On the journey to early FI, there is such a HUGE focus on accumulating wealth and building up our cash flow, net worth (or both) every step of the way… There is absolutely no denying that “money talks”, and for many of us, we won’t have the courage and conviction to walk away for good from our day jobs until we have amassed enough F U money…
For so many of us, quitting our jobs and having “all the time in the world to do whatever we want everyday” is the start of freedom!
I’ve been there, done that, and the above kind of goes without saying… However, lately I’ve been thinking a lot about True Freedom, and although the financial component plays a MASSIVE role into things, it’s NOT everything…
Peace of Mind is something so incredibly important that it’s worth mentioning from time to time…
You know, a few years ago, I was this total real estate junkie who wanted at one point in time to amass 10 rental properties… or more… As great as Real Estate Investing (REI) is, I soon realized that having more units isn’t always merrier… Don’t get me wrong, I’m NOT hating on REI (it has served me extremely well), and hats off to the folks out there who are working hard trying to build up their REI empires…
But for me, quite honestly, I can do without a lot of the stress that comes with the territory of owning a ton of rentals… With REI, I totally underestimated just how much work it takes to do well if you’re not able to buy during a period of extreme distress when there are “buying opportunities of a lifetime” available to you in abundance…
REI is not easy… at all… especially if you’re gonna go down the road of owning Class C properties…
Further, if you’re getting into decent/mediocre deals, be prepared to have to take on a part-time/full-time job, in order to keep everything moving along as efficiently as possible…
For some people, another job or “second career” is exactly what the doctor ordered, but for me?
Nah, I I’m a lazy guy who wants Peace of Mind, above all else…
When I was traveling overseas (and many thousands of miles away from my rentals), I soon realized that the last thing I ever wanted to have to deal with were: problem tenants, major repair bills, property managers, city violations, etc…
There is arguably no greater buzzkill while you’re traveling on vacation than having to stop everything to take care of serious issues related to your rental properties…
So, it all kind of dawned on me… What’s the point? Having more wealth is one thing, but if your life is forced into becoming increasingly complex with more and more responsibilities/tasks to have to deal with on a daily basis, is it all really worth it?
Some people would argue, “Hell yeah!”
Others like me, would say… “I’ll gladly sacrifice some wealth, and go with the simpler life that gives me much better Peace of Mind.”
Making more and more $$$, especially via REI, is an empowering feeling that is addicting af to a lot of people…
Just ask yourself, “Will having more and more money make me that much happier?”
These days, I feel more and more inclined to take a lower rate of return (if I have to), and not have to worry about so many things (stresses)… So, I’m definitely passing up on real estate deals (what deals?), and am being extra, extra picky in this challenging market environment…
Quite frankly — These days, I much prefer the fully passive nature of stocks/index funds, in contrast to REI…
For example, I would much, much, much rather own a well diversified basket of stocks/index funds (e.g. REITs) that pay out 100% passive income of say $3,000/month as opposed to owning 10 Class C rental properties out of state that on paper look like they produce $7,000/month of income.
Because most likely, that $7,000/month of “income” is going to be erratic (unreliable) and have to be actively managed af to achieve… Further, Class C rentals don’t appreciate in value anywhere near enough to make the juice worth the squeeze to simply “buy and hold” long-term while letting the property crumble to shit along the way to “long-term”… No, with Class C properties, you’re gonna have to run a super steady and efficient ship (work, work, work, work, work) b/c if that cash flow ever stops performing… you’re likely fucked…
Remember — Stocks can’t go below $0… Class C rentals can (and often do) when shit hits the fan!
Yes, I believe there certainly is a time and place when folks ought to pay serious attention to REI (particularly after a catastrophic market crash), but when the markets are at/near record highs and there are very little (to none) REOs, foreclosures, short-sales, etc., why bother?
That’s like looking for a needle in the haystack…
Thanks but no thanks…
So much of early FI is made about securing financial freedom… but often we don’t think about — If maintaining that financial freedom requires a ton of: time, energy, effort… are we really free at all?
Without Peace of Mind, no, I don’t think we are truly free at all… We lack True Freedom… which is what early FI is all about.
Fight On!