Adulting Is Easy: Making Personal Finance & Real Estate Easy

Brandon is a fellow house hacker from the Tampa Bay area. As a reminder, house hacking is when you buy a property, live in part of it and rent the rest out. Lauren and Brandon discuss the pros of house hacking, like living for free! Brandon tells a cautionary tale about buying a place with a lot of DIY from the previous owner. This is an initial purchase horror story that STILL worked out – bad roof, mold, faulty wiring. He talks about choosing between long-term renting the other part of his duplex and short-term renting it. The two run through the purchase price, renovation costs, ARV, and rent/STR numbers. They cover FHA loans, conventional loans, and HELOCs. You'll learn a lot about real estate and house hacking in this episode and walk away wanting to do it for yourself!

About Brandon:  

Brandon Keys is the Founder of Green Candle Investments Media Company, host of the Macro Insights and State of Bitcoin podcasts, and writer of weekly Green Candle Investments Newsletter. Brandon is putting out content for every investor trying to reach financial freedom through stocks, real estate, and Bitcoin by bringing quality guests and explanations for the common man. 

Connect with Brandon:

Twitter https://twitter.com/Greencandleit

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdvC14iR8V7MedS7ArKHNCA

Macro Insights Podcast https://open.spotify.com/show/2eyoythgyWcL2RB7Vwognp?si=2e8f20279a814672

State of Bitcoin Pod https://open.spotify.com/show/326v8V7L4q9WVgxR1MxZZ6?si=997ebfd31bd8444a

Newsletter https://greencandleinvestments.substack.com/

Book mentioned: The House Hacking Strategy: How to Use Your Home to Achieve Financial Freedom by Craig Curelop

Sponsored by: https://touchstay.com/ 

If you liked this episode, you may also like Episode 112: How to Set Up Your Airbnb, Step by Step and Episode 164: Cost Segregation for STR Owners

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Connect with Lauren:  

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy ⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/⁠⁠

Forget passive income, find passionate income? OK, OK, you can do both. This week, Lauren is bringing you her interview with Brian Luebben. They talked about what financial freedom is, and Brian firmly believes the best way to get there is through passionate income. You must figure out what fires you up, and what you want to spend your time doing. And once 50% of your time is spent on your side hustle, go in on it full time. Your financial foundation is not sexy stuff. Brian's involved house hacking (renting part of a property out while living there) in Atlanta, GA. Brian drops a TON of actionable advice. What does your exciting life look like? Maybe it’s not traveling around the world. Document this in detail, using a tool like a vision board.  Surround yourself with mentors and coaches. Your peers matter too. Confidence comes from action. Not the other way around. Your environment matters. Information is not the answer, you have to take action. YOU will be the reason you succeed.

About Brian Luebben:

Brian Luebben is an Entrepreneur, Podcaster, and Real Estate Investor out of Atlanta, GA. He started a DJ company in college. During his career, he made it to the top of a Fortune 500 Company in their Sales Organization, only to realize quickly that living the “corporate America life” wasn’t for him. Brian now runs a successful podcast “The Action Academy” where he talks to seven, eight, and nine figure entrepreneurs on how to earn freedom in life and business. Through his podcast, cash-flowing real estate, and his Media Company, he has the Financial Freedom to do what he wants, when he wants, with who he wants.

Brian left corporate job in March 2022, hopping on a one way flight, and traveling the world for 6 months straight. His new mission is to help 1,000,000 other people do the same through The Action Academy.

Connect with Brian:

https://twitter.com/theactionpod

https://www.instagram.com/actionacademypodcast/

https://theactionacademy.co/

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Sponsored by: Hemlane

https://www.hemlane.com/all-in-one-property-management/?utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=adulting-is-easy&utm_campaign=

Connect with Lauren:  

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy ⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/⁠⁠

Bryce Garcia has an interesting take on house hacking. He moves our of his primary home so short-term rental guests can stay there. In Austin, TX, where Bryce lives, stays can be shorter than 30 days if it’s your home. Moving out of your STR for guests is a type of sweat equity, according to Bryce. What do you think? He touches on having mentors, networking, meeting people, anf forming your personal finance, investing, and real estate circle. Lauren and Bryce touch on the impact of luck on success. Bryce goes on to tell Lauren about his second STR, which is in Myrtle Beach, and building a new team in a second market. You'll learn how to have a full time job and manage your own STRs. Basically, 90% of the work for STRs is done up front. He doesn’t spend too much time on the business, so he doesn’t really get sick of it. But he's also proactive, especially when managing his calendar.

About Bryce:  

Bryce Garcia didn't know about real estate until the pandemic hit. When his sales pipeline dried up because of the lockdowns, he realized he needed more income sources. He took action and moved to Austin to buy his 1st house hack. He then bought a beach house and is looking for his 3rd short-term rental. Bryce has been writing about his experience on Twitter and started a newsletter about running short-term rentals with a full-time job.

Connect with Bryce:

https://twitter.com/BryceWGarcia

https://www.instagram.com/brycecold12/

If you liked this episode, you will also like episodes 153 (House Hacking) and 163 (FOMO and Friends).

Subscribe on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultingiseasy 

Sponsored by: https://touchstay.com/

Sign Up for PriceLabs and/or OwnerRez:

OwnerRez: https://www.ownerreservations.com?referredBy=oru5b14b508f8x

PriceLabs: https://pricelabs.co/users/sign_up?referral=vetR1F

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Connect with Lauren:  

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy ⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/⁠⁠

Decade Investor aka Kolin drops dozens of gems in this week's interview. As a 24-year-old with a $250,000 stock portfolio, he knows all about slow and steady investing. Lauren and Kolin go over the 8th (or is it 1st?) wonder of the world, compound interest, with real-life examples. No matter your age. whether you're in your 20s or 50s, you'll walk away motivated to start investing, even if it's $5 per week. Get comfortable having money that isn't yours to spend right now. Make your future self your best friend. You can build your investing skills like you build muscles at the gym, but you do need to START! Lauren lays out what the 4% retirement rule is. Kolin addresses young parents. He also takes a stance on what percentage of your income you should be saving (which might surprise you). He also addresses rumors on whether he got a VOO tattoo, representing $100,000 in Vanguard's S&P 500 index fund.

About Kolin:

Kolin goes by Decade Investor on social media. He started his account in 2020 to get other young investors, like himself, excited about investing for the long term & to spread the good word of investing to all who come across his content!

Connect with Kolin:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DecadeInvestor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/decadeinvestor/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@decadeinvestor

Subscribe to the Adulting Is Easy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultingiseasy

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Sponsored by: Hemlane

https://www.hemlane.com/all-in-one-property-management/?utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=adulting-is-easy&utm_campaign=

Connect with Lauren:  

⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy ⁠⁠

⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/⁠⁠

Cost segregation is about bringing depreciation forward, and it is literally in the tax code. It’s basically an engineering study, but don't worry! Yonah demystifies it. Owners hire someone, like Yonah's firm, to categorize expenses. Depending on the category, depreciation schedules vary. Short-term rentals offer a unique opportunity for owners, if they’re materially participating, to take passive income losses against active income losses. Yonah breaks it all down in an approachable way. He even covers the complicated concept of real estate professional designation, and whether it's needed. Lauren and Yonah talk tax impacts on rental arbitrage, property managers, and co-hosts. They cover other real estate tax benefits.You may need to educate your accountants, or frankly change accountants after this, but it will be worth it.  

If you liked this episode, you may also like Episode 125: Getting Started in STRs and How to Get Direct Bookings and Episode 112: How to Set Up Your Airbnb, Step by Step  

About Yonah:  

Yonah Weiss is a powerhouse with property owners' tax savings. As Business Director at Madison SPECS, a national Cost Segregation leader, he has assisted clients in saving hundreds of millions of dollars on taxes through cost segregation. He has a background in teaching and a passion for real estate and helping others. He’s a real estate investor and host of the top podcast Weiss Advice.  

Book mentioned: Tax Free Wealth by Tom Wheelright  

Sponsored by TouchStay Digital Guidebooks: https://touchstay.com/ 

Connect with Yonah:  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/YonahWeiss 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yonahweiss/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cost-segregation-yonah-weiss/ 

Yonah's Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1Aq7SJ91d7cSU55nyJOwhU 

Yonah's Podcast on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/weiss-advice/id1515387561?uo=4 

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy 

Connect with Lauren:  

https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy 

https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/

Why do we make comparisons? Lauren and Katie talk about comparing yourself to others, how to avoid it and use it for motivation, and remind us all to forgive ourselves when we do this. They talk keeping up with the Jones, when the Joneses are your friends. You want to be happy for your friends, but it might take effort. The right comparison to yourself is you in the past. Remember the social media highlight reel. Katie tells Lauren about the financial and mental impacts of comparison to others. She points out there is always going to be someone who’s doing better than you financially. Katie reminds us that people are worth your time even if they have different money goals. Be the average of the 5 people around you? Sure, in more dimensions than financial. You may never be able to stamp out comparison and lifestyle creep, and that’s OK. Do it in a healthy way. Use envy as a guide. Foster an abundance mindset. Finally, remember it’s the journey, not the destination.

About Katie:

Katie, the founder and 'face' of Money with Katie, a personal finance brand devoted to creating money content you'll actually want to read, listen to, and watch. You can find her on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram @moneywithkatie, online at www.moneywithkatie.com, and at The Money with Katie Show wherever you get your podcasts!

Connect with Katie:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/moneywithkatie

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@moneywithkatie

Instagram @moneywithkatie

www.moneywithkatie.com

The Money with Katie Show wherever you get your podcasts!

Sposored by: https://adultingiseasy.steadilypartner.com/

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

This week, Lauren brings you her interview with Dave aka Side Hustle Houses. The two cover the differences between investing in real estate in the US and England. There are some natural differences, like financing, but there are many similarities as well. It sounds like real estate investing is not as "main stream" across the pond as it is in the US. Dave found his "tribe" of fellow real estate investors on Twitter, and he suggests you do the same! Lauren and Dave go into detail about what it's like owning student housing. As a teacher, Dave is especially qualified to rent to students. They talk through buying criteria, specifically how to develop your own. And he gives you the push you need to get started or keep going.

About Side Hustle Houses:

Dave aka Side Hustle Houses invests on the side of being a teacher full time as well as being the President of a Rugby team, while juggling a family with two children. Dave’s current property portfolio is 5 rentals mainly consisting of 2 bed houses in the English city of Worcester (Wohstah). He has a Student rental as well as an apartment and talks about the Pros and Cons of each. Dave enjoys helping people get started with RE investment and overcoming a negative mindset. A big goal of his is to expand to 15 houses which will make him FI within the next 9 years. Then, he can concentrate on RE full time.

Connect with Side Hustle Houses:

https://twitter.com/SHHouses

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Sponsored by: Hemlane

https://www.hemlane.com/all-in-one-property-management/?utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=adulting-is-easy&utm_campaign=

This week, Lauren brings you her interview with Pete Reese. Lauren learned that you can invest in real estate by flipping land. Mind blown. And get this – land can be flipped within a shorter period of time than you think.

Pete talks through the business model and how it’s systematized. They started with $100,000. He talks numbers and details of their deals, like how they aim for 50% gross margins. He talks partnerships. Pete gives advice, like: when it comes to due diligence, you can’t see everything in a computer screen.

Pete detailed some red flags, like squatters, trash, green streams, hog farms. Lauren learned a new term: hog lagoon. Those stories are great.

Lauren’s favorite quote: “I haven’t run into the perfect property yet.”

Second favorite quote: “It’s not all sunshine and roses.”

About Pete:

Pete Reese is the President of Reelvest Properties, a land development and investment company. With nearly two decades of real estate experience as a broker and investor, Pete has successfully purchased and sold hundreds of pieces of real estate for a profit over the years for himself and on behalf of his clients. He did $3.5 Million in Revenue in 2022 with his land flipping and development business, with his land flipping and development business, and he’s pushing to do $10 Million in 2023. Pete’s always looking for his next deal, including his longtime dream of his own private island. Besides his professional accomplishments, Pete is a proud father to three beautiful girls, keeps up with his family by working out and enjoying a vegan diet, and is the 31st great-grandson of King Henry II.

Connect with Pete:

https://turningprofit.com/

Subscribe to the Adulting Is Easy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultingiseasy

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Sponsored by Steadily Insurance: https://adultingiseasy.steadilypartner.com/

This week, Lauren brings you her interview with Dividend Dream. The two discuss what dividends and stocks are, PADI (Predicted Annual Dividend Income), DRIP (investing dividends in the same stock the dividends are from), dividend increases, dividend yield, payout ratios, and more. Lauren just had to ask about dividend aristocrats and dividend kings. Lauren learned what dividend contenders are! If you're curious about investing in dividends, which by the way are MUCH more passive than real estate, you'll love this episode.

About Dream:

Dream is a strategy/marketing executive in her mid-40s. Originally from the midwest, she is part of the LGBT community, is married, and now lives in the south. Dream is first generation American (having British parents). She has a net worth of about $3 million and PADI (projected annual dividend income) well north of $80k.

Connect with Dream:

https://www.youtube.com/@thedividenddream

https://twitter.com/DreamDividend

Subscribe to the Adulting Is Easy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultingiseasy

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Sponsored by: Hemlane

https://www.hemlane.com/all-in-one-property-management/?utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=adulting-is-easy&utm_campaign=

This week, Lauren brings you her interview with Jeff Higgins, a fellow Floridian. Lauren self-manages her rentals, while having a full-time job. She often gets asked how she does it. Then she heard that Jeff has 87 units, both in Massachusetts and Florida, and she had to know what that was like. Jeff has some strong opinions about managing your own properties (you should) and property managers (they will not manage it well, you will lose money, and that's inefficient anyway). Perhaps the coolest thing Jeff did was train his carpenter to be the boots on the ground. There are a lot of gems in this episode.

About Jeff::

Jeff is a long-term landlord / real estate investor with a portfolio of rental properties in Massachusetts and Florida. He enjoys being active in his community coaching youth sports and also is passionate about his work inside of the Fraternity of Excellence helping men find their strength.

Jeff has lived in Sarasota, FL since 2019 and is happily married to Rochele and has 2 wonderful children.

Connect with Jeff:

https://www.instagram.com/jeffhig/

https://twitter.com/JeffreyHiggins

https://fraternityofexcellence.com/ref/78/

Subscribe to the Adulting Is Easy YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@adultingiseasy

Donate to the show: https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy

Sponsored by: Hemlane

https://www.hemlane.com/all-in-one-property-management/?utm_content=&utm_term=&utm_medium=affiliates&utm_source=adulting-is-easy&utm_campaign=