The Real Estate Way to Wealth and Freedom

Lifestyle Engineering  When you were young, your parents probably told you when you grow up you can be anything you want to be and do anything you want to do. If you are anything like me, you dreamed of what that freedom would look like. For me, I was going to be an astronaut and explore space. I hung posters on my wall of Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins. I had memorabilia and toys. Eventually, those thoughts of being an astronaut faded and I moved on to other things. Many people have their own versions of this story. Eventually, your childhood dreams get drowned out by homework, sports, middle school, then high school, eventually becoming just that - a childhood dream. Before you know it, you're studying engineering or accounting, or culinary arts, or geography or something else at college. Next thing you know, you're working a 9-5 for an employer living a life that you only halfway designed. What happened to that little kid with aspirations to go to the moon? Now why am I telling you all of this? It's because those same promises your parents made you when you were young are still true today. You can be anything you want. You can do anything you want. You just have to engineer that lifestyle. So many people get caught up living a life that someone else designed. Let's look at some ways you can engineer the lifestyle you want. How to Engineer Your Lifestyle  First, it all starts with accountability. You, and only you, are accountable for your successes and failures. Sure, there are at times external factors, but you have to take those on as your responsibility. So when you set out to engineer a lifestyle you want, you have to have an idea of what that lifestyle looks like. Envision what your life will look like. Envision where you will live, what your day-to-day will look like, and even how you will define success. Once you know what it is you want, you can begin to create the blueprints of this lifestyle. In all likelihood, you'll need income to support this lifestyle. Whether that's passive or active income, is up to you. Maybe you like working in your current field, but want less stress and demands, and would love to work remotely. If that's the case, then start taking the steps now to be able to do just that. Tim Ferris wrote a book called The Four Hour Work Week that provides a ton of great advice on how to build a remote work environment. Maybe you want to pursue something that inspires you but doesn't pay the bills. In that case, you'll need some passive income to support your lifestyle. Obviously here on The Real Estate Way to Wealth and Freedom, the preferred vehicle is through cash-flowing real estate. If this is your path, then start buying cash-flowing real estate that will allow you to live that life you want. As appealing as drinking mojitos on the beach, or relaxing on the slopes of your favorite mountain every day may sound, this alone probably isn't enough to drive you nor fulfill you. You need a purpose. For a lot of people, that purpose is spending more time with family, or traveling to new places, or helping other people however you can. If you have a purpose, a reason why then you are much more likely to take action and engineer that lifestyle. This advice is only for those people out there who find themselves wanting something else. If you are perfectly happy with your life, then congrats! You have achieved what so many people long for. For everyone else, know that you have the ability to live a life you want. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." - Maya Angelou It's never too late to engineer a lifestyle you want. Time is our most precious resource. You shouldn't spend it doing things that don't fulfill you and bring you joy. With the right mindset and massive action,

Ivan Barratt is a multifamily owner and syndicator who specializes in FHA and Agency financed projects. Since 2010, Ivan Barratt has raised over 60 million in equity, acquired over 2500 units and grown BAM to a best-in-class management company. Today Ivan focuses his time on equity finance, acquisitions, and human capital. Barratt Asset Management is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, and was formed in July 2010. BAM specializes in the acquisition and management of multifamily apartment communities. BAM provides an array of real estate services, utilizing the knowledge and strengths of its employees and local market expertise to achieve maximum benefit for community residents as well as investors. From humble beginnings, BAM has grown from the management of a few small properties to over $250 million in total assets under management and ownership Key Points Getting caught up in the speculation game, losing focus on the cash-flow game House hacking a duplex to 2,500+ units How Ivan has built a vertically integrated company Return on Equity vs. Cash on Cash returns Asset Management - what it means Why both the B and the I quadrant (from Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant) are important Lightning Questions What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Fear and analysis paralysis. Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Ivan listens to good content on self-development, sales, and real estate. Do you have an online resource that you find valuable? Podcasts, BiggerPockets, and Audible What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? If You're Not First, You're Last by Grant Cardone Maverick Real Estate Financing by Steve Bergsman If you were to give advice to your 20-year-old self to get started in real estate investing, what would it be? Tell them all the things he's figured out at 30 - focusing on cash flow! Resources www.BarrattAssetManagement.com Motiversity Youtube Channel Contact Ivan (317) 762-2625 info@barrattassetmanagment.com

Challenging yourself is…. well, challenging. We all want to improve our lives, achieve more success, realize more happiness, and live a better life. Right? Well, we like to pretend we want those things. But do we really? Do our actions align with our words? You might dream of a lifestyle filled with exciting adventures, free…

Devin Redmond has acquired, developed, and managed investment property both professionally and personally across Northern California since 2005. He is currently Head of Customer Success at Stessa, a free software platform that gives the millions of real estate investors with single-family rentals and multifamily buildings a powerful new way to track, manage, and report on all of their properties in one place. Devin's long-running love-hate relationship with Excel uniquely positions him to help end investors' reliance on spreadsheets once and for all. Key Points Tracking your properties income and expenses without pulling your hair out Using an accounting system to prepare for loans and tax filings Using automation to help prepare tax forms for your rental properties Maintaining documents and keeping track of receipts Stessa Stessa helps both novice and sophisticated investors make informed decisions about their property portfolio. Here’s what you can do with Stessa: Track unlimited properties (single-family, residential multifamily and short-term rentals) Access your portfolio from anywhere Get performance dashboards at the portfolio and property level Collaborate with partners & family Automate income and expense tracking Get bank-grade security to protect your data Organize and store all your real estate documents Track expenses on the go with the iOS app Run unlimited monthly reports (income statement, net cash flow, capital expenses) Get resources to help you scale and optimize Export tax-ready financials (makes tax time a breeze!) Stay up to date with the latest real estate news that matters for investors Resources Stessa.com - Free financial management software for investment property owners Stessa Blog Visit Audible for a free trial and free audiobook download! Contact Phone: +1 (415) 985-7837 Email:contact@stessa.com Twitter: @stessaHQ

As Keith Weinhold says, the abundance mentality is scarce, and the scarce mentality is abundant. This is so true. On the surface, this sounds simple. But we're going to dive into this and explore how to live abundantly now. Even successful entrepreneurs and sophisticated real estate investors can lose sight of this. I don't want you to try to sacrifice, skimp, and shrink your way to wealth. In fact, it's not even possible. But there's something ingrained in our DNA that says to do those things. The basics we take for granted today haven't always been so certain for our ancestors and even still a large part of the world today, like food, shelter, clean water, much less wealth, success, and a life of prosperity. As a loyal listener of the show,  you understand that you are capable of living a life of abundance. But are you living abundantly now? After all, that is the point. If not now, then when? A life of abundance doesn't start once you've "made it". It doesn't start after you've become successful. It starts today. Living abundantly is just as much a mindset as it is a lifestyle. In particular, real estate investors tend to be guilty at postponing the abundance mentality under the premise of saving for that next deal and building an empire. How to Live Abundantly Live abundantly now. Embrace the abundance mentality in your day to day life. If you start thinking abundantly, you will start acting abundantly, and then you will live abundantly. Let's look at some ways in which you can live abundantly now. Reward yourself for small wins. Every time I close on a new rental property, I go on a short trip. Livin abundantly doesn't have to be extravagant. You can live abundantly and not break the bank. For example, you could take a mid-week getaway to remind yourself of what having freedom feels like. Want to explore a local national or state park? Pick up and go do that. By doing the things you like, you're reminded why it is you work so hard towards building a life you want. Another way is to go to conferences. I know this may sound strange. At conferences, you network with all different types of people, who can remind you that there is so much success in the world. So next time you see that conference advertisement, go check it out. Living abundantly doesn't necessarily mean posting videos of your 3 different supercars, taking luxurious vacations, or donning a collection of expensive watches. Living abundantly can mean living a life you want without any limits. Think abundantly. Act abundantly. Live abundantly. But don't stop there. Encourage others to do the same. Not everyone shares this mentality. Remember, the abundance mentality is scarce. It's up to you to create a life of abundance for yourself. Remember, there is no ceiling to success. So get out there and engineer a lifestyle you deserve filled with abundance.

Damion Lupo’s real estate investing career began almost 20 years ago when he bought his first rental income property with a Visa card and a $6,000 cash advance. Damion went to every seminar he could find and did everything the coaches told him and still ended up almost declaring bankruptcy because he was doing the fun stuff, but not the hard work. He flipped a switch, did the work it took to be successful and in the next 5 years built up a $20 million portfolio with 150 properties including houses, apartment buildings and condos, but lost everything in the 2008 crash. Damion rebuilt his investing career and went on to become a sort of genetic entrepreneur™, having started and owned more than 35 different businesses. He’s also the world’s most unemployable man™. Damion’s role in the real estate industry today is as a lender where he can live the lifestyle he wants while building his wealth and advising the investors he partners with. Key Points Living with intention and focus The Qualified Retirement Plan - what it is and how it can help you Roth vs. Traditional accounts - which is best for you How to have checkbook control of your 401(k) Determining the right investment vehicle for you How to avoid the dreaded Unrelated Income Business Tax (UBIT) Contact Damion The eQRP Company Connect with Damion on LinkedIn Text "QRP" t0 72000 for a 13-page guide to the QRP

Outcome Spontaneity, adventure, and excitement are things that we crave. Then, on the other hand, we also want predictability, stability, and security. We're fickle beings, I tell ya! Today we're going to drill down on predictability. There are certain areas of life we want to be able to predict and have control over - like health, wealth, and happiness. As much as we want to be able to control the future, we all know there are things that are simply out of our control, completely unpredictable, and have the ability to shape our future. When we make plans or set goals, there are always twists and turns in the road. No matter how much we prepare, plan, and organize there are always unforeseen events. Events in this context could mean anywhere from political impacts, tax changes, and economic uncertainties, all the way down to personal habits and reactions, psychology, and the ever happening "life" getting in the way. For the most part, we cannot control what events happen to us. But what we can control is the outcome of those events. Now you may be thinking, "How can I control the outcome of events that are out of my control?". Great question. I wish I could take credit for this simple yet profound formula. This comes from a book called "Wealth Can't Wait" by David Osborn and Paul Morris. In the book, David and Paul layout a simple formula that is: Event + Response = Outcome Events, as we just defined and provided some examples, are things that happen to us. From minor events to life-changing ones, there are constant things that are happening to us that affect our outcome. But these events alone are not the only part of the equation. In fact, events aren't even the most important variable. Your response to the event is much more important in creating an outcome. The Variable You Can Control How you respond to an event is up to you. It's the variable that you can control if you're conscious about it. You have the ability to perceive an event any way you want.   That could be positive, negative, or neutral. If you go around perceiving events as negative, then guess what? The outcome will be negative. But if you perceive every event as a positive or at least search for the positive in an event, then your outcomes will be positive. Let's look at a few ways you can improve your response. Look at events as temporary. No matter how good or how bad an event may be, it's just temporary. That feeling you have to it will eventually change. Knowing this in the time of a negative event can help you move past it, look to the bright side, and produce a positive outcome given the situation. Be optimistic. You have to perceive events as something, either positive, negative, or neutral. Why not choose positivity? Your outcomes will be positive, rather than negative or neutral. Be conscious of your responses. It can be easy to react rather than respond. When you react, you are doing so automatically without considering the implications of your thoughts and actions. When you respond, you are doing so with intention. Vinney, Mr. Smiles, Chopra, who I consider a great friend and coach, is one of the best practitioners of positivity. You may know him from his guest appearances here on the podcast. Vinney exudes positivity in everything he does. And guess what that gets him.  He's always happy and helping others, not to mention wildly successful. Imagine if Vinney instead exhibited a "poor me" attitude? He likely wouldn't be where he is today. Staying Above the Line Not all events are positive. Unfortunately, there are negative events that do happen. But with every event, there is something you can learn from it, and that in itself is positive. You can't avoid what would be negative events, no matter what you do. There will always be bumps and twists in your journey. That's part of life.

Linsdey Johnson currently serves as the President of U.S. Mortgage Insurers (USMI). USMI is the nation's leading private mortgage insurance companies in the country. As president os USMI, Lindsey works with member companies to advance the value of private mortgage insurance (MI) to borrowers and taxpayers and to promote a sustainable housing finance system backed by private capital. Lindsey previously served as a Director on PwC’s public policy team. Prior to joining PwC, Lindsey was a former member of the Senate Banking Committee staff as the Republican Staff Director for the Senate Banking Committee’ s National Security and International Trade and Finance ( NSITF) Subcommittee, and as a Senior Policy Advisor to Senator Mark Kirk ( RI Illinois ), focusing on noteworthy banking, housing finance reform, and insurance legislation.  Key Points Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) - what it is and why it's important to you Low down payment mortgages - the 20% down payment myth Conventional vs. FHA loans How Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), namely Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, regulatory responsibilities are changing. Resources USMI.org LowDownPaymentFacts.com Mortgage Bankers Association Visit Audible for a free trial and free audiobook download!

Your Tribe You might not realize it, but you belong to a tribe. In fact, you probably belong to multiple tribes. In early mankind's history, man survived only with the support of a tribe. It took a significant amount of work to raise a child, care and protect for that child, feed and clothe it, just to the age that he or she could reproduce.  This is ingrained in who we are today. We, as people, are social beings largely due to this fact. We form families today for this very reason. The family is the basic support structure of our society. It's our modern-day tribe. As we grow up, we create and join other tribes. From church to school, sports, politics, careers, and many other organizations, we seek out and sometimes even create new tribes. A tribe, by definition, is a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognized leader. In today's society, we have many different forms of tribes. Your tribe could be your college alumni association, a professional organization related to your career, a local running club, a meetup group, your church small group, your family, a tight-knit group of friends, your workout class, or a number of other things. Tribes are an ebb and flow dynamic, constantly changing. Whatever that tribe is, understand that it has a purpose and is made up of a certain type of people. Not all tribes are created equal. Some tribes are made up of positive influences, while others are made up of not so positive influences. Your tribe impacts your life much more than you may realize, so it's important to be cognizant of how you are spending your time. As Jim Rohn said, you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Being Intentional Sometimes we select tribes, and other times tribes select us. Being intentional about who is in your tribe has an impact on your future. Tribes can challenge your perspectives, shape your ideas, and subconsciously affect the way you think, which will in turn affect the things you do, the life you live and so much more. Let's explore a few things to look for in a potential tribe and how to find or create one. Look for people who are doing what you want to do. This is the best way to get to where you want to be. These people will likely be a few steps ahead of you, and thus you will be able to learn from them. Remember, the best way to grow is to get out of your own comfort zone so this may be intimidating at first. You might not know of anyone who is doing what you're interested in. A great way to find and meet new groups of people is Meetup.com. You can find hundreds if not thousands, of meetup groups in your community across a broad range of subjects. Seek out a meetup group, and if one doesn't exist then create one! Bring value to your tribe. Tribes are made up of mutually beneficial relationships, each person bringing something to the group. Your perspective alone can be valuable to others. Tribes are an important part of our society, our development, and continued success. Finding the right tribe can change the trajectory of your future. Get Started A common mistake some people make is trying to accomplish things alone. While it can be done, you will likely find more success with a group of like-minded people who share the same vision. With a group of people who do not share the same vision, you might be dragged down or in the opposite direction from where you are trying to go. Find your tribe, build relationships with people who you enjoy being around, and you'll look back one day at all of the things you accomplished with the support of that tribe.

Matt Manero - Entrepreneur, Author, & Investor Matt launched his first company, Commercial Fleet Financing, Inc. (CFF), in 1995 with a phone, a folding table and the unyielding confidence of a single client, a trucker. Fast forward 23 years and CFF, has funded over $1 billion in transportation equipment with annual business of $150,000,000+. CFF has served more than 10,000 clients and has become one of the largest independently owned transportation equipment finance companies in America. CFF is a 3-time winner of The SMU Cox School of Business 100 Fastest Growing Companies. His companies have been recognized in publications such as Inc. Magazine, Dallas Business Journal, Overdrive Magazine, Fleet Owner, Transport Topics, Commercial Carrier Journal, and Dealer Solutions Magazine. Audiences resonate with his tough-minded and business battle tested philosophies on “company culture”, skilling up and scaling up” and “finding your GRIT”. He is willing and eager to share his positive and negative experiences within both the personal and business world with others. Matt is a sought after speaker within the entrepreneurial and association communities, and has a highly popular podcast aptly named, YOU NEED MORE MONEY. Matt’s first book, THE GRIT, was published in 2015. His latest book, YOU NEED MORE MONEY, launched in March of 2018 and was published by Penguin/Random House. He is happily married to his beloved wife of 19 years, Rokki, and they have 3 amazing boys, John (16), Jack (13), and Julian (12). They live in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. Key Points Who is your ideal customer? Who money is a taboo topic too and why Three stages of wealth: broke, accumulation, and rich Lifestyle by design Stacking and racking cash in accumulation mode False positive - when you think you're doing better than you are Time blocking to maintain your lifestyle by design Lightning Questions What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Matt was his own worst enemy. With social esteem issues, Matt didn't think he was worthy of connecting with mentors and influencers. He waited too long to find an accountability group. Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Matt is a gritty guy. When he says he's going to do something, he does it. After weighing his options, and making a decision, he's all Do you have an online resource you find valuable? Business Finishing School What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone If you were to give advice to your 20 year old self to  get started in real estate investing, what would it be? From 20-25, Matt would say worry about things less. Don't worry about how things are going to play out. Resources Matt Manero.com YOU NEED MORE MONEY by Matt Manero The Grit by Matt Manero  Visit Audible for a free trail and free audio book download!

Wealth and Freedom achievers, welcome back to another Friday Fundamentals. You are well on your way to a wealthy and free life. I know this because you are setting big goals, following up with massive action and engineering the lifestyle you want. This abundance mentality is the premise of the podcast.  Your dreams, actions, and success are only limited by your own imagination. Anything you want, you can have. When you approach life this way, you are thinking big, expanding your options, and looking forward to success both now and in the future. This mindset alone can be difficult to grasp, much less the execution. Having the courage to set big goals, follow up with massive action, and striving for success beyond your wildest dreams is not common. This is because fear of what comes next - the execution, the hard work, and the constant grind. After you've set big goals and mapped out some actions to achieve those goals you realize the daunting challenges ahead. It can be discouraging, to say the least. It's like standing at the base of the mountain, looking upwards towards the summit, but you can't see it beyond the clouds. It's easy to feel defeated before you ever get started. You might feel like you'll never reach the top. All you have to do is get started, and improve each and every day. If you can do this one simple little step, then you are unstoppable. Incremental improvements will take you far. Incremental improvements - by this I mean being just a little bit better than you were yesterday. Make just a little bit more progress than where you were yesterday. Learn something new. Meet someone new. Do something new and challenging. Incremental improvements over a long period of time will produce surprising results. Think if this like compound interest. Every day you deposit just a little bit of action, knowledge, and networking into your account. Over time that all grows into a large sum. Many people follow this same strategy. For instance Warren Buffet, founder of Berkshire Hathaway, built his wealth over a lifetime of investing, and only in his later years did his wealth grow exponentially to result in one of the richest people in the world, and considered one of the most successful investors of all time. How did he do this? It wasn't overnight. Rather, it was incremental improvements over a long period of time. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater, the largest hedge fund in the world, attributes much of his success to constantly learning and applying the Principles he's learned to his business. Over a long period of time, he grew his one man business from his bedroom apartment to one of the most successful and largest hedge funds today. Rome was not built in a day. You shouldn't expect to achieve your goals and engineer the lifestyle you want in a day either. Here are 5 things you can do to make incremental improvements in your life: Set long term goals, then break those down into actions you have to take in a year, month, week, etc. Breaking down big tasks into small achievable steps makes achieving your goals manageable. Track your actions. If you don't know what you did yesterday, or where you were at in achieving your goals, you won't know where you need to be today and tomorrow. Journals and planners are a great way to track your progress. Make corrections along the way. Sometimes it takes doing something differently to achieve the results you want. If your actions aren't producing the results you want, then take a look at those actions and see if you need to make some corrections. Think of this like navigating a sail boat from Point A to Point B Point B, your destination, hasn't changed. But your path there may need to adjust to winds, currents, etc. Don't be afraid to make these corrections in your own journey.

Jill DeWit and Steven Butala Since 1999, professional real estate investors, Steven Jack Butala & Jill DeWit, built a $24m land resale empire completing close to 16,000 transactions without incurring any debt or leverage. In 2015, they co-founded Land Academy to share their experience and provide access to professional-level tools for like-minded investors at all stages of their careers. To date, they have produced more than 1,000 podcast episodes and provided over 500 hours of live webinars all in the name of education through sharing their transaction experience. Key Points How to find self-identified motivated sellers Process and systems to find land deals Direct mail campaign tips How to create equity in land Acreage, affordability, attributes, & access Lightning Questions What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it? Lack of systems and processes, and getting that first deal done.  Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success? Jill is personable and outgoing, while Jack finds himself being more productive by creating a schedule.  Do you have an online resource that you find valuable? AirTable.com What book would you recommend to the listeners and why? The Mary Kay Way by Mary Kay Ash Showing Up For Life by Bill Gates Sr.  If you were to give advice to your 20-year-old self to get started in real estate investing, what would it be? Don't get stuck in a job and get comfortable. Shoot as high as you can imagine. REduce your personal expenses. Do not get into a full-time relationship until you've hit your financial goals. Resources The Land Academy - use promo code "REWay"  for $1,000 off Click HERE for a free copy of "$10,000 a Month for Life; Cashflow from Land" ebook.   Visit Audible for a free trail and free audio book download!

The 10,000 Hour Rule Whether it's our personal life, relationships, career, hobbies, or any other aspect of our lives, we're always striving to become better. It's human nature to grow, improve, learn new things, and become more capable. It's how we, as humans, have evolved over many years. Today, the same thing applies, but we've focused on shortcuts to success. We're constantly looking for the next big thing, the fast track, loophole, hack, and anything that will shortcut the process. Take dieting and exercise for example. Fundamentally we know what it takes to improve your health, lose weight, and become more fit - eat healthy foods and exercise. That's it. But we have a funny way over overcomplicating things by trying to shortcut the process. Weight loss pills, surgeries, special formula drinks, waist trainers, etc. The list goes on and on of unique ways people have tried to shortcut the process. The truth is, there is a secret formula. Well, secret might not be so accurate of a description because everyone knows it already. That is hard work over time. Anything worthwhile doing takes hard work. Malcolm Gladwell coined the term the "10,000 hour rule" in his book, Outliers, where he states the key to achieving world-class expertise in any skill, is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way, for a total of around 10,000 hours. That's a lot of hard work. 10,000 hours when broken down equates to 5 years of 40 hour work weeks.      The Power of a Team 10,000 hours is, as Malcolm Gladwell says, the amount of practice it takes to become an expert. However, after interviewing and analyzing the success of people like Bill Gates, The Beatles, and many other Outliers in their fields, Malcolm concluded that hard work alone isn't enough to ensure success. The one critical component that separated those who accomplished great things and those who didn't was the support from others. "No one—not rock stars, not professional athletes, not software billionaires, and not even geniuses—ever makes it alone" - Malcolm Gladwell Hard work alone isn't enough. You have to surround yourself with a positive sphere of influences. This is the power of leveraging your relationships. So many people work their entire lives to become experts in their field, but never realize their full potential by not building relationships. Let's look at a couple of ways you can both achieve the 10,000 hour rule and develop and grow your sphere on influence. 10,000 hour rule - there is no shortcut. As stated above, broken down 10,000 hours is 5 years of 40 hour work weeks, or 2.5 years of 80 hour work weeks, or 10 years of 20 hour work weeks. The math is simple. Spend 10,000 hours, and you will become an expert. There are no shortcuts. So make a plan, put in the work, day in and day out, and you'll eventually reach that 10,000 hour milestone. Your sphere of influence - from friends to family, peers, coworkers, and acquaintances you are influenced by many different people. Make sure those influences are positive. Surround yourself with people who push you to grow, challenge you, make you think differently, and ultimately support you in your path to success. If you couple hard work and the support of those around you, then you will have a much better opportunity to reach your full potential.  You Are Capable Unfortunately, there are no real shortcuts. You likely won't achieve overnight success, although one day people will look at you as such. Your overnight success will be the culmination of thousands of hours of hard work and the support of so many people around you. Whatever it is you want to achieve, you are more than capable of it. You've likely laid the groundwork already, and are well on your way to success. Keep your head down, continue to work hard,

Daniel Ameduri is Co-Founder of the Future Money Trends Letter. He is a self-made multi-millionaire, full-time fact finder, and a proud father of 3. After warning family and friends in 2007 about the coming market and mortgage collapse, he started his own YouTube channel, VisionVictory, which has received 10 million video views. On March 18, 2008, Daniel called for Dow 8,000, the collapse of Lehman Brothers, AIG, and Washington Mutual. During the mortgage crisis, he helped people buy Put Options on Countrywide Mortgage (these Puts saw a gain of 1,400%). Not listening to his own advice, Daniel made a bad bet with Southern California's real estate market which wiped out his entire income and savings, leaving him broke. With a special focus and passion for personal finance, he re-built his wealth and declared financial independence in 2012. Having no mortgage and enough rental properties to pay for his lifestyle, he was able to build his business larger than he could have ever imagined. By NOT focusing on money, but by focusing on over-delivering value to his customers. In 2010, when he launched FutureMoneyTrends.com it became the first personal finance letter for the new economy. Today, FutureMoneyTrends.com has been the most widely recognized authority for financial freedom and economic research in commodities, cryptocurrencies, personal finance, cash flow, and income ideas. Key Points Why the 401(k) is an unproven vehicle for retirement Building cashflow rather than a nest egg  Taking control of your financial future The mindset of success Resources FutureMoneyTrends.com Click here the first chapter of Don't Save For Retirement for FREE Visit Audible for a free trail and free audio book download!

With 7 Billion people and growing rapidly on the planet today, we face some serious challenges that weren't once a problem. From food, water, and housing to healthcare, education, and resources, we are faced with some large scale challenges that must be addressed. Government officials, scientists, economists, physicists, and so many other smart people have worked towards solutions for many of the challenges we face today. These solutions can be categorized into two simple categories - conservation and creativity. Conservation, simply defined, is the careful preservation and protection of something. Creativity rather is the ability to make something unique.  However, when we approach these world-scale challenges, most often we take the conservation approach. We want to save resources, use less, spend less, consume less, etc. World Scale Solutions World scale solutions won't come by the way of conservation. This approach only conserves our finite resources. It doesn't create unique solutions to these world-scale challenges. When we take a creative approach to world-scale solutions, we open ourselves up to unlimited options. Now you may be thinking, I'm not setting out today or this week, or this year to solve global challenges, and that's understandable. These are huge challenges and require equally challenging solutions. But this conservation vs. creativity perspective can be applied to not only global challenges, but to your personal life, and everything in between. If you can begin to apply creative solutions to your own life, you can take those apply them to a broader scale, helping millions or even billions of people. One of the most influential people of the 20th century, Henry Ford created the first Model T automobile in the early 1900's. He set out to create a new way of transportation and make it available to everyone. Henry Ford famously said of the Model T, "I will build a motor car for the great multitude. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for the individual to run and care for. It will be constructed of the best materials, by the best men to be hired, after the simplest designs that modern engineering can devise. But it will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one – and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God's great open spaces." A lot can be learned from the likes of Henry Ford and other visionaries. The solution starts with you, the individual. There are probably certain problems that you see right now and could provide a unique solution to if you gave it some thought. When you approach these problems, think creatively and outside the box. This is where true solutions will come from. Let's look at a few ways how to do this. Abundance - There are abundant solutions, abundant opportunities, and abundant resources. When you come from the perspective of abundance, it changes the way you think. Scarcity is just a mindset, not a solution. Positivity - If you are going to take on world-scale challenges, or personal challenges in your own life, they should have a positive impact. Everyone - If you can create a solution that helps everyone, then that is a powerful thing. “The best way to become a billionaire is to help a billion people.” Peter Diamandis The greater good - Solve problems that will be for the greater good. When you have a cause that motivates you, you'll be much more likely to find solutions. You Are Capable Each and every person has a unique ability. You have a unique ability. It's your responsibility to use that and make a difference in this world. You have the ability to solve world-scale challenges. Seek out a challenge you've experienced. Come up with a creative solution, and then apply that on a larger scale. Everything you've ever set out to do, you've accomplished. Don't believe me?