All Forum Posts by: Aaron Hunt

Thanks for the reminder on penfed. I can check them out again for other SFRs that I own now

I am going to take some hits by saying this. First, I am a veteran. Active Army.  National guard. Police Officer, and 22,000 disability claims completed while working for the Veterans Affairs for long time. as a realistate investor, I am a frequent flyer at Home Depot. I can find things better than the managers in that store. Sometimes I am a daily shopper for months on end while fixing up a stinky. I love the 10% discount for flashing my disabled veteran card. but what bothers me is the part where each cashier is told to say, "thank you for your service".  

This bothers me because like the majority of service members I just joined the military to get out of my parents house. have some fun. Chicks dig uniforms! and travel. sign, done. gone. Hired.

I spent 8 weeks listening to some sociopath yelling orders, ran for miles and did push ups. to my knowledge only 2 or 3 people failed the whole ordeal. 

I am not trying put down the military! I am only saying the US political system puts veterans on the  in pedestal because in this country we have a voluntary military and if being a veteran is no longer prestigious who will join? 

We used to joke around at the VA, want to retire at 20? join the military, trip over the first beer can you see, piss yourself, call me. I will get you 3,200/month tax free. you will never have to work again.

I retired thousands of young men who had access to google. 

Veterans are just like anyone else, they just have an amazing strong political lobby. Do what every you can to defend your property and do not fear political pressure!

as they tought us, "shoot, move, communicate"     (the order is important)

This is probably bad advice, but how badly do you want to get started in real estate? I personally think the 401k or IRA or any other deferred tax vehicle stamped as a path toward a comfortable retirement to be highly overrated. The deferment is great and so is the employee matching, but unless you contribute at or near the max for most of your life, you aren't going to get rich from it...and you'll only get that benefit when you are really old. No thanks.!!

I've EMPTIED my 401k twice in the past 8 years and used those funds to buy real estate. I paid a huge penalty both times, but I can trace a nice chunk of my current holdings back to these moves. Of course it helps that I'm in a part of the country where RE appreciates quickly. 

When I listen to my Co workers talk about their strategies for their 401k, all I can think of is "how the hell are you going to retire with that??" No thanks! I intend to be financially independent in 3 to 5 years..... which needless to say my 401k will have absolutely contribution in this regard. 

I'm not saying you should definitely empty your 401k and use it seed your RE career. This is a very costly and risky move....which brings me back to my original question of how badly do you want it? All I'm saying is that I did it twice and both times it has paid off handsomely and I'm very glad I did it both times. My 401k balance is pathetic, but I couldn't give a rat's ***. I still contribute 5% because my employer matches 100%, but once it reaches a certain amount, I'll probably empty it again.