What you don’t know about your Retirement Plan might shock you! A traditional 401k Wealth Bucket Model may not be right for you. What if your bucket of money runs out before your retirement years are over? When you rely solely on that bucket of money, the expenses can drain it over time.

The Wealth Bucket Model Retirement Plan is Broken.

Just like Steven Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People outlines, we are going to begin with the end in mind. Although small details vary between us, we all want the same thing out of life. We want freedom! More specifically, we want the time to do the things that fulfill us. Hopefully, we can make that time before we are too old to actually enjoy them to the fullest.

Rob outlines the means to this system as your Wealth Operating System, or your CORE Fund. This is the base of your financial freedom. Eventually, your CORE Fund should be generating Horizontal Income 1.3-1.5 times the amount of your Vitality Number. This is how Rob encourages members of his financial community to approach retirement planning. However, most Americans foolishly lean on a Wealth Bucket Model, which we will explain.

What Is The Wealth Bucket Model, And Why Should We Not Use It Exclusively?

The big picture on the Wealth Bucket Model? Most of us have a 401k retirement fund. There is nothing wrong with using one as a nest egg. However, when we rely on it exclusively, we run the risk of running out of money and having to go back to work to pay our bills. Rob outlines more below on the biggest expenses that are holes in the wealth bucket model.

Ignorance – The Number One Leak In The Wealth Bucket Model

When we move on from our businesses, we inevitably want to try new endeavors. We often make the mistake of thinking our new ventures will come just as naturally as our pre-retirement ones. If you must invest in new businesses and properties, do your homework, and partner up with experts in those fields.

Taxes – Tax Drag Drains Your Wealth Bucket Model

Reducing Tax Drag is a huge income stream! Rob preaches this point again and again, with good reason. If you can legally reduce your tax burden, then do it! Then invest the difference in assets that will return compound interest.

Vitality Number

Your Vitality Number refers to the cost of living you want to live within. Live within your values and not your vanity! This is the biggest number you can possibly get wrong! You want that trip around the world that your favorite billionaire influencer took. Geat real! You’re not at their level yet. Wait until you are, or you will blow your Vitality Number out of the water.

Fee Drag

Employing wise advisors is mission critical. However, keep a close eye on what they are charging you, and evaluate annually. The value may not be there anymore. Maybe they aren’t working as hard as they used to in order to get you the results you need. It is important to shop around so you can avoid Fee Drag from these providers.

Inflation – The Silent Killer of Your Wealth Bucket Model Investments

You don’t need a wealth expert’s advice to know that inflation is a wealth killer! Keep this in mind as you are calculating your Vitality Number. Create a report of your Personal P and L to find out what that number is.

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the ATL Inner Circle Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Sign up today!

Now that you’ve learned how to stack up cash, you’ve got to learn how to invest your assets! Investing for maximum return means building assets and then repurposing them over time. Invest wisely and watch your wealth grow!

Investing For Maximum Return – Building Assets and Repurposing Them

In Act 1 of our Money Game series, Rob detailed strategies for maximizing our active income earnings. Act 2 is all about investing for maximum return. Specifically, we are buying and building assets that will return us cash.

When it comes to investments, Rob describes the assets that return compound interest as the “8th Wonder of the World”. Apologies to Andre the Giant. The concept of the “doubling clock” comes up. When you invest in assets that accrue compound interest, and hold them, they will double in value over time. The goal is to invest your surplus money and make it work for you. After all, you are not just investing in assets. You are also investing in yourself. And nobody wants to invest in themselves unless they are investing for maximum return.

When you start the Wealth Clock early in life, you have the distinct advantage of time. The more time you hold good investments that compound in interest, the more “doublings” you will enjoy. Unconventional investments with unproven parties are much more tempting when you are younger. “The greater the risk, the greater the return”. If you start investing later in life, you have a whole lot less wiggle room, and tend to stay in your comfort zone. After all, you don’t want to gamble and lose it all.

Want To Learn More? Join Our Community!

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the ATL Inner Circle Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Sign up today!

In this 4-part mini-series “Winning the Money Game”, Rob Rowsell details the start of the journey: earning active income, so you can then start investing said income. It’s all about you! Learn how to maximize your personal earnings, reduce your taxes (legally!), and control your personal expenses, and you’re on your way to winning the money game.

Earning Active Income – The First Step to Winning the Money Game

Rob kicks off the Money Game discussion by laying out three components to earning active income. These include maximizing your personal earnings, reducing taxes, and controlling personal expenses. When you all all of these factors up, they equal a surplus of cash to invest.

Maximize Personal Earnings

On your way to winning the money game, it’s no secret that you need to start small. Remember what your grandparents told you when you got our first job? It’s not what you make, it’s what you save! Well, it can often seem impossible to save and invest when you’re not making much. This is a tough economy, but there are many strategies to maximize your personal earnings in order to invest more. Whether you own a business or earn a W2, you are earning a regular check and can find ways to save a portion of it.

Legally Reduce Your Taxes from Earning Active Income

Money saved on taxes is an income stream! There are many legal ways to reduce your taxes owed, whether through deductions, business expenses, or other expert methods. If you’re not regularly meeting with your CPA, start now. Maybe you have reached the level where your CPA is no longer helping you, and you’ve outgrown them. Investing in a CPA who specializes in high income business owners will pay back dividends when they implement these strategies. Rob has learned firsthand in the real estate sales industry how to take advantage of tax benefits most business owners don’t know about.

Control Your Own Personal Expenses

Another phrase seemingly lost to time with our elders is live within your values. Capitalism is so refined in 2023. Every screen you turn to sings a siren song to you. Buy this, it’ll make you happier. You deserve it. When you have climbed the income ladder to the point where you can actually afford those things, it’s easy to give in. Living within your values is another income stream. If your truck is still running great at 150,000 miles, it will probably still run great at 200,000 miles. Trade secret: you’re happier with a vehicle when it’s paid off! This goes for appliances and mortgages, too!

The End Goal of Earning Active Income: Surplus Cash To Invest

Act 1 of winning the money game may be the hardest. Earning active income from a W2 or business owner wages may not yield enough on it’s own. If that is the case, you must explore your tax advantages and tighten your spending belt. You won’t regret the dividends you earn years down the line if you invest the surplus cash it generates.

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the ATL Inner Circle Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Sign up today!

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Compounding Wealth, Episode 3

• Rob’s Six Pillars
• Income & Expenses
• Wealth Mastery
• 5 Foundational Wealth Principles
• 8 Wealth Bottom Lines
• Estate Planning Checklist: Must Do
• Estate Planning Checklist: Rob Would Never Do

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Wealth – Winning the Money Game

• Act 1: Earn = It’s ALL you
• Act 2: Invest = Buying & Building Assets
• Act 3: Transition = The Mental Shift
• Act 4: Reimagine = What’s Next?

10 Wealth Plays to Win the Money Game Forever

Basic List (see more detail in the recording)

1. Decide
2. Invest
3. Surplus
4. Compounding
5. Build a Company
6. Bet on Yourself
7. Avoid stupid
8. Protection
9. Wealth Team
10. Mental Beliefs

How close are you to absolute financial freedom? Rob Rowsell talks about how to grow your money and live off of investment income only. Rob has transitioned from a multiple business owner to a multiple family real estate investor. Who better to take advice from? Rob has learned the hard way how to avoid unwise investments and do his due diligence to ensure his income only comes from his properties.

Tasks to Transition to Living Off of Your Investment Income

Rob starts off the clip laying out his current financial situation. He no longer holds a conventional “W-2” job. Therefore, he depends solely on his apartment holdings to generate cash. Reinvesting that cash wisely is his key to maintaining financial freedom. Do you still have a full time day job? You can still take steps to eventually fund your lifestyle solely from investment income. If you dedicate just eight hours per quarter to your investments, you are well on your way.

We talk often about the Vitality Spreadsheet. Examining this document will help you determine the income amounts you need in order to meet basic needs, then live with vitality, and, finally, achieve total financial freedom. You must take time to thoroughly vet potential property investments, while reviewing your numbers with a fine toothed comb. If that sounds like a part time job, that’s because it is! However, performing your due diligence will pay dividends for you and any potential investment partners down the line.

Join Our Community

Do you invest in real estate? Planning on transitioning to living off of that investment income? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

Do you plan to invest your money in a business or property? Then you MUST fill out your due diligence checklist. This includes population demographics, surrounding businesses, competition, economic conditions, and more. Rob goes DEEP into the weeds in order to discuss all of the research factors you should consider. BEFORE you invest in any kind of business, you must watch this video!

Auto Repair Shop Investing Due Diligence

Rob began by listing off just a few potential businesses that one could invest in. Consider everything from coffee shops to apartment complexes to auto repair shops. All of them have one thing in common. Researching their demographics is key. An average investor may be interested in injecting capital into a business. In that case, they would be wise to do their homework.

Specifically, Rob then expanded on due diligence for aspiring auto repair shop owners. Perhaps you are investigating a vacant property. You wish to build a new repair shop on it. In that case, consider the size of its population. Next, take a look at how many existing automotive shops serve that community. Are you currently considering an underserved region? Or is the area already overserved? Rob calculates that one average sized auto repair shop can serve up to 1,000 households. Is your target city’s population approximately 20,000? Then it could theoretically sustain up to 13 successful shop locations in the area.

Researching Household Income

However, you are not just looking at how many people live near the businesses. You want to know what the average household income is. Aim to plant your business in the middle of a thriving community. That means its citizens average $70,000 or more in annual income. These folks are much more likely to prioritize maintaining their vehicles than other, less fortunate individuals. That may not be a fun statistic to quote, but it is true. We are all trying to make a profit. And we want to do it without fighting a constant uphill battle.

What about investing in existing auto repair franchises? That honest mistake ensures you will get a smaller cut of the pie. All the while, you will work harder in order to fit into someone else’s mold. Investing in a turn key, existing business can still benefit you. If you find this idea appealing, then seek out independently owned auto repair shops.

Due Diligence in Real Estate Investing

Moving on, we discuss the real estate industry. Rob discourages pursuing properties on apartment listing aggregate websites. Many of these sites set off a race to the bottom. When this happens, competition can get fierce. The properties listed on these sites often end up driving down prices. They do this by offering move in specials. Everyone needs a place to live. Discounts like these help a lot of lower income renters. However, you want to invest in higher end, multi-family properties. Those will not be surrounded by stiff competition. They will also give you much larger returns on your investments.

Next, let’s talk about your area’s demographics. Rob lays out an ideal situation. Let’s say the community population is 100,000 people. You will want there to be no less than one hospital nearby. What’s a tip many folks may not consider? Scout a property that is 30 minutes or less away from a major airport. Rob prefers an international one. Are you investing in rental properties in multiple large markets across the country? Then you will want them to be easily accessible to you. Let’s face it: you are busy, and you don’t need to spend your time driving all the way across town to assess an issue with your complex.

Investigating the Area’s Economy

Moreover, you must examine the economy in your chosen area. Job growth should consistently be trending upward. That figure should read a 4-5% minimum, year over year. You will also want a diverse selection of industries throughout the city. Many communities’ economies are based on only one industry. This could be, for instance, a car and truck manufacturing plant. That factory, situated in the town’s industrial zone, may employ half the town. Thousands of small businesses have sprung up around it to serve its employees. How many times have we read headlines about those plants moving overseas, and ruining the area’s entire economy? Now, the plant workers, as well as the other businesses’ employees, are all out of work. If you invest in a shop serving these people, you and your staff are next.

Rob also mentioned the huge hit that the hospitality industry took during the COVID-19 pandemic. If an entire town’s economic hopes are pinned solely on a resort, an event like that will sink it. Every town is a business, and just like with any successful business’ investment strategy, diversifying is key. Remember this when you’re doing your due diligence.

Join the ATL ALL-In Financial Community

Do you currently own multi-family properties? If not, do you wish to invest in the future? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, you will join your fellow investors on a live Zoom roundtable talk. Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the lucrative real estate industry. It is not nearly as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be mind numbingly hard to navigate. Having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! So sign up today!

How does a successful real estate investor calculate their blended tax rate? Let Addicted to Life’s Rob Rowsell teach you the secret formula so you won’t pay more taxes than you have to!

Rob Explains Blended Tax Rate For Real Estate Investors

Let’s do the math! Rob lays out a theoretical income amount for the group to consider. On a sample effective annual gross income of $400,000, Rob calculates a blended tax rate of 2%. That may sound small, but it in fact adds up to $8,000.

Jake Garcia asks our host for a clarification. Rob shows his work with a very simple equation. You start with your annual total gross income. Then divided it by all the taxes you paid at the end of the year. When you solve this equation, you will end up with your blended tax rate.

Finally, Rob makes sure to clarify that he does not hate paying taxes to his state and federal governments! Taxes are necessary for the United States to build roads, employ police officers, and provide equipment for the armed forces to defend our freedom.

As any business owner with many investments to look after would tell you, he just does not want to pay more than he actually owes by mistake. That means more cash on hand to invest in his family, his staff, and his eventual retirement goals.

Join Our Community

Do you own multi-family properties? If not, do you aspire to one day? Then you should consider joining our online discussion group, the Addicted To Life Community! Each month, Rob Rowsell will teach you what you must do in order to build wealth in the real estate business. It’s not as easy as it looks! Property taxes, liens, and legal fees can all be hard to navigate, so having a successful guide in your corner like Rob is a must! Enroll today!

The “Diary of an Apartment Investor” podcast, hosted by Brian Briscoe, recently had Rob on as a guest. Rob recounts his experiences working with an SEC Attorney and gives advice to beginning syndicators.