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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.

 

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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!

 

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“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!

 

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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.

 

 

341 | How To Pivot Your Investment Strategy When Affordability Changes

By in Podcast, Q&A

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Folks, it’s no secret that property prices have seen a significant uptick – so what does this mean for your investment strategy if you can no longer afford to buy investment grade locations that are close to the city?

See, if you’ve read our book The Armchair Guide To Property Investing, or heard any of our earlier episodes, you might have heard us quote particular price points that now seem, well, a bit ridiculous.

You might’ve thought, “A $650,000 property in inner city Melbourne… what? They’re now over a mill, guys…?”

Or, “Where on earth can I buy a property for $450,000 in this market!?!”

 Or, “You said to aim for inner city properties with owner-occupier appeal, but now you’re talking about regional markets… what’s the deal?”

We hear you. And we get it.

That’s why today we’re doing a deep dive on how to pivot your investment strategy when affordability changes!

Make no mistake – the fundamentals DON’T change… but you need to be both smart AND realistic about the locations that are available to you, whatever your price point may be.

This is a Q&A episode you don’t want to miss – we tick off A LOT of key property investment questions that we’re confident will allow you to find success no matter what your price point is! Plus, we’ve got some new frameworks on how to navigate land tax, learn when it’s time to SELL (yep) and best practices to manage your money without dedicating your life to managing a spreadsheet….

Tune in now – and let us know what you think!

 

P.S. Yes, Ben is actually in his CAR when we’re recording this episode… find out why in the first five minutes 🤣

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

 

The Questions

Question From Valarie on Tips For Money Management

I bought a course and really love I’m also through the Make Money Simple Again book. I have one question: How do you apply the Money SMARTS system to a couple? At the moment we have separate accounts, something like 12 accounts between the 2 of us. How do you change that to fit into the system? Do you go with one family account and 2 debit cards account and 2 credit cards account or is there another configuration that you recommend? Many thanks in advance for your feedback Tips and Have a Great weekend. Thank you!

 

Question from Kiran on Land Tax and Different Entities

Good day Bryce, Ben, Stiggy and the team. My name is Kiran, I’m from Melbourne. I was listening to your podcast a week or two ago and you spoke about an active, investor Bruce in this episode who had land tax issues because he was investing in the same state. All investments are in the same state. I understand the active investor issues but from what I understand, all these investments were possibly in his personal name. What if Bruce was able to invest in different entities for examples companies or trusts? Each entity would then be completely separate and hence reset the amount of land tax he had to pay. Can you unpack the issues as to whether this is a worthwhile strategy and other differences with finance? I understand that commercial finance is required for companies which results in less favourable LVRs. Are there any further issues that someone looking to invest using companies or trusts to reduce their land tax bill may encounter?

 

Question From Mathew Monty on How To Buy Assets Closer In On Combined $100k Income

Hi Guys, I love the Podcasts. I just got a couple of questions regarding investment grade/investment stock – more for people like me that don’t earn that much money. Can you buy with an income of $100,000? So I’ve got a property that’s got good equity and we went out and we bought another property for investment, probably just investment stock in Truganina. So 20-something kilometres from the city, I know it’s not investment grade like you just talked about. However, I wonder how people on say $100,000 a year in combined income could afford to get into those inner-city areas? I don’t know if that’s possible. Given our situation that we’ve bought a new investment stock property, where do we go from here?

 

Question from Dimitra on The 6-Part Framework That Reveals It’s Time To SELL!

Hi guys, Love your podcast. I listen regularly on the drive to and from work, and recently purchased your audio book which has been super informative. You always share a lot of knowledge when it comes to finding and purchasing an investment, but would love more information on what to do if you’ve bought a lemon! Most of the things you tell us to avoid applies to my investment property. The apartment was purchased off the plan in an area where supply exceeds demand and the property price hasn’t increased since it was purchased back in 2017. And to make matters worse, since Covid and the bad publicity new apartments have been getting, the property has gone down in value. There are tenants in the property currently and I have to contribute an extra $50 per week towards the mortgage (principle and interest)

The positive is that the property is in Sydney, 12km from the CBD and a 10 minute walk to public transport. This purchase obviously happened before I discovered your podcast, but what should I do?

Should I hold the property in the hope that it will eventually increase in value, or is there no other option but to sell and cop a loss?

Any advice you can give would be much appreciated. Many thanks.

 

 

 

 

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