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Am I actually financially prepared to create real financial freedom with my real estate portfolio or could I already be there and just not know it yet? In this episode, I sit down with repeat guest Marcus Crigler, CPA and founder of BEC CFO & CPA (becfo.com), to break down the practical math, systems, and mindset that separate investors who think they're winning from those who truly achieve work-optional freedom.

Marcus' background is rare: at just 22, he was inside a CPA firm serving ultra-successful operators with tens of thousands of units the folks who don't flex on Instagram because they're too busy buying 26 multifamily properties in a single year. From that vantage point, he learned what most investors never see: the decisions made from the P&L, not the highlight reel. Today, his firm helps active investors wholesalers, flippers, property managers, and portfolio owners make money, save money, and build real wealth with bookkeeping, tax strategy, and CFO-level guidance.

We dig into the one metric elite investors live and die by: Return on Equity (ROE). If an asset's ROE slips to 3–5% (or worse), sophisticated owners don't "set it and forget it" they improve or recycle the asset. Marcus shows how "recapitalizing the portfolio" (selling, 1031-exchanging, or redeploying equity) can ratchet cash flow and accelerate net-worth compounding because a 3% appreciation on a $15M asset adds $500k versus $300k on a $10M asset. Same market. Better capitalization. Bigger wealth effect.

We also confront the biggest silent killer of freedom: ignoring your REO schedule. If you're not reviewing each property's current equity, cash flow, ROE, and next move, your portfolio is like milk you might not have opened it, but it still expires. I share a client story who sat on $700k of equity for $200/month of profit a 0.3% ROE until we moved the equity to stronger markets and turned it into $8,500/month. That's the power of measuring what matters.

Then we tackle my three step framework Get Lean, Get Liquid, Get Out and Marcus goes deep on why liquidity is the #1 determinant of long-term success. Cash cushions buy time, confidence, and most importantly opportunity. He tells the story of a client who almost shut down in October 2023, but because he'd stacked ~$800k in reserves, he ran into the fire when others ran out and later hit $900k revenue in a single month with strong margins. Liquidity didn't cost him returns; it bought him the right returns.

Finally, we get real about mindset. Most people don't stay in the rat race because they're broke; they stay because they're afraid of being broke again or of losing identity, status, or external validation. If that's you, the antidote is clarity: know your numbers, confront your gaps, and make the next high-leverage move. Freedom isn't theoretical it's math, method, and courage applied over time.

If you're an active real estate entrepreneur (or an "accidentally active" landlord) who wants CFO-level clarity, follow Marcus Crigler and check out BEC CFO & CPA. And if you want your money to work harder than you do, start with your REO schedule and ROE then decide whether each asset gets improved or recycled. That's how you turn a portfolio into true financial freedom.

Marcus' links:  - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcus-crigler-cpa-977a45b7/  - Website: https://beccfo.com/marcus-crigler-ceo  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BECCFO