BiggerPockets Money

One of the most frequently asked questions in the BiggerPockets forums is "How can I start investing in real estate with no money and bad credit?" The answer? You can't (Well, to be more accurate, you probably shouldn't). You need to fix your "No money and bad credit" situation and invest from a position of financial strength. Co-hosted by BiggerPockets' Scott Trench and Mindy Jensen, this podcast provides the education you didn't get in school. You'll get tips for getting your financial house in order and actionable advice from guests who have been in your shoes - and found their way out.

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Previous Episodes

August 6, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 220: Finance Friday: How Do I Scale My Business But Reduce My Hours?

Entrepreneurs work long, stressful hours, and as a result, they get paid the big bucks. This is the position that Stephanie, a freelance Salesforce consultant is in. She makes a respectable income, br inging in $14,000 after tax! But, that income comes at a cost. While Stephanie is currently contracting out work to a few part-time employees, she spends at least 50 hours per week on the business. She’d like to get to a point where she can step back and work 20 (or so) hours per week and have a systematized and growing business. She’s financially in a great place, with more than three years of expenses saved in cash, so she can take more risks with her business. If you’re growing your own business, rental portfolio, or side-income stream, you may be in Stephanie's position in the future. Stick around to hear exactly what Scott (an active CEO) would do if he was in her shoes. ... show more

August 2, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 219: Syndications: Everything You Need to Know BEFORE You Invest

You may have heard the term “real estate syndication” thrown out quite a lot over the past few years. It seems like almost every real estate investor is either starting a real estate syndication or in vesting in one. So what’s all the hype about? Is this an investment opportunity that you’re missing out on, and if so, is it truly passive as many people claim? We’ve brought the master flipper, rehab estimator, and syndicator himself, J Scott, back to the BiggerPockets Money Podcast so he can share some information (and advice) on real estate syndications. J walks through a handful of points worth examining before investing in syndications. We talk about what a real estate syndication is, where to find syndications, how to validate the syndicators themselves, what a limited partner is, what a general partner is, and more. The most valuable part of this entire episode is about researching the syndication deal itself. Where is it located, what is the structure, who’s running it? These are all questions you should ask, along with some other key questions like: What is the team’s track record, reputation, experience? What is the location, risks, population size, employment, wage growth? On the deal, what do the returns look like, what are the big risks? Do they have an investor presentation? What’s the minimum investment? Are there capital calls? How do they deal with capital calls? Have they required capital calls in the past? What are their accreditation requirements? Can you get better terms in exchange for a larger investment? How frequent are the distributions? Quarterly, monthly, yearly? When will distributions start? Will they be doing a cost segregation study? What fees are they receiving? When will they give updates? Monthly, quarterly? Can you invest using a 1031 or an IRA? ... show more

July 30, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 218: Finance Friday: How to Plan for Inconsistent Income as an Entrepreneur

Combining finances can be complicated, but what’s even more complicated is combining one salary with two inconsistent business accounts. How do you manage the household’s budget when you don’t know wh at will be coming in every month? This is the question Roshan and her husband have for us today. Roshan works as a teacher making a very steady income and has access to retirement plans like her pension and a 457(b). Her husband, on the other hand, runs a seasonal flower business that brings in $30,000 in only five weeks, and an ecommerce store with a bit more consistent income. Together, they want to develop a formula that will help them plan for early retirement, while also being able to take some risks and reinvest in their businesses. Scott and Mindy not only walk through the regular finance aspects like spending, retirement planning, and saving, but also more relationship-based financial aspects like having money dates, keeping a shared budget, and having a retirement plan that works with your family’s lifestyle. ... show more

July 26, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 217: Don’t Quit Your Job, “Fire Your Boss” on Your Terms w/ Rahkim Sabree

Rahkim Sabree “aspired to be poor” when he was growing up. He saw his parents collecting section 8 housing vouchers, getting food stamps, and thought that this was the way life was. He didn’t grow up around many homeowners. All of his friends lived in apartment rentals and were in the same financial situation as him. There were no “financial literacy talks” at Rahkim's dinner table. It wasn’t until Rahkim left college and got a banking job that he decided to look at where his money was going and what it was doing for him. He started reading books like Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Millionaire Next Door, which shifted his mindset and gave him the foundation to chase financial freedom. He bought a duplex, house hacked it, and started throwing all the money he could into investments. As his own financial knowledge began to grow, he was able to share what he learned with others. He’s written two books, spoken at TEDx talks, and been invited to numerous conferences to speak. This didn’t bode well with his employer, who would consistently ask him whether his outside-of-work activities were clashing with his nine-to-five responsibilities. After hearing this over and over again, he decided to “fire his boss” and focus on building his own income, all without an emergency reserve stashed away! ... show more

July 23, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 216: Finance Friday: Turning Spare Bedrooms into $1,000+ Extra Every Month

Amanda is making a teacher’s salary and spending her weekends working a part-time job at a grocery store. She contributes to her retirement accounts, but she could be sitting on a passive income gold mine that she doesn’t realize. Attached to Amanda’s home are a casita and a mother-in-law suite. The casita is rented out to long-term tenants and the mother-in-law suite has been used as a short-term rental for some time. But what if instead of keeping her casita as a long-term rental, she converted it into an Airbnb? Well, Amanda could potentially see a rent increase of almost 3x what she currently is renting at! With this house hacking model that Amanda is using, she’s able to get owner-occupied financing with lower interest rates and better terms. So what if she could start doing this with other houses and slowly grow a short-term rental empire? As Scott and Mindy discuss, it’s possible! ... show more

July 19, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 215: FI: More Than Retirement, a Chance to Take Risks w/ Diania Merriam

After years and years of working in licensing, Diania Merriam opened up her credit report and saw that she was (collectively) $30,000 in debt. This forced her to ask the question, “what am I working f or?” It made sense at the moment: you get your paycheck, you can go out to a fancy dinner, you get another paycheck, you can buy yourself something nice. But Diania wasn’t happy, or at least as happy as she thought she’d be. She realized that she didn’t want to be stuck in a job she had to go to every day. She wanted autonomy, freedom, and financial independence that would allow her to rule over her schedule and pursue her passions and interests. So, she went to work and started saving whatever she could. She stopped eating out, started cooking all her meals, moved to a more inexpensive city, bought a house and house hacked, heavily invested in retirement, and did everything right. Now, she’s self-employed, hosting the Optimal Finance Daily podcast and the EconoMe Conference in Cincinnati. She was able to create her dream roles because she came from a position of financial strength, she also had a plan in mind and knew what her “worst-case scenario” looked like. ... show more

July 16, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 214: Finance Friday: Fighting Cancer, Starting a Family, & “Planting Seeds”

It’s hard to imagine what someone is going through once they’re given a cancer diagnosis. The last thing many people want to think about during such a troubling time is finances. This was true for Zac hary, who’s combined net worth with his partner more than doubled while he was supporting her throughout her chemotherapy and cancer surgeries. Even though it was a medically troubling year, Zachary and his partner were able to almost double their income, while keeping expenses fairly low. This allowed them to set a 50% savings rate and keep enough to pay for treatments, retirement investing, and even save for IVF (in vitro fertilization). Since IVF is such an expensive treatment, Zachary wants to know how he can best position himself to pay for it while his partner reduces her time at work to take care of their future children. ... show more

July 12, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 213: Retiring in 6 Years After 20 Years of Money Mistakes

Growing up in Mexico, Saul Tijerina didn’t fully understand the concept of financing. It wasn’t that he couldn’t conceptualize financing, it was more that he wasn’t around it enough to think of it as an option. In Mexico, everything was sold for cash, whether it was a home, a car, or a new TV. Owning something meant that you really “owned it”, not just “I’m paying this off.” It’s no surprise that when Saul came to the United States to work, he was in for a financial shock. New car? Finance it. New house? Finance it. Want to eat out every day? Charge it to your credit card and finance it! This was the cycle that Saul was in for close to two decades, before discovering the FI movement. Once he started digging around online forums, blogs, and YouTube channels, he found a community that not only hit financial independence but hit it at an impressively young age. Now, about two years into his FI journey, Saul has made monumental progress with saving and investing. He’s on track to retire as a millionaire in 2026 and will live off of his taxable accounts until he is old enough to take out funds from his tax-advantaged investments. ... show more

July 9, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 212: Finance Friday: When Should You Pause Your Retirement Contributions?

Starting a strong financial position in your youth is probably the most important thing you can do to hit financial independence. Sometimes that strong position includes maxing out retirement accounts , like Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, or even HSAs (health savings account), but sometimes, it doesn’t. Scott and Mindy talk to Kirsten about the potential option of pausing her retirement contributions to buy a duplex so she can house hack. While this may seem counterintuitive, pausing retirement contributions isn't always a bad thing. This is especially true if you’re trying to do something that will radically change your income or expenses, allowing you to invest more into retirement later on. This episode runs through house hacking, retirement contributions, FHA rules for owner-occupied loans, how to graduate with no debt, and when the best time to have a “money date” is. It doesn’t matter if you’re in your early 20s or mid-40s, these principles are key to having a financially successful life. ... show more

July 5, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 211: From -$28k in Debt to $107k Net Worth by Cutting Out the Unnecessary

It’s nice to hear a fan of the BiggerPockets Money Show talk about how they are on the path to financial freedom. It’s even nicer when we hear that the fan, Melissa Yi, went from a negative net worth to now $100k+ due to some simple tips from Scott and Mindy. Melissa had stints in her childhood where she was facing homelessness, not knowing where her next meal was coming from. She worked hard after high school and ended up at a job that offered to pay for her college education. A year away from graduating, she made the decision to quit, without savings, another job lined up, or a way to pay for school. She took out student loans, auto loans, and sunk into credit card debt. At one point, Melissa looked around and realized she had a lot of stuff. Stuff that wasn’t doing anything for her, except for filling up her garage. She sold what she could, started bringing in side income streams, and stopped eating out. These small changes allowed her to slowly pay off her debt and get to a positive net worth. Now, she’s at the $100k+ point and slowly coasting her way to financial independence! ... show more

July 2, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 210: Finance Friday: Should I Leave Teaching to Pursue Greater Income?

Teachers do a lot more than we give them credit for (as shown throughout the past year and a half), but sadly, they don’t get paid terribly high salaries. Today’s guest, Stephanie, is a music teacher for young children and is debating whether or not she should make a career change to up her income to higher levels. Stephanie has a good amount in savings and investments but wants to take on a duplex to house hack and save money on monthly housing costs. Scott and Mindy walk through the pros and cons of house hacking and answer questions about live in flips. The best part about Stephanie’s story is that she has the option to move anywhere in the United States. She has nothing holding her to New Jersey and may be keen to move out due to the high taxes she has to pay. With the combination of a career change and the potential to do a live in flip/house hack on the horizon, Stephanie has a lot of great (and broad) options to help her reach financial independence! ... show more

June 28, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 209: Creating Financial Runway to Start a 7-Figure Business w/ Bola Sokunbi

Growing up, Bola Sokunbi had some serious financial influence from her parents. Her father would tell her “Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish” while her mom showed her the importance of being an in dependent woman who could financially stand on her own. They both influenced her to become the financial author, mentor, and teacher she is today with Clever Girl Finance. Bola split her youth between Europe and Africa, and when given the chance to go to college back in Europe, her mom cashed out her retirement savings to give her daughter the gift of education. Bola worked through college and graduated with zero debt! She then went on to live in New York City, making $54,000 a year at her first job, which to her, was like getting a million dollars! As she saved up to buy her first home and later started investing in more growing assets, she saw her friends who made 3x her salary, spend all their money on designer handbags, expensive dinners, and luxury apartments. She knew she didn’t want to be surrounded by financially irresponsible people, so she distanced herself from those friends, and began her journey to FI. Now, Bola has a business pulling in six figures every month! She teaches women how they can start investing, have financial confidence, and live life on their terms. ... show more

June 26, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 208: Finance Friday: 23 Years Old, Steady Pay, Low Income, Should I Invest?

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: it’s never too early to start your journey to financial independence. Today we talk to Mackenzie, a 23-year-old college graduate, working a government job and paying for only minor expenses. She has a serious emergency fund she’s managed to save up and has questions on house hacking, setting up retirement accounts, and the fastest way to get to FI. When you start your financial journey at such a young age, you have many different opportunities. Even just maxing out your Roth every year may be enough to make you a tax-free millionaire, but what about more aggressive strategies like owning rental properties or even shooting for a far higher-paying job? These are all questions that Mackenzie wants answers to, so we have Scott and Mindy here to help! ... show more

June 21, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 207: Comfortably Retiring in Her 40s as a Single Mom with $850k Net Worth

Part of the reason we started the BiggerPockets Money Show was to share financial stories from all different backgrounds, giving you, the listener, confidence to reach your financial goals regardless of the stage you’re at in life. There’s no better story or person to personify this than Dr. Lakisha Simmons. Lakisha grew up in Indianapolis, born to teenage parents who didn’t have much. She spent the majority of her youth living at different family members’ houses, shopping bargains, and being content with having enough to get by. She started working at 14 years old and has fond memories of taking her paychecks to the bank so she could deposit them in her own checking account. When Lakisha hit some road bumps in her personal life, she put her children first and sold her home, started renting, and dove heavily into FI. She managed to hit a 60% savings rate as a single mother, thanks to her helpful side-income streams. Now, after almost 3 decades of working, she’s ready to retire, spending time with her children and teaching other women how they can do the same. ... show more

June 18, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 206: Finance Friday: The 7-Step Plan to Financial Freedom

For most people, there tends to be a specific point in your life when you think, “I want to travel” or “I want to spend time pursuing my passions”. For today’s guest Ainsley, this happened about two y ears ago. She has spent the last decade or so being a stay-at-home mom, but is looking to up her household income by getting a job that will provide an extra $36,000 a year to the family budget. Her main question: what should this extra income be used for? Mindy and Scott come up with a step-by-step approach to hit financial freedom, even if you don’t have a large amount of cash or investments. Lucky for Ainsley, her home in the Pacific Northwest appreciated close to $150,000 in just the past year alone! Plus, she also has retirement accounts that she and her husband actively contribute to. While they’re doing many things right, they could improve on some simple things like boosting their emergency fund, starting an HSA, contributing to a Roth IRA, and getting their income up as much as possible. This is a great episode for those who don’t want to get into real estate, and instead would rather have passive investments growing on the side! ... show more

June 14, 2021

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 205: From $50k in Debt to Financially Free in 2 Years w/ Lots of Ups & Downs

There are lots of twists and turns throughout every investor's journey, but maybe not as many as Zeona McIntyre’s. Growing up with the words of Suze Orman in her ear, Zeona knew that there were a few things she had to do, like max out her Roth IRA every year. It wasn’t until Zeona was talking to a friend who told her about Airbnb arbitrage that she realized a future in real estate investing may be the most successful. Before there were many short-term rental laws, people would Airbnb out of their own rented apartment, often without the landlord’s permission. Before you go off on Zeona in the comments, know that she does not do this anymore, and a few of her landlords were surprisingly okay with the plan. Since then, she has purchased 11 doors that she rents out, both to short and long-term tenants. You’ll hear how Zeona used private funding, an unfortunately-fortune life insurance payment, and many other creative methods to get her to financial independence in just 2 years! ... show more

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BiggerPockets Money

Previous Episodes

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 220: Finance Friday: How Do I Scale My Business But Reduce My Hours?

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 219: Syndications: Everything You Need to Know BEFORE You Invest

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 218: Finance Friday: How to Plan for Inconsistent Income as an Entrepreneur

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 217: Don’t Quit Your Job, “Fire Your Boss” on Your Terms w/ Rahkim Sabree

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 216: Finance Friday: Turning Spare Bedrooms into $1,000+ Extra Every Month

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 215: FI: More Than Retirement, a Chance to Take Risks w/ Diania Merriam

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 214: Finance Friday: Fighting Cancer, Starting a Family, & “Planting Seeds”

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 213: Retiring in 6 Years After 20 Years of Money Mistakes

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 212: Finance Friday: When Should You Pause Your Retirement Contributions?

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 211: From -$28k in Debt to $107k Net Worth by Cutting Out the Unnecessary

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 210: Finance Friday: Should I Leave Teaching to Pursue Greater Income?

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 209: Creating Financial Runway to Start a 7-Figure Business w/ Bola Sokunbi

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 208: Finance Friday: 23 Years Old, Steady Pay, Low Income, Should I Invest?

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 207: Comfortably Retiring in Her 40s as a Single Mom with $850k Net Worth

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 206: Finance Friday: The 7-Step Plan to Financial Freedom

BiggerPockets Money Podcast 205: From $50k in Debt to Financially Free in 2 Years w/ Lots of Ups & Downs

BiggerPockets Money

Previous Episodes

BiggerPockets Money

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