Written By Paula Pant
đź‘‹ Hey there! FYI, this post is part of our First Principles series.
About the series…
When most people talk about money management, they discuss tactics. Occasionally, you’ll encounter someone who elevates the discussion to strategy, rather than simply scattershot tactics.
But what’s missing from both conversations — both tactics and strategy — is a […]
Written By Paula Pant
đź‘‹ Hey there! FYI, this post is part of our First Principles series.
About the series…
When most people talk about money management, they discuss tactics. Occasionally, you’ll encounter someone who elevates the discussion to strategy, rather than simply scattershot tactics.
But what’s missing from both conversations — both tactics and strategy — is a […]
Written By Paula Pant
đź‘‹ Hey there! FYI, this post is part of our First Principles series.
About the series…
When most people talk about money management, they discuss tactics. Occasionally, you’ll encounter someone who elevates the discussion to strategy, rather than simply scattershot tactics.
But what’s missing from both conversations — both tactics and strategy — is a […]
Written By Paula Pant
Hi there!
This post is an illustrated, pared-down version of my recent “Inflation, Explained” podcast episode.
It was created as a simple, easy-to-digest guide to help you understand the current inflationary environment in the US.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
What is inflation?
Simple definition: […]
Written By Paula Pant
Kelsey Kaszas loves numbers.
But crunching numbers too much can be a crutch, rather than a tool.
Before she enrolled in Your First Rental Property (YFRP), Kelsey found herself stuck in analysis paralysis. She wanted to invest in rental property, but she kept crunching theoretical numbers without taking action.
“When people talk about how difficult it is to get over analysis paralysis, that is me, that is absolutely me, because I’m such a numbers person,” she said. “I love to analyze every single aspect of something new.”
She’s not alone.
Analysis is great. But analysis paralysis, when overthinking or overanalyzing leads to inaction, is one of the most common obstacles new investors face.
When you’re putting significant savings on the line, analysis paralysis is a normal fear-based response.
But it sidelines you. It shortens your time in the market and the compounding gains that follow.
Kelsey recognized this and enrolled in the course to learn how to rigorously analyze properties without succumbing to analysis paralysis.
She learned how to transform analysis into action.
Written By Paula Pant
The investor community is split into two factions: FIRE vs. YOLO.
The YOLO crowd includes the people who read Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, who chase speculative trades, who place margin trades on Robinhood.
They share stock tips on Discord and bet on whatever appears in their chat feed. Earlier this week they piled investments into Galway […]
Written By Paula Pant
You know those flashy “real estate seminar” types, the ones who wear $10,000 wristwatches and flash cheesy Powerpoint slides of their Lamborghini at you? 🙄
Don’t trust them. (I reaaaalllly hope I’m stating the obvious.)
I call them Lamborgurus, driving their Scamborghinis. They can be found lurking in the spotlight, dispensing a blend of platitudes and high-leverage, high-risk speculative strategies from the stages of big hotel chains.
They can be forgiven for being tacky. But not for destroying peoples’ retirements with their shoddy ‘investment’ advice.
Here’s the thing:
Be careful about choosing who you take advice from. This is true in any arena — health, fitness, personal finance, business, real estate, travel. Some teachers are better than others. The slick, sentient-infomercial Scamborghini types offer the most dramatic cautionary example.
But there’s another reason.
Written By Paula Pant
“Invest during a pandemic? Are you crazy?”
That’s a reasonable question. Why would anyone want to invest in a volatile market and in the midst of economic uncertainty?
But recessions create opportunities. Yes, it’s terrible that millions have lost jobs and suffered huge portfolio losses, but the unfortunate reality is recessions happen. Like it or not, this is our current situation. By looking at the market and asking “what opportunities can I find?,” we contribute to the recovery.Â
We contribute to the recovery in all types of investments: stocks, real estate, side hustles.Â
When we buy stocks, we infuse capital into companies that we believe in and/or into the market as a whole.Â
When we buy, renovate and rent properties, we create jobs for contractors, agents and property managers and we offer our tenants a safe, comfortable and well-maintained home.Â
When we start a side hustle, we build products or services that thrill our clients and create jobs for our team.Â
When we invest, we participate in the recovery. Recessions are an unfortunate fact of life, but they carry a silver lining. And for newbie investors in particular, recessions can open the door.  Â
Unfortunately, during times of uncertainty, many people surrender to their fear of investing. They sit in cash until it’s too late.
Written By Paula Pant
The economy is tanking; unemployment claims have topped 30 million; even optimistic analysts say it’ll take years for jobs to fully recover. So what’s happening with the housing market?
To fully understand the residential real estate market, let’s break this down into three sub-questions:
How strong was the housing market before the pandemic struck?
What’s happening now?
Where might it be going?
Here we go!
How strong was the pre-pandemic housing market?
Home values rose steadily after the Great Recession ended. From 2012–2020, home prices rose 5.8% annually, according to the US Housing Market Health Check report from Thomvest Ventures. (All stats in this article come from that report unless otherwise indicated.)
Written By Paula Pant
You’ve probably heard people say that if you’re young, healthy and you contract Covid-19, you’re likely to only experience mild or moderate symptoms. I’m 36, a non-smoker, in shape, fit and healthy, with no chronic conditions. No asthma, no diabetes, no cancer, no high blood pressure, no history of any type of organ disease. I’m the poster child, the ideal candidate, of someone who would only experience a “mild or moderate” case.
My experience of coronavirus was sheer brutal hell. It was the most intense prolonged physical agony I’ve ever felt.
Here’s what coronavirus feels like.
