There’s no shortage of small investment ideas now that financial platforms are finally catering to investor demand. Many of the asset classes we take for granted today weren’t readily available to beginner investors a decade ago. Access to commission-free online brokers, fractional shares, and innovative exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has broadened the universe of investments available…
Viewing category: Real Estate
AcreTrader Review: Farmland Investing for Income and Growth
This AcreTrader review was updated on 06/11/2020. About 60% of American farms are owner-operated. That leaves about 40% of farmland that’s rented or leased to farmers by landowners. The majority of farm landowners inherited the land and have either retired or have no interest in farming. Since farmland is commonly passed down to younger generations and…
The Best Income-Producing Assets for Retirement
There are two primary ways to self-fund a retirement. 1) Live off of the output from income-producing assets. 2) Drawdown retirement savings by selling investments. My retirement strategy is to combine both methods to diversify my retirement income streams. By spending money from income-generating assets first, I’ll reduce the amount I need to sell in…
Real Estate Crowdfunding Investing 2020: A Beginner’s Comparison Guide
Real estate crowdfunding investing is a way for ordinary investors to profit from high-quality real estate properties that were mostly unattainable a decade ago. After the U.S. Congress passed the JOBS Act of 2012 (Jumpstart Our Business Startups), real estate crowdfunding platforms began to emerge, utilizing the new law and modern technology to empower investors. …
11 Financial Goals to Set Any Time of the Year
Are you thinking about what financial goals to set this year? According to a motivational flyer in my office, 71% of Americans make resolutions, but only 8% succeed. Put me in that 8%. This year, I’d like to lose about 15 pounds. I also ate a lot of chocolate last week. With setting financial goals,…
The 5 Best Investments in 2020 for Long-Term Growth
As New Year’s resolutions are fresh on your mind, there’s no better time than now to initiate and strengthen wealth-building strategies. To help inspire you, I’ve created a list of best investments for 2020. This article is about where you can direct your money and time this year so that ten and twenty years from…
Is it Smart to Use a Home Equity Loan to Invest?
Utilizing a home equity loan or line of credit (HELOC) is surprisingly less popular these days despite record levels of homeowner equity (see chart). Mortgage interest rates are still hovering near all-time low levels after a few rate decreases from the Federal Reserve. The big banks are eager to lend money, but they’ve raised their…
How to Build Lifetime Income Without Annuities
Have you heard advertisements about creating lifetime income for a secure retirement? I’m always skeptical about annuities because they are so confusing, even for those of us that pay attention. Turns out, the term “lifetime income” is a marketing phrase meant to demystify annuities by highlighting their main benefit. Unfortunately, a new marketing campaign doesn’t…
RealtyMogul Review 2020 – Commercial Real Estate for Ordinary Investors
This RealtyMogul review was updated 01/02/2020. RealtyMogul is a Los Angeles-based real estate crowdfunding platform that connects individual investors to professionally managed commercial real estate deals on a modern investment platform. The company offers non-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs), private investment offerings, and 1031 exchanges all under one roof. It’s suitable for both accredited…
7 Strategic Ways to Lower Your Mortgage Payment
Now that we’ve sold the condo and the mortgage is gone, we’re down to one debt in our family, our primary mortgage. What irks me about owning a home with a mortgage is that I need to have a full-time job to cover the payment. No duh, right? That’s a typical situation. But I look…
FIRE with Real Estate: Using Rentals & Leverage to Build Income Faster
The following is a guest post from Brian Davis at Spark Rental. Brian is a landlord, personal finance writer, and the co-founder of Spark Rental. Swing by his site for all kinds of free stuff to help landlords including a rental property calculator, and video courses on building passive income from rentals. There’s also a…
10 Reasons Why I’m Selling My Condo Rental Property
A few months back, my tenants informed me they found a new rental to accommodate their growing family. After the news, I immediately started preparing to sell my condo rental property. I bought the unit as my first home in 2006. It’s a one-bedroom condo, not far outside of Washington D.C in northern Virginia. As…
6 Powerful (and Low-Risk) Financial Maneuvers that Put Extreme Frugality to Shame
Powerful financial maneuvers are meaningful decisions you make with your money and lifestyle that have a significant long-term impact on building wealth. Too often, we focus on the little ways to save money. We used to be a coupon clipping couple before having kids. We had more time back then. Coupons influenced our shopping choices…
Never Depend on a Single Income
Never depend on single income. Make investment to create a second source. – Warren Buffett Buffett quotes are usually more eloquent. My grammar checker hated this one. But it’s one of my favorites because he sounds like a caveman. And it’s one way I like to think about investing, as a secondary source of income. …