Author

Scott Trench

Scott Trench is the CEO and President of BiggerPockets. Scott has dedicated his career to helping ordinary Americans build wealth in part through real estate investing. Since joining BiggerPockets in 2014, Scott has authored the bestselling wealth-building book Set for Life and joined Mindy Jensen as co-host of the BiggerPockets Money Podcast.

Experience
Scott is an active real estate investor in the Denver market, currently managing a private portfolio of about $1.5M and holds his real estate license as a Colorado broker.

He is a perpetual student of personal finance, real estate investing, sales, business, and personal development. With this knowledge, Scott stays active in the BiggerPockets Forums and has contributed hundreds of articles, market analyses, and files to BiggerPockets.

He hopes this will provide other investors the tools they need to repeat his results in just 3-5 years, giving them the option to go anywhere they want in the world, work any job, start any business, or finish out the journey to financial independence and retire young.

In addition to real estate, Scott enjoys skiing, rugby, craft beers, and terrible punny jokes.

Press
Scott has contributed to several personal finance blogs and podcasts, along with traditional news outlets including Time, CNBC, and NBC. Find out more about his story at JoeFairless.com, MadFientist, and ChooseFI.

Education
Scott graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in Economics and History, Corporate Strategy, and Finance.

Experience
Scott is an active real estate investor in the Denver market, currently managing a private portfolio of about $1.5M and holds his real estate license as a Colorado broker.

In addition to real estate, Scott enjoys skiing, rugby, craft beers, and terrible punny jokes.

Education
Scott graduated from Vanderbilt University with degrees in Economics and History, Corporate Strategy, and Finance.

Finding Deals 14 min read

Jun 17, 2020Mar 16, 2021 Scott Trench

4 Ways Smart Investors Use Data to Make High-Stakes Decisions

Data can help real estate investors make better-informed property purchases, from avoiding overpaying to pinpointing the best places to invest and more. But you must have a data set that…

FIRE & Retirement 12 min read

Apr 16, 2020Jan 05, 2024 Scott Trench

Sorry, Naysayers. Coronavirus Is NOT the End of the FIRE Movement—It’s Exactly What We Planned For!

Several recent news articles argue that the coronavirus pandemic could end retiring early. That the FIRE movement will disappear. This is just plain wrong. The FIRE community is almost perfectly…

Budgeting 9 min read

Mar 16, 2020Jan 05, 2024 Scott Trench

5 Tips to Survive a Coronavirus-Induced Recession (& Thrive Afterward)

Times are scary. The markets have dropped. Coronavirus is threat to potentially millions of people. If you know the formula for good personal finance, you’ve been preparing for exactly these…

Diversifying Your Investments 8 min read

Feb 18, 2020Feb 13, 2024 Scott Trench

Are You Still Picking Stocks? You Are Ridiculous. Here’s Why.

You're young, ambitious, and want to invest. Think picking stocks is the way to go? I wholeheartedly disagree. Here are my arguments for why stock analysis is a total waste…

Opinion 10 min read

Feb 11, 2020Feb 24, 2024 Scott Trench

Frustrated That Your Friends and Family Aren’t Interested in Investing? Read This!

I remember the moment I decided to pursue financial freedom. I felt obligated to tell everyone I knew about this concept—except almost nobody cared. I remember trying to convince friends,…

Finding Deals 11 min read

Jan 09, 2020Mar 16, 2021 Scott Trench

What’s a “Good” Deal in Real Estate? 5 Criteria to Consider

What’s the biggest problem for investors today? Many will say it's finding "good" deals. While it's true they may be harder than ever to come by, most investors who complain…

Real Estate Investing For Beginners 5 min read

Dec 22, 2019Mar 16, 2021 Scott Trench

Why You May Have Grant Cardone’s Concept of “Massive Action” Dangerously Wrong

Grant Cardone is a proponent of “10X” thinking and taking massive action. And he is damn right. But too many followers get the wrong message. Allow me to set the…

Diversifying Your Investments 6 min read

Dec 06, 2019Feb 13, 2024 Scott Trench

Is the 500 Hours It Takes to Learn Investing Worth It? Yes. Unless…

A price must be paid to get a fair risk/reward profile from real estate investing. That price is time. But the buy-in cost of ~500 hours of networking, self-education, and…

Opinion 8 min read

Dec 01, 2019Feb 23, 2024 Scott Trench

Income Inequality: Are the Wealthy Superior People or Is the System Unfair?

What are the true reasons for income inequality—and what should be done about it? This article may change your point of view on this controversial subject!

Real Estate Investing For Beginners 4 min read

Nov 11, 2019Aug 09, 2023 Scott Trench

Attention Newbies: Stop Rushing to Buy Your First Home Before Your Lease Expires!

Time and again, people come to me planning to buy a first home by a certain date when their lease expires. Do not do this to yourself.

Finding Deals 10 min read

Oct 07, 2019Mar 16, 2021 Scott Trench

How I Landed a Solid Fourplex in Denver—One of the Hottest Markets in the Country

Let's walk through a solid purchase I made in 2017 in a market that's on fire. I’ll show how it fits with my overall investing plan, how I found this…

Real Estate Business Management 7 min read

Sep 16, 2019Feb 24, 2024 Scott Trench

Where Should You Invest the Cash For Your Next Down Payment?

Where you stash your cash while saving for your next investment property is up to you. Here are some things to consider when evaluating your options.

Opinion 12 min read

Aug 13, 2019Feb 24, 2024 Scott Trench

The 5 Financial Decisions That Make or Break Middle-Class Americans

Within this article, I'll walk you through the five decisions that I believe will propel a middle-class American to a sizable fortune over a few decades—or inversely, less optimal decisions…