Coaching

Mar 12

Hey Heroes,

What if work became optional? Picture this: sipping coffee on a beach ☕🏖️, no alarm clock, no boss—just freedom. That’s what your financial independence (FI) number unlocks—the amount you need to cover expenses without a paycheck. I’m Brian Waters from Code 3 Invest Real Estate, and today, I’m walking you through how to find your FI number. Let’s dive in! 🚀

What’s a Financial Independence Number? 🌟

Your FI number is the magic figure where you don’t trade time for money—your investments do the work 💸. Think rental properties 🏠, dividends, or anything that passively pays the bills. For me, it’s about time—time to do what I want, when I want, with whom I want ⏳. Time’s our most precious asset. Money doesn’t buy happiness, but it buys food, shelter, vacations… and yeah, those make me happy 😊. Until you start this journey, you’re working for someone else, no end in sight ⛓️.

Step 1: Know Your Expenses 📊

You can’t hit a target you can’t see 🎯. Pull your bank statements or budgeting app and calculate your yearly cost of living—housing, food, transportation, insurance, fun stuff like travel ✈️. Don’t guess; track it for accuracy. My family spends $150,000 a year—$12,500/month after taxes. Twin boys in sports and family trips add up (the food bill’s insane! 🍔⚽). Overestimate here—life throws curveballs ⚾.

Why It Matters: What if you’re forced to retire early? A pilot with an eye injury can’t fly ✈️❌, or a Firefighter who has a career ending injury, what’s next?. Knowing your budget is peace of mind 🧘‍♂️.
Pro Tip: My wife and I did this together—call it “standing on the beach naked” 🏝️😅. It was uncomfortable but great at the same time. It stopped money fights, showed me she’s a budgeting rockstar (mostly spends on the kids 👧👦), and helped her see where every dollar flows. Transparency made us stronger 💪.

Step 2: Define Your “Enough”

FI isn’t about being a billionaire—it’s time freedom ⏰. What’s your ideal life cost? Maybe $100,000/year for simplicity, or $300,000 for luxury 💎. Enough to say, “I’m done working for someone else”—like an Office Space moment, smashing the printer 🖨️💥. Test it: live on your target budget for a few months. Too tight? Adjust up. Plenty? Dial down. I’m a “Ready, Shoot, Aim” guy—start, then tweak 🎯.

Reality Check: Busy pros miss birthdays 🎂, holidays 🎄, or “me time” 😴. This number buys those back.
Challenge: Stop living by chance 🎲. An injury could end your career tomorrow. Be accountable—nobody’s doing this for you ✋.

Step 3: Build the Income 🏦

My path? Real estate 🏘️. I went from one rental to 14 in four years—cash flow, appreciation, tax advantages, and principal paydown 📈. The goal: passive income matching your expenses. This hits home for me—I started at the fire department at 32 with little savings 🚒. Full retirement means working to 63, but this job’s rough. I’m on track to retire at 53 instead. That’s the plan ✅.

Mindset: Kiyosaki calls it leaving the rat race 🐀🏃‍♂️. Gurus pitch one-year miracles—nah, this is a 10-year plan ⏳. My kids just turned 11; time flies ✈️. Ten years beats 30-45 in the grind.
Next Steps: Strategy’s coming in future emails 📩. For now, nail your number.

Your Turn: Calculate It 🧮

Grab a calculator. Tally monthly expenses, multiply by 12, tweak for your dreams ✨. My $150K/year lifestyle? That’s my starting point. I bet you’re doing better than you think—if not, it’s a wake-up call ☎️. This isn’t get-rich-quick; it’s a plan to own your time ⏰.

“Invest like your life depends on it—because every dollar’s a lifeline.” 🔥

Reply with your FI number—I’d love to hear it!

Why I love Single Family Rental Properties!!

By Brian Waters Coaching, Financing, Investment Properties

I get asked a lot why I love to buy long term out of state rental properties? While there are a ton of different strategies in Real Estate Investing, I think one is a great way to get your feet wet and build that generational wealth.

Enter…..Long Term Single Family Rentals!!!

There is so much to learn when you first start to invest that its a great strategy to master before moving to Flips, Multi-Family, and Syndications.

Those are great strategies, but not for Newbies.

I coach investors to really dig in and understand the reasons why Real Estate is so great. I teach them to analyze property numbers and most importantly be able to make a solid financial decision on how to purchase that first out of state rental.

In the ever evolving landscape of real estate investing, long-term single family rental properties have many benefits.

One in particular is CONTROL. I really value control when investing. I have dabbled in the stock market only to see my portfolio on a wild rollercoaster ride.

When starting out, I want maximum control. I feel as though, I personally, have my best interest in mind and single families allow this control.

One source of control is the 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage. Each W-2 earner is allotted 10 of these “GOLDEN TICKETS” for financing.

If rates rise, we’re set with a fixed rate.

If rates drop, we can refinance to a better rate.

What you owe on the mortgage will not change for 30 years, but the rent you collect from the tenant to pay that increases each year, thus giving you more and more cashflow each year.

Beyond increasing cashflow each year, you benefit from the Appreciation of the property.

Appreciation is that hidden benefit that happens over the long term.

Appreciation is the value of the home going up over time.

On average, across the Nation we are seeing a 5% Appreciation in this asset class each year. This is a huge win over the course of a 10-year period.

You can always access some of that by refinancing later.

While there are so many other benefits from investing in single family homes, I do believe that one of my favorite reasons is Demand.

Single Family homes are the most purchased and rented of all the real estate classes.

As long as people need a roof over their head than we as owners have that protection while investing.

That protection of avoiding the investment roller coaster lets me sleep very well at night.

After I grow my portfolio to 20-30 properties and master the single family rentals, then I may get into multi-family or syndications.

But for now, why change a good thing. I have built a portfolio of 14 properties and have seen the magic of this asset class right before my eyes.

If you want to join my happy clients and learn to purchase cash flowing rentals out of state than lets jump on a call to see if we are a good fit.

Crush Real Estate Investing,

Brian Waters

Real Estate Investor/Mentor

Let’s have a consult and discuss how you can benefit from a 1-on-1 coaching session, have a professional help guide you through the process or bringing you into one of our upcoming deals.

CLICK BELOW FOR MORE INFO ON MY PROGRAM👇

https://code3invest.com/contact/

What’s Your Financial Independence Number? Let’s Find Out 💰🔥