Personal Finance – Cutting the Cord Edition

Do you have cable and/or cable services like phone, tv plus premium channels, and internet? Does it seem like the cost keeps going up? ME TOO! LOL

Read on to see what we did to reduce our costs for these services.

Initial Setup

Our entertainment setup consisted of two Tivos, (1-Premiere model capable of cable & OTA Reception, 1-Roamio model-cable reception only), four TVs, (1-LR, 3-BR), two digital signal adapters for the Kids’ bedrooms, two Firesticks (LR & MBR), VoIP phone from the cable provider, mid-tier cable TV package with no premium channels, (up to) 150 MB/s internet connection, a family Netflix subscription (allowing simultaneous logins), Prime Video (complimentary with Prime account), and a promotional Hulu account for $0.99/month for a year. Our cable, phone, and internet were all with Comcast.

Our bill has gone up & down depending on what promotional package we would renegotiate for, but that involved going to the cable company office, in person, and asking for it, usually after waiting in line for a while. That was aggravating enough, but the bill would continuously increase, outside of the changes to promotional status.

We don’t watch a lot of TV. Just a few shows. And we never watch them live. We have too much other stuff going on. I started to evaluate our habits after our total bill came off of promotional status, raising the cost from approximately $137/month to $165/month. Then, for no reason, it went up to $174/month.

It turns out that most of the shows we watch are either only on a streaming service or show up on Hulu. It should be acceptable to only use streaming services. We decided to get an antenna to pick up local stations. We figured it would be hit-or-miss, because we live between 40-50 miles from the regular broadcast network towers. BUT, if we could get some channels, we could still get news during a storm if the internet goes down.

Click on this link to get your own free copy of the Rental Property Tax Guide by Stessa.

What We Changed

I discussed the idea with my wife and we decided to get an antenna and try it out. I researched antennas and almost bought a couple of different expensive ones, (amplified, slick advertising, etc.), but decided to start at a lower price point, always having the option to escalate, if needed. I settled on the GE Pro Outdoor/Attic Mount Antenna. It claimed to have a range that would allow us to receive the stations we wanted.

When it arrived, I connected it to the TV in the living room, (with the antenna sitting on my couch) and scanned for channels. It was able to pick up around 33 channels!

I then mounted it up in the attic and connected the living room TV to it, resulting in 38 – 42 stations coming in, depending on the weather.

I added a signal booster / splitter that would allow me to connect the other three TVs to the antenna. I was able to hook them up and get the same channels, so all was well.

The Tivo Premiere is able to receive Over The Air (OTA) signals to the tuner, so we set it up to record all of our broadcast network shows and we can use the Tivo Roamio in our bedroom to watch the recordings via network transfer between the Tivos.

We additionally got Firesticks for each of the kids’ TVs, allowing them to access Netflix & Hulu on their TVs.

Because we were still using the “Triple-Play Gateway” modem-router-access point, it would continue to cost us an additional $13/month in device rental fees. I didn’t like that. Time for more research!

I found a cable modem, (MOTOROLA 24×8 Cable Modem, Model MB7621) that would continue to provide us with the same speeds we were getting with the Comcast gateway, but it was only a one-time cost of approximate $70, as opposed to the monthly charge for the device rental. I got it, hooked it up and was able to configure it online in less than 10 minutes.

Our plan was to keep the internet. During my research, I called Comcast and asked about the internet charges, because their website said normal charges for internet were $71-$80/month, and was told that the price would indeed be $80/month.

Now that all of the hardware was replaced, I went to the Comcast office to return all of the equipment. The guy behind the counter said “OK, we can set you up with a promotional rate of $54.95/month for internet only, at the current speed you have.” Bingo! This is the same promotional rate they are offering to new subscribers for twelve months! I was ecstatic!

Cost Reductions

Before

Monthly recurring costs were $174 for TV, phone & internet = $2,088/year

After

Monthly recurring costs are $55 = $660/year

One-time costs were approximately $240 for the antenna, splitter/booster, 2 Firesticks, and a cable modem.

Net Savings of $1,188 in the first year (495% ROI) and continuing savings of $1,428 per year going forward.

Have you or are you thinking about cutting the cord? Let me know in the comments.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

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26-Feb-201927-Jan-2022

REI – Free Rental Property Tax Guide!

A few months ago, I ran across an ad for a free rental property accounting web application on Facebook. I didn’t think much of it and continued on about my merry way. Then I started hearing ads for the same company on the Bigger Pockets Podcast. So, I decided to check out Stessa for myself.

I like it! Stessa is simple to use and allows you to output your financial data to hand over to your CPA at tax time. As a perk, the team at Stessa put together a free Rental Property Tax Guide. I liked it so much that I have partnered with Stessa to share that Tax Guide with my readers.

Click on this link to get your own free copy of the Rental Property Tax Guide by Stessa.

Let me know if you like this guide and if it is helpful to you.

I plan to do a more detailed review of my experiences with Stessa in the near future, so stay tuned!

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

22-Feb-201927-Jan-2022

Personal Improvement: Podcasts – What I Listen To

I recently connected with someone on LinkedIn who is a Life Coach for High-Performing Remote Workers. As part of his getting to know me messages, he asked if I listened to any good podcasts lately. That got me thinking about the regular influence on my thinking of the podcasts I listen to. The more I thought about it, the better the idea to turn it into an article listing what I am listening to and why.

Doggcatcher for Android
Downcast for iOS

A little background on my interest in podcasts:

I have listened to podcasts for almost 12 years. Up until the start of this year, I always had a long commute. Whether a 200+ mile daily round trip to Lafayette, Louisiana or a 1,000+ mile round trip driving to Houston, Tx every other week, I had a lot of highway time on my hands. Podcasts allowed me to be entertained and informed, in addition to allowing me to utilize “dead” time for learning.

Podcasts I Listen To

Podcast	Link	Category
Bigger Pockets Podcast	https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcast	Real Estate Investing
Tim Ferris Show	https://tim.blog/podcast/	High Performance
DH Unplugged	https://www.dhunplugged.com/category/podcasts/	Stock Markets
Rich Dad Radio	http://www.richdad.com/radio	Current Affairs/Rich Dad Theory
James Altucher Show	https://jamesaltucher.com/podcasts/	High Performance
Akimbo	https://www.akimbo.me/	Personal, Professional Improvement
Private Lender Podcast	http://privatelenderpodcast.com/	Education on the Subject of Private Lending for Real Estate
Bigger Pockets Money Show	https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshow	F.I.R.E.: Financial Independence, Retire Early
Freakonomics Radio	http://freakonomics.com/archive/	Various Topics

Bigger Pockets Podcast

The Bigger Pockets Podcast helped me to learn a great deal about real estate investing. I have the Bigger Pockets website listed as a resource on this site, but the podcast is an additional tool to learn about REI. Each week, the podcast interviews guests, most real estate investors, sometimes famous authors who provide useful tips for investing, business, and personal improvement, and every once in a while, they will do an occasional webinar-type podcast to educate listeners on a particular topic.

I especially like the investor interviews to get tips, tricks, and strategies that may help me in our REI business.

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss, author of numerous books on increasing performance (4-hour Workweek, Tools of Titans, Tribe of Mentors, etc.), conducts long-form interviews with high-performers across various domains. Even when interviewing guests who have been on EVERY medium you can think of, you always learn things no one else has ever asked. Tim listens to guests’ answers and responds to the answers with deeper questions. He also does extensive research on guests and does not rely on canned press release questions.

I generally like to listen to his interviews because the people he does interview are “Doing It”. They don’t have a theory, they are not selling snake oil, they have done/do whatever they are recommending to increase performance.

DH Unplugged

DH Unplugged is an unscripted conversation about markets between investment advisor Andrew Horowitz and pundit John C. Dvorak.

I like DH Unplugged because they discuss what is going on in the markets and aren’t trying to sell you anything. In fact, they frequently point out how most “Money” shows on cable news channels are always “BUY, BUY, BUY” no matter what is going on.

Rich Dad Radio

Rich Dad Radio is an interview podcast featuring Robert Kyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and his wife, Kim Kiyosaki, author of Rich Woman. The interviews are mainly related to money and economics, (in a broad way), and generally promote Rich Dad, Poor Dad Principles.

In addition to interesting information from guests, it’s fun to listen to Robert interpret the guests’ statements into Rich Dad principles.

James Altucher Show

The James Altucher Show is another long-form interview podcast, similar to the Tim Ferriss Show, that delves into what makes high performers “tick”. Where Ferriss delves into tools, self-talk, and motivation, Altucher focuses a little more on the path to peak performance, teasing out the development of “micro-skills”. Altucher’s overarching thesis on micro-skills is that high performers build up a toolbox of them that help them to succeed. Like Ferriss, Altucher goes far deeper in his interviews than you normally see in regular media.

Because of the depth of detail and wide range of topics covered in each interview, I really enjoy Altucher’s show.

Akimbo

Akimbo is a podcast put out by author and marketing guru Seth Godin. This podcast is a combination of self help and career advice for entrepreneurs. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to benefit from the topics & advice given, either.

I enjoy the perspectives, suggestions, and tips provided by Godin in this show. I don’t necessarily subscribe to all of his philosophies, but that is OK. It is good to hear different perspectives from your own to allow a balanced understanding of the world.

The Private Lender Podcast

The Private Lender Podcast is a combination of interviews, case histories, and education with regards to the utilization of private lending in real estate investing.

I like learning about the details of the non-financial industry financing.

I actually met Keith Baker, the host, and have become friends with him. He’s a cool and funny guy. Oh, and he LOVES the band Rush!

Bigger Pockets Money Show

As the name indicates, BPMS is another podcast from the group at Bigger Pockets, focusing on F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence, Retire Early). The podcast is in an interview format, covering guests’ stories, tips, and tricks for becoming financially independent.

I like listening to the BPMS to better plan my own “retirement”. It has also led me to resources that allowed me to recognize that I could retire right now and be comfortable from a financial perspective.

I hope this provides you with some insight into resources to use for personal and financial improvement in your life!

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

04-Sep-201827-Jan-2022

Personal Finance – What Can I invest In?

This week we are talking about different types of investments that you can utilize to better your personal finances. I’ll briefly touch on traditional investments (stocks, bonds, etc.), investing directly into a business, and various forms of real estate investing.

Additionally, I would like to give a shout-out to @DeliberateKevin for the guest post last week. Go check out Deliberate Consulting.

FinChart1

“Traditional” Investments

Traditional investments are what most people usually think of when they think of “Investing”. This can be stocks, bonds, Exchange Traded Funds (ETF), etc.

There are three main approaches you can use:

Investment Advisor
Robo Advisor
DIY

TraditionalInvestingRiskChart

Investment advisors usually handle clients’ money for a fee. In most cases, that fee is a percentage of the total portfolio balance. Additionally, unless the advisor has a fiduciary duty to you, the investor, they may push you towards investments where they get better or additional commissions, as opposed to investments with less fees and/or commissions involved. Also, you need a sizable balance to start your account, say, in excess of $500,000.

Robo Advisors are basically algorithms that select the best investments based for you based on many criteria. They usually invest in ETFs and can automatically do things like rebalance portfolios, automate tax loss harvesting, etc. They tend to operate on a fractional percentage commission, meaning that they are usually cheaper than a full-blown human investment advisor. Robo Advisors will also allow you to start an account with a much lower balance than a traditional financial advisor, with some allowing you to open an account with no money, though you will need to put money in to invest.

DIY or Do It Yourself is another approach you can take. It costs you no fees other than trade fees and you don’t need a large balance to start. But, you will have to spend a lot of time researching your investments and deciding where to put your money. You can start with as little as the price of a single share of stock and the trade fee.

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Direct Business Investment

You can invest into a business outside of stock. This can be in the form of buying a franchise, buying a share of an existing business, or even taking your non-retirement account money and opening a business. A word of caution: Be sure to perform thorough due diligence into any business you invest in like this and if investing with partner(s), ensure you have a sound operating agreement in place and that everyone abides by it.

See more on starting a business with partners: BUSINESS STARTUP: 9 TIPS FOR STARTING A SMALL BUSINESS WITH PARTNERS

If you only have retirement account funds available, either from a 401k from an previous job or an IRA (Individual Retirement Account), you have the option to buy or start a business using those funds through a Rollover Business Startup (ROBS) transaction, also known as Business Owner Retirement Savings Account (BORSA). This allows you to utilize the money you have saved to start a business without incurring taxes or penalty. There are specific restrictions that go along with it and it has to be administered by a qualified group. Companies like DRDA and MySolo401k can help you deal with this type of thing.

FinChart2

Real Estate

The last type of investing option I am going to talk about is real estate. As I have talked about before, I like investing in real estate, in addition to other types of investing. Real Estate has options that range from very hands-on and intensive involvement to very passive hands-off approaches.

Direct Investment – Real Estate

If you have money sitting around, or you decide you want to follow the Tim Ferriss approach and dreamline a muse to support real estate investing, you have lots of options.

You can wholesale, which is finding people with a need or desire to sell a property that doesn’t qualify for traditional financing or need the funds in a short time period (need a quick closing).

You can Fix and Flip. This involves buying a distressed property at 30% or more below market value (where market value is considered the after-repair value or ARV) and rehabilitating the property, then selling it at or near market value.

You can also buy and hold, the term for investors that buy property with the intention of renting it out over the long term. Generally, these investors like to acquire their properties in a similar state to the Fix and Flip investors, but do not sell the properties.

A less well-known approach is to invest in Notes. These are mortgages that the banks sell off at a discount to get their capital back & re-deploy it in another loan. There are note funds in addition to you being able to buy notes directly.

Most note funds require that you be a sophisticated investor. No, that does not mean that you have to drink your tea with your pinky out and wear a three-piece suit every day. It is a category defined by the government as having an income of $200,000/year if single, $300,000 if married, OR $1,000,000 in net worth, not including your primary residence.

Self-Directed IRA – Real Estate

Like the ROBS/BORSA methodologies mentioned above for direct business investments, there is a self-directed IRA (SDIRA) that can be used to invest in real estate. They can be used to buy investment properties or, in some cases, to actually BE a “bank” of sorts.

Some caveats with using an SDIRA to buy investment property: You cannot take advantage of depreciation on the property, so you lose out on some tax benefits; You cannot receive any immediate benefit from the investment. All returns from the investment belong to the SDIRA.

Another option is to become a private lender. Basically, you are becoming the bank, lending money on a short-term basis, to a real estate investor. They benefit from quicker and usually cheaper closings and you as the lender benefit from the interest earned by lending the money, which usually is more than you will make in the bank or other investments.

Hopefully giving you this overview of different types of investing will help further your knowledge and be a starting point for your own investigation into how best to invest your money.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

12-Aug-201827-Jan-2022

Personal Finance – How NOT To Spend Your Money

Welcome back!

This week I am going to go over how NOT to spend your money. There are lots of good things to spend money on, but I continually observe people spending money so they can feel like they are keeping up with the Joneses or because they “deserve” it. And avoid misunderstanding, I am not advocating frugality, just better decision-making when spending money.

Everyday Observations

Bad spending habits observed recently:

Withdraw money from an old 401k account to go on vacation

Spending money to set up a business, but with no initial business activity

Early 401k Withdrawal

If you have money in an old 401k, use it for the intended purpose: Savings for retirement! It is understandable if you have a hardship and need the money to help deal with that, but just pulling the money out to go on vacation is a bit ridiculous. In addition to diminishing the amount of money to be available at retirement, you also have to pay a penalty on the money you withdraw, in addition to taxes at your current rate.

401kEarlyWithdrawal — **Amount needed to withdraw from old 401k to get $8000 for a vacation.**

As an example, assuming a 24% tax bracket, if you want to use $8000 to go on vacation, you will need to pull out almost $13,000 to cover the $1,290 penalty and approximately $3,097 of taxes to end up with $8000 to go on vacation.

Not only do you lose 34% off of the top of your money, you also loose any additional earnings by not having that total amount of money still invested.

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Setting Up a Business Entity with no Business Activity

I understand the desire to get out of the rat race, to start your own business, and not have to work for someone else. I am right there with you! But take a practical approach. Take a practical approach. I see people starting up LLC entities, putting up websites, and paying for business infrastructure before they have any business activity. That is definitely putting the cart before the horse. If you spend that money, but do nothing in the way of generating business, then that is a wasted expense.

You would do better spending money on actual business-generating activities than paying for infrastructure before you need it.

Suggestions

Vacations

Plan your vacation as inexpensively as possible. Don’t skimp, just don’t pay $1200 a night for a room when you can rent a whole condominium or home for $110 per night in the same area.

Carry snacks and drinks with you so you don’t have to pay $4-$5 a person for snacks and $3-$4 per person for drinks. No need to carry enough for the whole day, but if you can save $28-$36 for one round of snacks & drinks a day, that cuts your total expense.

Save money until you have enough to go on vacation.

Businesses

Start your business on minimal infrastructure. Start conducting business now, then add infrastructure as you really need it.

Have a detailed realistic business plan. Plan out costs, expenses, margin, target audience, etc. Know these things before starting your business, much less spending money on infrastructure.

Hopefully these suggestions helped you out. Please comment here with any questions or suggestions regarding tips, tricks, and ideas for judicious spending.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

22-Jul-201827-Jan-2022

Personal Improvement – Books That Have Influenced Me Recently

I would like to know more about my readers. If you could spare about 2 minutes of your time, please take a survey to tell me what you like about the blog. Just click here to take the survey.

Welcome back to another installment of Things I Think About! This week I am going to go over a few books that I have read recently that have had an impact. While some of them cover a mix of topics, to me, they mostly fall into one topic. Because of this, I will break them out by topic and detail the crossover topics, and why I feel that way, for each book I also have them listed separately on my Recommended Books page, HERE.

Business

The E Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber

This book speaks to my soul! I “read” the Audible version, (as I do most books due to my 3-hour plus daily commute), recorded by Michael Gerber himself. This book details why a lot of “Entrepreneurs” find themselves overworked, underpaid, and without the ability to grow. It is an interleaved mix of example stories with lessons explaining about each story. The main focus of the book is to explain why developing processes and systems for operating your business will allow you to employ other people to work IN the business so you can work ON the business.

The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

A young Tim Ferriss relates how he figured out how to not be locked into common misconception of the American Dream…go to school, get a good job, work like a slave for 20-30-40 years, then retire at an age where there is a good chance that you will have trouble enjoying life. In the 4-Hour Workweek, he details the concepts of mini-retirements, becoming effective and efficient in whatever you do for work, and ideas for small businesses that require little to no maintenance to support you on an ongoing basis.

Granted, as even pointed out in the book, the goal is not to be able to lay on the beach drinking mai tais, it is to free you up to do the things you want to do, including world travel, learning languages, and/or working with non-profit organizations.

This book also qualifies as a personal Improvement book, because a lot of the recommendations for efficiency and effectiveness while working have helped me to reduce a lot of stress at my main job.

Rich Dad’s Cash Flow Quadrant by Robert Kyosaki

This book breaks out the different classifications of people earning money. ESBI stands for Employees, someone who works for someone else to make money, Self-Employed, a person working for themselves to make money, Business Owners, owning a business & employing other people, and Investors, those who employ their capital to buy assets. It promotes the idea to be either a business owner or, ultimately, an investor, as this usually provides the best returns on time & money.

Personal Improvement

The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday

Ryan Holiday is a devoted Stoic. He has multiple books and a website dedicated to Stoicism. This book is kind of a manual for achievement. I really enjoy it because it basically lays out my philosophy on life. The short version is “Do what you can to change the things you don’t like in your life…Ignore the things you can’t change.” The Obstacle is the Way takes it a step further in that it guides you to figure out how to change either the situation or your thinking about the “things you can’t change”.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kyosaki

Robert Kyosaki tells the story of how he grew up a poor kid, but due to the tutelage of a friend’s father, learned to become a businessman. The book is a simple read but puts forth important concepts…assets are only assets if they will make you money, don’t spend foolishly, and educate yourself to grow. There is also a good bit of advice on real estate investment as a vehicle to become wealthy.

Principles by Ray Dalio

Ray Dalio is one of the richest men in the world and got that way by building one of the top hedge fund management companies, Bridgewater Associates. In Principles, he relates his lis life and how he got to where he is, developing his principles for business and personal life as an operating system along the way. This is another Audible entry where the author reads the book to you. It works.

Real Estate Investing

Long Distance Real Estate Investing by David Greene

While I don’t invest in real estate outside of my back yard, (for now), this book is incredibly useful as a guide of how to do things. The methodologies and techniques laid out here will work even in a local market. It’s a mix of strategies, tools, and tips to be successful.

The Book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner

This book is a thorough primer for anyone wanting to get into rental properties as an investment. It covers everything from finding properties to rehab tips and beyond.

The Book on Managing Rental Properties by Brandon Turner and Heather Turner

Hmmm…the title sounds a bit familiar…YES! This is the follow-up book to The Book on Rental Property Investing. It picks up where the previous book left off and takes a deeper dive into what you need to do to manage properties successfully.

Loopholes of Real Estate Investing by Garrett Sutton, Rich Dad Advisor

Another Audible author read, Loopholes covers the benefits of and hazards to watch out for when investing in real estate. I have probably listened to this book at least 6 times…right up there with the 4-Hour Workweek and The E Myth revisited. Lots of great advice.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

11-May-201827-Jan-2022

Personal Finance: Saving Money Versus Saving Money Versus Saving Money

Saving Money…Maybe you should think of it as Rescuing Your Money!

This week I am going to cover saving money. There are many differing thoughts about this topic these days, some of which have valid points. I will also lay out my thoughts on the idea.

Saving Money – Why Should You?

Why should you save money? You can save money for an emergency. You can save money for to buy something special. You can save money for a dream vacation. You can save money for retirement. Your reasons are valid for you.

Tim Ferriss advises that you set dreamlines…goals you want to achieve and figure out how much it will cost, both per month and one-time charges, so you can figure out how to get your retirement now rather than delaying and saving for “one day”. There is also this whole part about coming up with a muse, or business idea that will provide the extra income to cover the costs of achieving that mini-retirement. The other thing is that they should be frequent.

Robert Kiyosaki says “Savers are Losers!”. His reasoning is that no matter how you are saving money, be it in a bank, in a Certificate of Deposit (CD), or in a pickle jar buried in the back yard, you are losing money, at least at this point in time, because of monetary inflation.

“MonetaryInflation is an increase in the money supply which generally results in priceinflation. This acts as a “hidden tax”on the consumers in that country and is the primary cause of price inflation.Monetary inflation is commonly referred to as the government “printingmoney” although the actual process is a bit more complex than just cranking upthe printing presses but the effects are essentially the same.As the money supply increases the currency loses its purchasing powerand the price of goods and services increases.”

Why under the mattress, In a savings account, or In a Certificate of Deposit Costs You Money

Currently the rate of inflation is approximately 2%. Based on the definition above, that means that your money loses 2% of its purchasing power. If your savings account is paying 0.25% interest rate, your money in that account is losing 1.75% with this rate of inflation. If your CD is paying 0.3%, you are losing 1.7%. And if you have it in a pickle jar, you are losing the full 2.0% of purchasing power by not doing anything with it.

Ultimately, as far as I am concerned, instead of just saving money, put your money to work in an investment that will earn you more than the rate of inflation. Historically, the S&P 500 has provided positive returns over the long term, but in some years, like 2008, it had a negative 37% yield.

Overall, accounting for inflation, the market seems to average about a 7% return, but you will be advised to leave your money in the market and let things work themselves out. We have money in the market in the form of traditional & Roth IRAs, regular managed investments, my 401k, and various individual stocks that I play with (not very much).

I, personally, don’t want to devote my time to attempt to master the market.

Why you should make your money work for you

We also are investing in real estate. So far, those investments are working out to about a 9% return. Real estate has many options from flipping, to buy and hold (rentals), to lending, to investing in notes (becoming the mortgage holder for other borrowers). As stated before, BiggerPockets is the best free education on real estate investing you can find.

Additionally, we invested in a high-end door manufacturing business. It is not currently providing a return on investment, but it is improving and still self-sustaining, in addition to providing me and my fellow investors with some of the best business management lessons we have ever run across.

The bottom line, make your money work. To paraphrase the old adage, if your money is not moving forward, it’s falling behind.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

06-Apr-201827-Jan-2022

Personal Finance: What is an Asset?

Welcome back to the Things I Think About Blog. This week I am going to talk about what assets are, with regards to personal finance.

“as·set /ˈaset/ noun

General Definition

a useful or valuable thing, person, or quality.

property owned by a person or company, regarded as having value and available to meet debts, commitments, or legacies.

military equipment, such as planes, ships, communications and radar installations, employed or targeted in military operations.

Accounting definition.

Things that are resources owned by a company and which have future economic value that can be measured and can be expressed in dollars. Examples include cash, investments, accounts receivable, inventory, supplies, land, buildings, equipment, and vehicles.”

The definition we are going to focus on is “Property owned by a person or company…”.

Depending on how you look at things, you can call almost any property an asset. But the real question is will it make you profit? Does it earn you more money than it costs to keep it or can you sell it for more than you paid or are paying for it?

A phrase you will hear people say is that “your home is your biggest asset”. It can be, but only in specific situations. You can have a large percentage of equity in your home, meaning the difference between what you home is worth versus what you owe on it, but you will only realize that equity if you either sell the property for a gain (if it has appreciated since you bought it), or if you refinance it and harvest the equity, then use that money to invest in something that will make you profit.

While I don’t have the numbers to back it up, I would bet that a lot of people are not in that situation.

Robert Kiyosaki even goes as far as to say that your home is never an asset because it is never bringing in cash flow. He makes the case that overall, you are better off renting and letting someone else worry about repairs, taxes, homeowner’s insurance, etc.

Personally, I tend to agree with him on that front, but I feel that if your goal is to own a home, then you figure out how to make that happen. Make investments that pay for the home you want.

Stay away from buying property that does not bring you profit…like boats, RVs, ATVs, etc. You do not need to spend all kinds of money on shiny objects, especially if they will not make you a profit.

While we are talking about assets or not assets, let’s look at buying a car.

Here in the USA unless you live in a larger metropolitan area, you need a vehicle to get around.

If you are in that situation, remember this interesting statistic, that new cars lose approximately 11% of its value. or what you paid for it, as soon as you drive it off of the lot.

Let’s look at this scenario, you buy a $25,000 car and you are able to get 1.9% financing through the dealership. Taking into account the “drive-off depreciation”, your first 8 car payments will be used to pay off that depreciation. Additionally, it will take another 6 months of payments to cover the rest of the first year of depreciation for that new vehicle.

You would be much better served buying a slightly used vehicle and saving the extra costs associated with buying a new one.

Invest in things that will make you money. Invest in things that provide cash flow. Don’t speculate on appreciation.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

16-Mar-201827-Jan-2022

Overspending, Why And What to Do about It

This week, we are going to talk about spending, spending habits, and debt. As I related in a couple of previous posts, My History With Money, Pt. I & My History With Money, Pt. II, I had a bit of a spending problem. While the majority of my debt was from my mortgage, I was having trouble keeping up with payments and just keeping cash on hand. Hopefully, I will be able to provide you with some insight into why we spend and get into debt.

First, here are some statistics I gathered on income and spending in the US:

The average pre-tax income for people living in the US in 2016 was just under $75,000.
The average annual expenditures for people living in the US in 2016, including food, housing, transportation, discretionary spending, and insurance was slightly over $57,000.
Add to that, the average amount of taxes paid between local, state, and federal in US as of last year is about $10,500.
What you wind up with is about $8,000 a year (or $666.67 per month) of savable/investable income, based on averages.

The problem with averages is that it smooths out all of the variations in the data. In simpler terms, not everybody can recognize that excess money at the end of the year.

Here’s another bothersome statistic: 43% of Americans in the US spend more money than they make, according to the Federal Reserve.

The most common reasons people spend more than they make.

How to address the reasons listed above

If you are in the situation where you are spending more than you make and/or are in a lot of debt, the first thing to do is commit to changing your habits and then doing some things to change your situation.

Budgeting:

Be aware of what money you have coming in and what money you are spending. Break out your spending between necessities and discretionary. Necessities are electricity, water, gas, mortgage/rent, food, transportation. Discretionary spending covers items like cell phones for every member of the family, cable, internet, visits to the casino, cigarettes, beer, and similar things that are not vital to your survival.

Figure out approximately what percentage of your monthly income is needed to cover each necessity and allocate a little more than that requirement to be put aside to cover each one. I suggest putting cash into envelopes labeled for each one. By putting a little more into the envelope, that will help to cover variances in income and costs. This idea is actually based on the ideas put forth in the book Profit First by Mike Michalowicz. The book is aimed at entrepreneurs trying to get their business to a profitable state, but the principles apply to personal finance, also.

They KEY thing is to not touch the money once you put it aside unless you are paying the bill it is dedicated to.

Make sure you are also able to put aside an emergency fund. The amount should be approximately three times your monthly income/take home pay. This goes a long way towards keeping your life steady in the event of bad weather, vehicle breakdown, illness, etc.

Try to stick to only spending on necessities until you are comfortably out of debt. Then start looking for ways to invest some of your “profit” to make you more money. (Since I am not a financial advisor, I can’t offer advice on how to invest that money, but I will cover my thoughts on the matter in a future post.)

Credit cards:

Only use them if you have the money to pay for what you are purchasing and can commit yourself to not spending the cash on anything other than paying your credit card bill. If you have a balance on your credit card, don’t use it at all until the balance is paid off. Only then should you use a credit card to buy stuff.

If you already have a balance on your credit card or even multiple cards, work on paying off those balances first. There are two approaches to methodology when doing this, either start paying extra on the card with the highest interest rate and balance, if you can make yourself do that regularly without getting disappointed or pick a card with the smallest balance and pay it off first. This will give you a self-esteem boost by way of accomplishment.

DON’T PUT ANYTHING ELSE ON THAT CARD!

After the first one is paid off, take the monthly allotment of your income that was dedicated to paying off that card and start adding it to what you are paying on the next card. Keep doing that until all of your cards are paid off.

PAY OFF YOUR BALANCE EVERY MONTH!

This is crucial for not accumulating debt. It may even be better for you to have a charge card like American Express, where you are required to pay it off every month.

Don’t “float” your balance from one new card to another without paying it off. It ends badly.

Psychological Reasons for Spending

We are constantly being bombarded with advertising trying to influence us to spend money. Whether it is buy a new car, get the latest phone, or use our credit card to buy your dreams. Advertising implies that if we don’t spend, we are a lesser person. Don’t believe it!

Yes, you do need some of the things you see advertised, but you don’t need to go broke or get in debt to get it.

Buying things to feel better about yourself actually make you feel worse in the long run.

DO something to change the things in your life you don’t like. Don’t waste time worrying about the things you can’t change, because it will only make you feel worse.

And, as always, let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.

23-Feb-201827-Jan-2022

Real Estate Investing: Getting Scammed by a Contractor

Actual picture from one of our properties.

One of the last things you want to do is to get scammed as a real estate investor. It will happen if you are not prepared and do not have systems and processes in place to keep you from getting scammed.

Story Time

When we decided to turn my in-laws house into a rental, we started to look for contractors to do the rehab on it because I was too busy with work to do it myself (and I wasn’t that great at what was needed anyway).
We asked around on Facebook, but didn’t get a whole lot of suggestions. A friend of a relative could do some of it, but we wanted to get someone to do all of the work.

My wife heard an advertisement on a local radio station for a home improvement contractor, so we called him to get a bid. He gave us a fairly cheap bid and said he could start working immediately. We decided to use him. (Mistaken Thinking #1: Since he was advertising on the radio, he must have been a legitimate contractor.) He told us he was licensed and insured, so we believed him (See mistaken Thinking #1). He then asked for a 30% down payment to be able to purchase materials, so we paid him the down payment. (Mistaken Thinking #2: It’s OK to pay a down payment before work starts.) After six weeks of no work being done except removing the one piece of baseboard and shoe molding in the picture above, in addition to him coming to us for additional material draws (that we paid), we finally realized that he wasn’t going to do the work.

We suspected something was up after four weeks, but didn’t want to believe it. Thankfully our state has a contractor Fraud law and between our complaints and complaints of other victims from surrounding area, there was enough to arrest him. He made a plea deal and has paid back almost half of the money he owes us.

Tips for dealing with contractors:

ALWAYS VERIFY their state-issued contractor’s license! Your state’s Contractor Licensing Board or a similar entity should have a way for you to verify that the contractor’s license is still active via a website.
ALWAYS VERIFY their Insurance Certificate! Call the insurance company and/or agent to verify. These days, anyone can create counterfeit insurance certificates online. Their insurance protects you if one of their employees gets hurt on the job.
Check references. You usually will be referred to contractors by other friends or investors who have used them before and can vouch for their work.
Sign a contract that details the following: (Disclaimer-I am not a lawyer & I don’t play one on the internet…always check with your own attorney!)
- Scope of work to be performed
- When the work will start
- How long the work is expected to take
- What milestones need to be achieved, satisfactorily, to qualify for a draw
- Check on the contractor’s work frequently to ensure timely completion

We eventually found a really good contractor who came in and rehabbed everything in the house for us in about a month for a really good price. And we have been renting out the property ever since.

Let me know what you think in the comments. Ask questions, tell your story.

If you like my posts, please share them with others and subscribe to this blog.