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348 | From Refugee To $140,000 A Year In Passive Income! – Chat with Toui

By in Real life stories, Summer Series

From Government Welfare to Passive Income! Yep, you read that right. You’re about to hear a refugee’s real life story to a self-funded retirement. And we probably don’t need to tell you that this Financial Transformation is Off-The-Charts incredible…

Meet Toui “pronounced Twee”. A first-generation refugee who came to Australia in 1980 for a better life. And he is now talking to us from an EXTREMELY DIFFERENT financial position than when he and his family first arrived from Laos as all those decades ago!

Fast forward to today, and Toui and his own family – his wife Jen and their 3 kids – are now on track to a passive income of $140,000 a year! Yep. This story certainly takes “If it’s meant to be, it’s up to me!” to a whole new level.

And, get this, there’s EVEN MORE to this financial transformation… (so many layers of awesomeness going on!)…

Case in point: Have you heard of something called “Microsoft Money?”

Well, let’s just say Toui’s got a bit to share with you there too…

Look, folks… while our new Winter Series has set a seriously high benchmark (how good have the listener transformation’s been!?!), we just might’ve saved the best for last!!

Please Listen.

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

 

Here’s what we cover…

  • 02:52 – Meet Toui.
  • 03:20 – Starting Life As A Refugee…
  • 04:09 – “You think we’re made of money…”
  • 04:40 – When you miss out on breakfast and sometimes lunch as well…
  • 05:51 – Early memories that shape Toui’s upbringing (wow!)
  • 07:23 – The beginnings of breaking free from Financial Survival
  • 10:10 – The Big Shift In Mindset That Really Changed Everything!
  • 11:47 – The pull to “Want to be Like everyone else…”
  • 14:12 – Has Toui’s brother followed a similar path?
  • 16:00 – Okay. But what was The Big Pivot REALLY like?
  • 19:07 – Why property?
  • 19:28 – “I’ve got toys that I want to play with” – How to curb impulse buying…
  • 20:10 – Is Microsoft Money all it’s cracked up to be?
  • 20:27 – The Mate that got him onto The Property Couch!
  • 23:07 – The power of an END GOAL!
  • 25:33 – THE provisioning story… “Jen’s gonna hate me…”
  • 28:46 – Toui’s simple advice for YOU…
  • 30:55 – The critical importance of self-education
  • 32:44 – When you can retire 10 YEARS EARLIER than you first thought… (!!)
  • 38:56 – THIS is where people get stuck the most!
  • 39:33 – Why you MUST STOP Keeping Up With The Joneses!
  • 42:33 – … $140,000 in passive income!
  • 43:03 – How are they going to achieve that!?!
  • 43:04 – … HOW MANY??
  • 44:14 – The most powerful instrument in investing!
  • 44:51 – What lessons does Toui want to pass on to his kids?
  • 45:09 – Forcing the family to listen to The Property Couch! (LOL! Sorry, guys…)
  • 47:14 – Being able to tell Dad how different life is now…

 

Note: There are more real-life investor stories like this in our Previous Summer Series! Make sure you check them all out here.

Keen to Get Started with Money SMARTS like Toui?

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347 | “Whatever You Do, DON’T Do What I Did!” – Listener Shares His Big Wake-Up Call – Chat with Scott

By in Real life stories, Summer Series

Meet The “Squirreller” ­ – or should we say EX-Squirreller – who unfortunately learnt the hard way about the real costs of Pinching Every Penny… 😬

Here’s the deal:

Joining us today is listener Scott who has a very, very important message for our community. ESPECIALLY for those who, like Scott, happen to view money as safety – and as because of this, do whatever they can to minimise their spending. To the point that’s, ahh, well, “NQR” – Not Quite Right. Even if it’s coming from an honourable place.

Before you ask – YES – there IS a point where you can “squirrel” or save TOO much money! And the tip-over point? When your relationship with money begins to ruin your relationship with your family…

In this tell-all episode, Scott generously shares his Big Wake-Up Call that forced him to seriously reconsider his squirrelling habits. A lesson he learnt the hard way and doesn’t want for you, or anyone else.

But this is only part of the story.

Not only will you learn what caused the “OMG, I need to change” shift in mindset and how Scott managed to safeguard tomorrow WITHOUT sacrificing his family’s ability to enjoy today… but also, you’re going to learn what it’s like to build a property portfolio from a “regular” Australian who simply wants to create a better future for himself, his wife and his kids. And, yep, this includes the good, the not-so good and the “Whatever You Do, DON’T Do What I Did!” mistakes.

In short, this ep is a word to the wise – and we highly suggest tuning in folks! ‘Cos, you know what they say… it’s best to learn from someone else’s mistakes than to learn them first-hand…

 

A huge shout out to Scott for his extreme transparency — we have no doubt that your hard-won wisdom will be of immense benefit to our community 🙏🙌

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

 

Here’s What We Cover…

  • 01:48 – Meet Scott.
  • 01:50 – Oh no, not another Collingwood supporter!
  • 03:46 – Money conversations around the dinner table…
  • 04:37 – In the good ol’ days of Layby…
  • 05:36 – Scientifically Proven Benefits of Delayed Gratification!
  • 07:50 – Inside the mind of a Squirreller…
  • 09:15 – The Warning Signs of Financial Anorexia!
  • 10:32 – The First Big Purchases (… would you do this??)
  • 13:27 – The Understated Power of DEFENCE
  • 15:13 – Why Property Investing Should Be Boring!
  • 15:38 – When Being A Squirreller Causes Stress In Your Relationships
  • 15:58 – Money as Safety. Let’s talk about it…
  • 17:28 – What caused the change…?
  • 18:28 – How is Scott implementing Money SMARTS?
  • 19:24 – What planning work has Scott done with his portfolio?
  • 21:05 – When the goal is NOT to retire!
  • 21:47 – Life As An EX-Squirreller: How it positively affects intimate relationships
  • 23:25 – What does Scott think has been the BIGGEST impact to his success?
  • 25:03 – Scott’s Money Mantra!
  • 27:19 – … Paid CASH for his Principle Place of Residence!?!
  • 28:23 – The Ups & Downs of Joint Ventures
  • 31:00 – Was everything done by the book??
  • 32:17 – What caused the deep desire to build a property portfolio?
  • 34:04 – How on earth did he swing Eddie McGuire into THIS sentence! (well played, Scott, well played!)
  • 32:25 – How does he organise his buffers?
  • 36:30 – The property in South East Queensland… (ouch!)
  • 37:44 – What you need to know about “Growth Corridors”
  • 38:41 – What does Scott ALWAYS look for in an investment property now?
  • 40:00 – Passing On The Wisdom: What Scott wants you to know about “falling for the bling”…
  • 43:39 – How’d he get pitched by a Spruiker, anyway?
  • 49:06 – The Biggest Lesson!
  • 50:30 – What money advice does Scott pass onto his teenage kids?
  • 54:10 – How many more properties does he have left to buy?

 

 

Note: There are more real-life investor stories like this in our Previous Summer Series! Make sure you check them all out here.

Keen to Get Started with Money SMARTS like Scott?

Fill in the form below and create your account on our Money SMARTS Platform now!

Already have an account? Log in here.

 

 

346 | No More Properties Left To Buy: How This Couple Did It!

By in Real life stories, Summer Series

Financially Free Before 30… How!?!

Folks, in today’s episode we’re interviewing a young couple who, get this, have no more properties left to buy.

Meet Emma & Liam – D.I.Y. property investors who are “Done & Dusted” with only 2 investment properties and one family home.

Um, wait a minute…. Are you wondering, “How on earth…!?!”

Yep, we were equally blown away too.

Here’s where it gets even better – they did it with No bells, No whistles – just a couple of clever, cost-effective renovations and – the big one – they lived and breathed delayed gratification.

And now Emma & Liam and their small family is Set For Life.

… Wanna find out how these listeners did it?

Us too – strap yourselves in!

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

 

“Winter Series” Line Up So Far (More To Come!)

 

Here’s What We Cover…

  • 01:13 – Meet Emma & Liam!
  • 01:47 – “Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees”, they said…
  • 05:01 – Money lessons learnt from Nintendo!
  • 08:50 – When they first started, how did they set up their bank accounts?
  • 11:23 – Have they ever BLOWN their cash!?!
  • 13:13 – Financially Free Before 30… let’s seriously unpack it!
  • 14:18 – What did they have to sacrifice to make it happen?
  • 16:39 – What do they prioritise above all else?
  • 16:57 – How much time did Emma save by using Money SMARTS?
  • 18:32 – “Experience Over Things” — Why It’s The Best Way To Live!
  • 20:30 – WHY did they want to build a property portfolio in the first place?
  • 23:30 – Meet Their Properties!
  • 25:09 – The D.I.Y Renos!
  • 27:48 – “Don’t Buy Any More Properties!” — Their reaction to being told they were DONE!
  • 32:46 – Were they tempted to keep buying property, anyway?
  • 36:31 – The Mexican Fishing Story Every Property Investor Needs To Hear!
  • 38:15 – The #1 thing you need to succeed as a property investor!
  • 41:12 – Emma & Liam’s Top Renovation Tips!!
  • 43:18 – How to cut your Renovations cost (smart!)
  • 46:11 – Are there fights in the household over money?
  • 46:19 – Why it doesn’t matter if you’re NOT debt free! (wait, what!?!)

 

 

Note: There are more real-life investor stories like this in our Previous Summer Series! Make sure you check them all out here.

Keen to Get Started with Money SMARTS?

Fill in the form below and create your account on our Money SMARTS Platform now!

Already have an account? Log in here.

 

 

 

345 | COVID Crashed Their Careers – But Now They’re On Track To A Passive Income! – Chat with Tim Martin and Thomas Henry

By in Real life stories, Summer Series

When Covid hit, Tim and Thomas lost their jobs practically overnight.

At the time, they both worked in aviation – at the same airline, in fact – but all this changed for the couple when international borders went into a snap lockdown and not too long after, they were made redundant from careers they loved… and ones they imagined doing for the rest of their lives.

What happened next is – quite frankly, folks – hard to believe, and no doubt not the norm; particularly when you consider the fact that their life as they thought they knew it suddenly takes a drastic and unwanted shift.

What you’re about to get in this episode is not just a rare look inside an unshakeable mindset, but also something else entirely…

See, prior to all this, our listeners Tim Martin & Thomas Henry had been busting their guts trying to save for their first home deposit…

… and although they hadn’t saved enough just yet, with a click of someone else’s fingers, their years of hard work was immediately under threat.

Think about it for a sec – Their careers were gone. There were job losses sweeping across the globe. There was a serious virus scaring a lot of folks. EVERYTHING was uncertain…

And yet what Tim & Tom decided to do next was…

… Well, Wow.

Please just listen to this episode folks – we’ve kept it the last in Winter Series ‘cos if it ain’t a bang, we dunno what is!

Huge shout out to Tim & Tom for sharing their incredible story with us – powerful stuff, folks!

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

 

Here’s What We Cover…

  • 02:24 – Meet Tim and Thomas
  • 02:59 – What was money like for Tim growing up?
  • 05:28 – When did Tim’s parents purchase their first home? Why?
  • 07:36 – Money discussions around the dinner table for Thomas
  • 07:56 – Coming from nothing, and building your own business!
  • 10:33 – The first paychecks…
  • 13:11 – When you follow dreams that aren’t yours…
  • 16:06 – Falling headfirst into the credit trap :-/
  • 16:43 – How BIG was the credit card debt!?!
  • 18:26 – How did Tim get on top of such a large debt spiral?
  • 21:16 – The BIG Pivot…!
  • 23:33 – When a pandemic stops your entire industry!
  • 23:47 – Why was the airline life so appealing for them, anyway?
  • 26:43 – Their saving tactics for the first home deposit
  • 29:33 – How they discovered the pandemic wasn’t going anyway any time soon
  • 30:18 – The immediate pivot to casual work – How? What? Why?
  • 33:21 – How to use Action as a form of taking back control
  • 34:10 – Finding opportunity amongst the chaos
  • 25:00 – Where do they work now?
  • 35:39 – How many temporary jobs did they “go through” in 6 months?
  • 36:54 – Finding The Property Couch… 🙂
  • 38:44 – Not Cynical But Sceptical… How They Recognised The Spruikers!
  • 41:19 – The hidden benefits of REAL property investment advice
  • 42:28 – How to retire at or before 60!
  • 44:01 – The “Zero to 100” Mindset…
  • 45:08 – Okay, let’s get real – how did all this upheaval feel?
  • 47:32 – The most transformational episodes!
  • 49:26 – How much do they plan to spend on travel each year?
  • 50:38 – Why buy an investment property BEFORE a PPOR?
  • 53:49 – How many properties do they need to achieve their passive income target?

And…

  • 1:00:29 – A look back in the rear vision mirror…

 

 

Note: There are more real-life investor stories like this in our Previous Summer Series! Make sure you check them all out here.

Keen to Get Started with Money SMARTS?

Fill in the form below and create your account on our Money SMARTS Platform now!

Already have an account? Log in here.

 

 

344 | Have You Made The Wrong Investment Decision?

By in Podcast, Q&A

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“Have I made a mistake?” This is a common question we get from investors who just start listening to our podcast and learn the fundamental principles we teach for the first time.

Sometimes it’s directed to a specific property in their portfolio or is based on an investment decision they were initially considering but are now unsure if it’s a good idea or not.

And today we are answering some of these key questions – one, in fact, where the listener is not entirely “wrong” in their choice, though at face value seems to go against our general rule of thumb. You’ll learn why exactly this is and how to use this information in your own decision making process.

On top of that, we’re unpacking how to tell HOW MUCH a property is worth – including common D.I.Y mistakes folks make when trying to value their property and some simple (but overlooked) tips to assess this yourself and how to recognise when it’s time to bring in an expert.

Plus, if you’ve ever considered if solar panels on an investment property will increase its value and even the amount of rent you receive, then definitely tune into this episode… ‘cos you might be surprised by our answer!

You can suss all the questions we answer below – otherwise simply hit play and enjoy the show!

 

Oh, and, yep – Next week we’re kicking off our NEW WINTER SERIES. It’s kinda like our Summer Series but, umm, in Winter 🤣 So we’ll be interviewing our listeners who’ve had Real Life Financial Transformations! And we gotta admit… these stories are off the charts!

 

 

Free Stuff Mentioned 

 

The Questions

Question from Ricky Comerford on “Getting Solar Systems For Investment Properties”

Hi Ben & Bryce and all the team working behind the scenes. I just want to thank you for these podcasts and all the wonderful things that you are doing at Empower Wealth. I have a question today in regards to Solar Energy in a Solar System. Now, we’ve got a strict budget for our primary place of residence that’s currently being built. This house is going to be turned into an Investment Property in 6 years’ time. We’ve been quoted for a solar system and it’s pushing the budget by $3000. Now, the return for investment for this Solar System will be 3-5 years, not taking away the fact that solar power is great for the environment. I just want to know strictly financials What is your opinion on solar systems for an investment property?

Do they increase the value of the home by much and the rental yield? And should we get one installed knowing the situation of this house and our budget and the fact that it’s going to be an investment property? Thanks for your time and yeah, hopefully I get a response.

 

Question from Riley on “Buying New with Grants Instead Of Established”

Hi Bryce and Ben, I’m just wondering with all the government grants that are coming out at the moment, if it’s almost a bit too good to say no to at the moment as a first time buyer. I’ve been looking to get into the market for a while now. And down here in Tasmania, we can access up to $45,000 in grants to build a new place. I know it sort of goes against everything that you’ve taught in your podcast. But I’m just wondering if it’s probably now with these grants a better way maybe to get into the market. I know certainly from my perspective, that’ll help with cashflow as well, given that I’ll probably get an extra, maybe bedroom and bathroom into the house as opposed to buying a smaller townhouse type of property closer to the city. So just wondering what your thoughts would be on that, if it is now possibly a better option to be building a house rather than buying existing? Thank you.

 

Question from Kate on How To Calculate Loan To Valuation Ratio

Love the show. I’ve been listening for a few years now and I’ve done all the episodes and I tell everybody I can about The Property Couch. So my question relates to loan to value ratio.

Obviously, it’s easy to determine what the outstanding loan amount is, but where would you go to determine the best value do the free bank valuations cut it? You know, the ones, I mean, I’ll flick by most of the big banks put the address into the website and they spit out a value, but it is generally so broad that is almost useless. Should I ask the bank where the mortgage is held for evaluation? If so, would there be a fee payable? Should I get a real estate agent thing? I probably want to over the value of the property and use RPM. Isn’t that the same as what the bank is? Please help.

 

Question from Riley on “Have I made a mistake?”

I just want to start off by saying that I absolutely love your podcast along with the books and resources you provide. I have just signed up to your workshop and the Money S.M.A.R.T.S portal, which I am excited to get started on! You’ve probably heard this a lot but I wish I had found The Property Couch sooner!

My wife and I are settling on our first investment property in Vasse, WA next week.  I only found your podcast 4 weeks ago and have a lot of catching up to do! I have a couple of questions if you guys have the time to go over them.

Little bit of background:

We are 34 and 30. Bought our first home together almost 8 yrs ago in Padbury, WA and still living in it now. Had the expensive wedding, bought the dream car (for my wife who has expensive taste) and now we are just about to settle on the first investment property.

Together we earn $203,500 before tax but we are hoping to start a family asap so we will drop down to one wage of approx $104,000 (self-employed and pay myself $2k p/week before tax) in approx 6month – 18months.

The house is a 6yr old 4×2 in Vasse on 570m2, great spot (I think) between the high school and primary school in a fast-growing area (they predict the population of the South West will quadruple in the next 20yrs) and rentals are very scarce. We paid $416,000 and it is currently rented out for $480 p/week on a 18month lease. We signed up on a very low rate 2yr interest only loan and I have worked out that after expenses (mortgage, prop manager fees, insurance, rates and 1.5% maintenance) we will have approx. $10,240 left over making this property positively geared.

In my view (prior to discovering your podcast) I thought it would be great to have it positively geared straight away as we can put that surplus towards the deposit for the next property and/or renos for the Padbury house (want to make it into a 4×2, currently a 3×1

and already have plans drawn up) but from everything I have heard is that when you first acquire a investment property it starts off negatively geared and may take 5-10yrs to become positive.

 

So to the questions:

  1. Have we done something wrong?
  2. Do you recommend that we put all that surplus into the Padbury house (PPOR) offset until we are ready for the next deposit or would you put it into the investment house offset?
  3. Do we make it negatively geared for the short term to pay less tax? (we have surplus cash that I’d love to put towards our next property asap even though we are paying lots of tax)
  4. After the 2 yr period would you switch to a P&I loan or keep it on a IO loan?

 

I know there are a lot of factors at play, and I hope I have given you guys enough information to comment on our situation and we would love to hear your views. Sorry if this has been covered in your podcast but I am still only up to episode 40, I need to do some more long drives as that is the only chance I get to listen 🙂. Again, thanks to both of you for your time and knowledge, you make me excited about property investing and I can’t wait to learn more and more as I go through TPC free resources.

 

 

 

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