Are the seminars valuable or scams?

[Brian Orr]

I've heard multiple times on podcasts, people that speak of large value from continued education, conferences, seminars, etc... But i've also seen a few BP blog posts warning that they are scams... The one around here a lot is the Rich Dad education series. A 3 day course that's affiliated with Kiyosaki sounds great of course... 

Can anybody suggest a list of helpful seminars and conferences vs. ones we know are scams?

[Nathan Gesner]

Kiyosaki is no longer affiliated with his seminars. He sold the business to someone else and I've heard they use actors as their speakers and it's a hard up-sell to attend one of their bigger, more expensive seminars where there is a hard up-sell to sign up for private coaching.

All the courses I've looked into are "gurus" trying to up-sell. Their presentations are designed to play on the emotions of sheep, peddling products and upgrades and coaching...all founded on the idea that anyone can do this, you don't need money, financial discipline is not required, etc.

If you find a seminar, do yourself a favor and Google the name of the individual, the seminar, or the company. Search them on BiggerPockets or post a question asking for feedback. You will likely get a lot of negative responses. You may also get a positive response...typically from someone that has no investment property or that recently bought their first one. That's hardly an endorsement.

Everything you need to know is on BP. Read some books that teach you the following:

1. Financial discipline. You need to handle your current finances before you try handling investments and risk.

2. Basics of real estate investing. There are good books here on BP, or you can try the Unofficial Guide To Real Estate Investing or Real Estate Investing for Dummies. Look for a book that provides a general over-view.

Once you have the basics, learn how to find deals, fund deals, and manage deals. Again, you will learn more from one decent book than you would from any $3,000 seminar. If something doesn't make sense, refine your knowledge by reading blog posts or asking questions on BP.