Buyers

Having bought my 1st home at age 22 and after taking part in dozens of purchases over the years, I’ve been asked by so many people for tips to buy their 1st home. Depending on wher

•⏱ 8 min read
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7 Traits of Highly Successful People
Investing

7 Traits of Highly Successful People

The past 5 years or so of my life have really kicked my finances into high gear. It’s not just a feeling of success either; it’s real and backed by data. By tracking my net worth o

•⏱ 8 min read
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Risks and Tradeoffs of Real Estate Investing
Real Estate

Risks and Tradeoffs of Real Estate Investing

In my past post, 6 Reasons Why I Invest In Real Estate to Build Wealth, I talked about the many benefits of investing in real estate. However, it’s important to highlight the risks

•⏱ 6 min read
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Why Everyone Should Start A FIRE Journey
FIRE

Why Everyone Should Start A FIRE Journey

Embarking on a FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) journey isn’t just for those who want to retire early; it’s for everyone. While the premise may sound bold, I believe my

•⏱ 7 min read
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Bad Debt, Better Debt
DebtDebt Consolidation

Bad Debt, Better Debt

Okay, you made a mistake of carrying your credit card balance over one month. So what? It’s just a month. Next, you continued to carry that balance over one more month. No problem,

•⏱ 4 min read
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6 Reasons Why I Invest In Stocks to Build Wealth
StocksInvesting

6 Reasons Why I Invest In Stocks to Build Wealth

A few months ago, I wrote an article on why I invest in real estate to build wealth. While I am a huge fan of real estate investing, there are many benefits of investing in stocks

•⏱ 6 min read
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Investing in My 2nd Triple-Net Leaseback Rental Property
Investment Property

Investing in My 2nd Triple-Net Leaseback Rental Property

For those of you who read about my 1st investment in a triple-net leaseback rental property, I talked about how amazing my returns were. In just 2 years, my total return on investm

•⏱ 6 min read
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With $8,200,000 In Debt, When Will I Be Debt Free?
DebtRental Property

With $8,200,000 In Debt, When Will I Be Debt Free?

In my previous post where I shared my $10 million FIRE goal by age 40, I mentioned that my investment allocation will be 30% in real estate. That’s $3M of my own cash invested in r

•⏱ 7 min read
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Predictions of 2021’s Economy and Investing Landscape
MacroeconomicsInvesting

Predictions of 2021’s Economy and Investing Landscape

Between COVID-19, the March 2020 stock market crash to all-time highs for a basket of stay-at-home stocks, no one could’ve predicted what 2020 had in store for us. Let’s have a lit

•⏱ 5 min read
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2021 Business and Personal SMART Goals
Personal Finance

2021 Business and Personal SMART Goals

Happy New Year! To kick off every new year, I like to set goals for all aspects of my life, both personal and professional. To make sure that my goals are clear and reachable, I cr

•⏱ 5 min read
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End of 2020 Reflection on My Retirement Accounts
RetirementInvesting

End of 2020 Reflection on My Retirement Accounts

It’s an understatement to say that 2020 has been a crazy year. Nevertheless, at the end of every year, I like to review how well my investments have performed. Regardless of how go

•⏱ 6 min read
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Ways to Evaluate Rental Properties
Real EstateInvesting

Ways to Evaluate Rental Properties

There are many factors to consider when evaluating a prospective rental property. While it largely comes down to a numbers game, there are other factors that are important that mat

•⏱ 9 min read
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Investing In My 1st Triple-Net Leaseback Rental Property
InvestingRental Property

Investing In My 1st Triple-Net Leaseback Rental Property

Most investors have never heard of the terms “triple-net” or “leaseback.” For me, my 1st time investing in this niche area of real estate yielded a 58% return on investment (ROI) i

•⏱ 5 min read
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9 Ways To Get Started With Real Estate Investing
Real EstateInvesting

9 Ways To Get Started With Real Estate Investing

Most investors I know park their money in the stock market. It’s arguably one of the best ways to build wealth, and it doesn’t require much cash to get started. Many of those same

•⏱ 11 min read
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What's A Mega Backdoor Roth?
Mega Backdoor Roth401(k)

What's A Mega Backdoor Roth?

If you like your Roth IRA for its tax-free growth, you’re really going to like a mega backdoor Roth! Contributions to a Roth IRA are funded with after-tax dollars and earnings grow

•⏱ 8 min read
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How A Self-Made Millionaire Budgets
BudgetingFinancial Independence

How A Self-Made Millionaire Budgets

Have you ever wondered how much a millionaire spends per year? Do they even have budgets? What do they spend their money on? Speaking from firsthand experience as a self-made milli

•⏱ 8 min read
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6 Reasons Why I Invest In Real Estate to Build Wealth
Real EstateInvesting

6 Reasons Why I Invest In Real Estate to Build Wealth

I know plenty of successful investors who invest entirely in the stock market and in no other asset classes, like real estate. On the other hand, I also know many successful invest

•⏱ 7 min read
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Roth IRA or 401(k): Which One Is Right For You?
Roth IRA401(k)

Roth IRA or 401(k): Which One Is Right For You?

I hear it all the time, “Should I invest in a Roth IRA or a 401(k)?” To help you answer that question, first we need to know what they are and what some of their benefits are. From

•⏱ 8 min read
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Why I Decided to Buy Instead of Rent
RentingReal estate

Why I Decided to Buy Instead of Rent

Many of us grew up dreaming of owning our own house some day for a variety of reasons. Maybe somewhere along the way, a seed was planted in your mind that buying a house is part of

•⏱ 5 min read
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Why I Decided to Invest in Out-of-State Real Estate
InvestingRental Property

Why I Decided to Invest in Out-of-State Real Estate

I live in San Jose, right in the heart of Silicon Valley, where median home prices exceed $1 million. Yes, $1 million. As a real estate investor, my primary focus is on cash flow.

•⏱ 4 min read
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