Month: July 2020

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Passive Income with Residential Multifamily

Investing in residential multifamily increased my passive income

Unemployment. Early Retirement. Semi-Early Retirement. Self-Employment.

I wasn’t sure how to categorize myself. Not anymore.

My corporate life consumed more of my identity than I care to admit. Surprising since I was actively working toward my exit by building passive income through real estate investing. But this transition away from corporate and into investing felt awkward.

Maybe it’s because it didn’t go down the way I expected. The way I had planned. I didn’t prepare for life after rat race. I dreamed about it, romanticized the notion of it. But mostly I was just working toward it.

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Real Estate Investing and Corporate Nonsense

Real estate investment gave me the freedom to leave a toxic corporate boss.

I had almost no idea what I was doing during my first real estate investing experiment.

Worse, I didn’t know how little I knew at the time. If I did, I may not have dived in as quickly as I did. And for that, I’m grateful.

After some cosmetic renovations, I moved into my unit in an owner-occupied triplex. Immediately some maintenance requests came up. And questions about paying rent. Oh, and one unit’s lease was coming to an end in a couple of months… how would I find a lease!?

I thought the hard part of real estate investing was behind me. Turns out, managing a rental property is a whole other skill set. And I had barely scratched the surface.

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Bitten by the Consumerism Bug

Coming home, I was immediately bitten by the consumerism bug

After a couple of years living abroad, I was home! Home to bigger everything… bigger food portions, bigger apartments, and bigger disposable income. I was immediately bitten by the consumerism bug.

And it was intoxicating.

At first the larger portions made me feel uncomfortable, but I quickly became used to them and thoroughly enjoyed the gluttony. The lack of walking made me feel lethargic, but I soon relished having a vehicle and the convenience that came with it. I reconnected with friends, and a couple of evenings a week enjoyed lively conversation over drinks. Somehow I stumbled on the best of both worlds, enjoying the excess of American life, while keeping the confidence and independence gained living abroad.

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An Experiment With Minimalism Across the Pond

A new job gave me the opportunity to experiment with minimalism across the pond

Happy thirtieth birthday to me.

Let the death march begin.

It’s okay, I had fun in my youth. Shenanigans in my teens, going for something between goth and heavy metal. Dating a local musician, going to shows, becoming the unintended groupie. And my minivan really rounded out the persona.

I embraced the academic world, took a range of classes – philosophy, world religion, literature, biology, psychology, statistics. Even stayed up late reading great works, and made time to go to a few shows every semester. Slipped away and reunited with my high school friends over drinks and live music.

And then I became a corporate whore and suburbanite.

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My First House and Settling for the Suburban Life

Buying my first house was a combination of luck and discipline.

The corporate Koolaid tasted delicious.

I broke my tooth six months into my new job. Paid time off was available to me to to visit the dentist, and insurance covered some of the cost. Every two weeks, a deposit came into my account like clockwork. It took a few months to stop thinking like an hourly employee, wondering if I’d have enough money for my bills, for my rent. Worrying that my schedule would be cut one week, hoping for overtime the next week.

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Good Grades in College ≠ Job After Graduation

Study hard, but understand good grades doesn't guarantee a job

In college, I kicked ass. Unfortunately for me, I had no idea good grades don’t guarantee a good job.

I completed a dual major in four years, while working 20-30 hours a week. I was part of a few college organizations. Becoming the secretary, and eventually president, of the Student Psychological Association at my campus was particularly fun and challenging. I kept a 3.75 GPA and graduated magna cum laude. I completed an undergraduate research thesis (a project typically reserved for master’s students) to get first-hand experience implementing, analyzing, and reporting on psychological experiments. My research paper for this work was published, and I even presented the results at a couple of conferences. I found an entry-level position in “my field” during the last year or so of my college career to best position myself for my first adult job.

The entryway to my career. The path towards “success.”

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“Follow Your Passion,” and Other Bullshit Advice

Follow your passion or follow the money?

“Don’t worry about money.”

“Money will come if you follow your passion.”

I heard these sayings a lot in college. University life was amazing for me. Meeting people from many diverse backgrounds, feeling more like an adult, and having more controversial discussions about topics that interested me. I could choose my classes. Even choose what I wanted for lunch. It was more freeing, more intellectually stimulating, and more liberating.

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