Accountant says don't invest! Confused.......

[Thomas Morlan]

His exact words....'Don't F@#$*&G do it!!!!!!'.  

I am very confused now.  I have been researching/reading books, blogs, podcasts, anything I can find about real estate investing over the last month or so, trying to learn as much as I can and find the right property to begin my journey into the real estate world, and then he drops this bomb on me.  Talk about bubble bursting, sheezz.  

Allow me to introduce myself and my aspirations.  I am a 44 y/o full time optometrist (eye doctor) practicing and living in Northern Indiana.  My modest short term goal for 2015 was to purchase my first 2,3 or 4 unit multifamily home which produces positive cash flow and see where that takes me.  I have a very important and secure job and am very happy being in the healthcare field.  However, because it cost so much to go to optometry school (any medical school for that matter) I still find myself with a 6 figure student loan note, even after practicing for 15+ years! I tell everyone that having this student loan is similar to owning a second house/mortgage.  My actual mortgage costs $1350/mth and my student loan cost $1050/mth.  It's depressing and my hands feel tied because there is very little, in fact nothing, you can do with federal student loans as far as refinancing.  

Consequently, I do not have much in the way of cash to invest with.  This, by the way, is my accountants main reason for his adamant and very blunt and to-the-point advise.  I believe he subscribes to the (paraphrasing here) 'Dave Ramsey Book of Real Estate Investing', in other words, if you can't invest with 100% of your own cash, it's not advisable.  I tend to think it's a very safe, conservative, and maybe even old fashioned approach, but I don't have personal knowledge of clients who have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars either, as he does.  

When I mentioned all the hundreds of success stories I read about on BP.com and elsewhere, his reply was that for every hundred of success stories posted online.... there could be, and likely are, thousands of failures not posted.  The difference is that the failures are not going to post online (or anywhere for that matter) their failures like someone who will post their success and wants to tell the world.  I'll have to say.... has a point there!?!?

I don't want to give up on my real estate investment dreams, but I just don't know what to do.  Anyone with similar advise? How did you handle it?  Thanks

Tom

[Joe Villeneuve]

@Thomas Morlan First. Dave Ramsey isn't an investor...he's a saver (pay down debt)...not the same thing.

Second, your accountant isn't an investor, he's also a saver (efficient use of limited funds)...not the same thing.

Third, those of us on BP (for the most part) are investors (eliminate the limits on existing funds)...and it sounds like you want to do the same thing.

My thoughts?  Watch/listen to Dave R. for entertainment purposes, listen to your accountant to save you money, and listen to other investors to learn how to invest.