All Forum Posts by: Craig Curelop

@George Blower Thank you very much for that information! This is some of the best information I've received. 

Just to be sure I am understanding correctly. If I made my first ROTH IRA contribution in July 2012, it has effectively started January 1, 2012. Therefore since it is May 2017 (over 5 years past the Jan 1, 2012 start date), I am able to withdraw penalty and tax free?

Thanks to everyone at BiggerPockets, I got my first deal under contract! 

I've had my Roth IRA for 5 years, but recently rolled it over from Merrill Edge to Betterment. Does anyone know if I can still use this as part of my down payment since the IRA has been active for 5 years? Or can I not use it because I rolled it over?

@Corina Eufinger - That is very true! How a business man should be, though exaggerated a little. He was always concerned about saving. Though, if I ever own a restaurant, I don't think I would charge for napkins :). 

@Natasha Lopez - I always recommend Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It's an easy read and is great for getting you thinking the correct way. My other two favorites are Tim Ferriss' 4-hour work week and Hal Elrod's Miracle Morning. 

As for Real Estate Books - The book on Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner is also great one as well as his Book on Investing with No (and Low) Money Down. Scott Trench just came out with a book called Set for Life that shows you how to go from little to no net worth to financially free through saving more, making more, and investing the difference. 

www.biggerpockets.com/books also has a select list of top 20 books that I'd recommend. 

@Andrew Greer - I was working in venture finance in Silicon Valley. Although it was not an investment bank, there was a type of investment banking mentality there which I did not like. 

I developed this obsession for a need of a recurring stream of passive income. After tons of dumb ideas, the idea of real estate hit me like a ton of bricks. My goals are to get my family out of the middle class and live life on my own terms. 

@Raven Lawrence - start listening to the podcasts on a daily basis. Start at #1 and work your way up. It should take you 9-12 months to finish them all. In the podcasts, there are book recommendations at the end in the famous 4. Take note of these recommendations and read as many of these as possible. 

You'll know when you're ready to start taking action. Be sure not to be stuck in analysis paralysis. 

Hi @Natasha Lopez - Welcome to BP! First off, before jumping in, I highly recommend you take a few months and listen to the BP Podcast and read as many books as possible. 

I'm not sure of your family situation, but usually house-hacking is one of the easiest ways to get into real estate. This involves putting a low down payment on a multifamily property, living in one unit, and renting out the rest. That way you have someone else paying down your mortgage while you live for free (or extremely cheap). There are several articles and posts about including this one here written by Brandon Turner. 

https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/11/0...

Hope this helps! 

Best,

Craig

I know Spongebob Squarepants is one of those "dumb" shows that every parent hated that their kids watched. As I grow older, I have come to realize that a lot of those shows (including Spongebob) may have a deeper meaning. 

For those who don't know - Spongebob is a fun loving character whose maturity is that of a 7 or 8 year old child. He's always having fun. Even if it's just flipping burgers at the local restaurant.

Squidward is on the opposite of end of that spectrum. He has the personality of an "adult." Goes to work, hates his job, likes to be alone, and relaxes as much as possible. For some reason, as we mature, the vast majority of people start to act less like Spongebob and more like Squidward. 

Here is the 20 second clip that got me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2eXU2p982GQ

The "lesson" that Squidward tries to teach Spongebob does not seem right to me. The idea of working for 40+ years and retiring (or dying) at 65+ with not much to show is daunting for me. While there are various ways to do it, Real Estate seems to be a ticket out. 

@Ethen Weaver, @Coco Zuniga hit the nail on the head. Hal Elrod's miracle morning truly is miraculous. He suggests an hour, which is how I started. I have since extended it to 3 hours. Here's what it looks like for me:

5am: Wake up and immediately chug a bottle of water. Then wash my face & brush my teeth. 

5:15am - 10 minutes of meditation (Check out Omvana and Spotify for good meditation tracks)

5:25am - 5 min of affirmations - The Miracle MOrning has an app you can store these in. 

5:30am - 5 min of visualizations - Close your eyes and think about where you want to go

5:35am - Read - I read for an hour and a half. 

7:00am - Stretch & Pushups while listening to podcast

8:00am - Head out for my bike ride to work. 

Ever since doing this - I have felt absolutely amazing. Accomplishing things I never thought possible and my self-discipline has increased immensely. 

Definitely check it out: 

http://www.miraclemorning.com/

Roy Jenkins - I suggest going to www.biggerpockets.com/meet and reaching out to local investors to grab coffee/teamand talk real estate. You'll gain valuable insight, meet some awesome people, and potentially find yourself a few cash buyers or whatever you need. Hope this helps!