What sparked your flame to seek financial freedom?

[Andrew Freed]

We all are inspired differently. I'm curious why other people on BP started their financial independence journey. Personally, I sought financial freedom after reading Rich Dad Poor Dad during COVID and realizing that I've always wanted to achieve greatness, determine my own future and not rely on an outside entity for my livelihood. Nonetheless I was always scared to take the leap. I reached out for short term comforts such as video games, seeking certifications and masters degrees, and movies / tv, when in reality I used those comforts to dull the pain of not living the life I truly wanted. Don't get me wrong, I've achieved a moderate level of career success but it was not where I wanted my life to be. I want to travel when I want, see the world, have time to develop authentic and caring relationships, spend as much time as I want with family and friends, and focus on becoming a better version of myself everyday. Real estate allowed me to start this journey on self discovery which I am truly grateful for. 

So what sparked your fire? 

[Joe Splitrock]

I had a friend at work who's father in law was a realtor. He owned 10 houses and rented them out. I did the math and figured those ten houses were making him $60,000 a year worth of income, which at the time was my salary. I was thinking, I could buy ten houses and just do that as my job. My friend told me I should read a book called Rich Dad Poor Dad. The message in the book really resonated with me. I realized I was working a W2 and putting money in someone else's pocket. The harder I worked, the more money their business made. This was right after the dot com bubble crashed and the stock market just appeared too volatile. As I researched wealthy people, I found they all had one thing in common, they owned real estate and lots of it. We found a duplex and the rest is history. 

I have watched people lose their jobs during two economic down turns in 2001 and in 2009-2012. It can be ugly, when you lose your income and can't find a new job. It is amazing how fast your savings can be depleted just paying basic living expenses. Real estate is a security blanket for me and a retirement plan.