Written By Paula Pant
Many of my readers are rental property investors (or aspiring investors). But not all of them live in “cheap locations.”
Several readers have asked what how to invest if they live in a place where houses don’t meet the One Percent Rule.
Let’s answer this question by featuring Brian and Kristin, a couple in Arlington, […]
Written By Paula Pant
Yes, it’s true. “Don’t buy lattes” may be a personal finance cliché, but I literally buy a Starbucks coffee every day. I pay $1.78 for a tall (which is Starbucksian for “small,”) plus 54 cents for a refill. Daily damage: $2.32.
That’s $71.92 per month, if I go daily (which I […]
Written By Paula Pant
My former partner and I bought our third rental property in May.
We paid $0 down. We collect $15,000 per year in revenue. After expenses, including the financing, we pocket $3,000 per year in passive income from this rental property.
Not bad, eh?
NOTE: This article was last updated in July 2016 (and all numbers […]
Written By Paula Pant
A few years ago I went camping in southeastern Utah with a group of friends.
“I love this place,” I said, gazing at the towering sandstone canyons. Then, ever so casually, I commented, “Hmm. Maybe I’ll come live here for a summer. Just two or three months. Could be fun.”
One […]
Written By Paula Pant
We ought to spend time and money in a way that’s aligned with our values. In reality, our spending habits are often tied to other people’s expectations of us.
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Humans are social creatures. The people in our lives influence us, both consciously and in subtle ways we never realize. We […]
Written By Paula Pant
You know that expression: “Whatever your renovation budget … double it?”
That happened a few months ago. I predicted that renovating one of my rental units would cost about $5,500 and would raise the rent by an extra $150 per month. I was waaayy off base.
In reality, the remodel cost $17,021 […]
Written By Paula Pant
Myth: You can either have free time or you can make lots of money. But not both.
Fact: Money buys time.
When I was a kid, I didn’t care about making a lot of money. I’d rather have the time, flexibility and freedom to enjoy my life, I thought.
In hindsight, I was […]
Written By Paula Pant
Today is the 20th anniversary of the day I learned I was adopted.
On the afternoon I learned the news, I sat in a beige office in a government building.
My dad sat to my right; my mom was perched to my left. An Immigration and Naturalization Services (INS) bureaucrat sat on […]
Written By Paula Pant
Time for a round of Answer the Reader’s Question: Ignorance vs. Bliss.
Today’s question comes from a reader in his twenties who says:
“I was wondering if you have ever written an article on converting the (financial) ‘non-believers’?
“I’ve been trying to get my girlfriend to … help us be financially […]
Written By Paula Pant
You know that sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you decide to remodel your kitchen …
… and you think it’ll cost $5,000 ….
… and it ends up costing triple your estimate?
Yeah.
[…]
