It is possible to retire from the military a millionaire.  I know a few people who have done it.

I hit the mark before retirement.  No rich parents, no help, wife didn’t work.

Can the average military member go from being in debt to military millionaire?

We all see websites and books from people who were deep in debt and somehow quickly made millions.

Maybe we should read their books or infomercials and try their methods…

I believe it is hard to duplicate their success.

These gurus get rich off people looking for shortcuts.  Most that try the guru route fail miserably.

It often involves going into lots of debt or paying a lot upfront for a product or a course.

It also requires no common sense

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I’ve done it again!

Trying to expand my readership, I’ve asked another friend from the blogger world to let me post on their site.   Mr. 1500 from www.1500days.com is someone I first met at FINCON.  We crossed paths again at Chautauqua attending on separate weeks.  Super-cool guy with a great website.

This post, I give some tips on how to invest in real estate from afar:

Hey.

My name is Rich.

I love real estate.

I grew up in Southern California.  I remember thinking about buying real estate as a kid.  I was twelve years old.  I thought if I could buy a house then, I would be able to sell it when I was eighteen and have enough money for a car!  I was always fascinated by how fast real estate appreciated in certain places, especially near the beach.

Real estate is tricky for me.  I’m in the military, which means I move every two to three years.  Ten of the last sixteen years I’ve been overseas, including currently.

What kind of real estate investor moves every two to three years? 

That will never work!

I’ve found a way to make it work for me.  Over the past three years, I’ve purchased several buy-and-hold rental properties with cash.  The income they provide has made me financially independent.  Most of these purchases have been made from overseas.

Maybe some of my methods could be useful to you.  I’ll summarize my advice in three main points:

Click here to read more…

This week I did a guest post on one of the most popular military financial independence websites.  This website (www.the-military-guide.com) was started by Doug Nordman.  He retired from the Navy in 2002 and hasn’t worked since.  He currently lives in Hawaii and surfs often when he’s not traveling the world.

Not a bad life.

What he did is what I’m writing about.  Working 20 years (or less), and then retiring, never needing to work again!

Here we go…

BLUF: In college I paid off $32k in student loans in a year. On a military salary I paid off a $280k mortgage in seven years. I’ve bought several rental properties with cash. I did this through paying off debt, having a high savings rate, and investing well.

My name is Rich. I’m an Air Force Lt Col of 16 years. I’m married with 2 young kids.

Here is my message:

Don’t work until you’re 65. Not even 55. You can save enough money to retire in 20 years or less. I mean after 20 years of work, NEVER WORK AGAIN (unless you want to). This method doesn’t depend on a military retirement, that’s just a bonus!

I currently make enough money from my investments to live on. I could quit working today, but I’m less than four years from a generous military retirement.

Continue reading…

In October 2016, I returned from a week in Ecuador. It was a life-changing experience.

          Why would a military guy who lives in Germany fly all the way to Ecuador for a week?

Why of course, to attend a financial independence/retire early (FIRE) retreat hosted by three prominent bloggers!

Jim Collins, father of the world-famous Stock Series, organized this amazing event. There were three different weeks of Chautauquas this year, each hosted by a slightly different cast of famous bloggers.

Chautauquas having been going on for several years now, and seem to be gaining in popularity. These things sell out faster than a Taylor Swift concert!!

On the week I went, it was Jim Collins himself, Paula Pant, and the notorious Mr. Money Mustache.

Kind of awesome for me, as these are the three bloggers I admire most.

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Here’s my background. I paid off my $280k mortgage is six years. $32k of student loan debt in a year. I’ve purchased several rental properties with cash while serving overseas in the military.

Why don’t I use financing? Why cash? How do I afford that? (Rich Uncle? No.)

Real estate is a powerful way to make money. Debt can be a powerful tool. With a chunk of money, let’s say $200,000, you could buy one property with cash.

You could also, with that same money, buy five houses worth $200k each with mortgages and 20% down.

Leverage gets you 4 extra houses!!

Some people find ways to use no money down and buy properties. Some even find a way to take cash out of these deals. These are obviously riskier than cash or 20% down.

Everyone makes the decision to invest in real estate somewhere along this spectrum of risk. There are pros and cons at both ends.

I want to share with you why I’m at one extreme end of the spectrum, and how it’s worked for me.

It’s worked despite the fact that I’ve been serving in the military over the last 16 years, moving every few years, and mostly living overseas (including currently).

Click here to continue reading this guest blog post.