Newbie from western PA

[Andrew Cunningham]

I'm amazed by all the information within this site the podcasts and forums.  However I feel as though a sit down with some locals would be a great way to push me into taking the next step towards financial freedom.  I'm in this for passive income.  I'm not afraid of hard work, it's hard dirty work everyday with little pay and no time for anything fun in my life that I'm afraid of.  And I've been doing it the hard way for 15+ years.  Every winter I get depressed by my situation and the cabin fever doesn't help.  My biggest obstacle is my wife,  she gets irritated when she sees me researching anything that would be considered entrepreneurial.  I'm what you might call a dreamer. 

Shortly after getting married I invested 5k into a local restaurant that seemed to be legit.  I was young and it was my own saved money sitting in a mutual fund that hadn't grown in five years except what I contributed to it.  After the owner cashed the check he closed his doors and told me he was going to make a few improvements. He became very hard to reach after that.  I sued,  I won, he paid nothing and its been 8 years.  Needless to say if I had asked to see his books and understood what I was reading I probably would not have invested.   It's not a mistake I care to make again for lack of education.  So I can't blame my wife for her pessimism,  all I can do is try to make one good deal with my own money.  If I can show her that the system works perhaps then she would be on board for the next one.  So any and all help is welcomed.

With that long winded introduction I would like anyone local to message me if your interested in talking about real estate and rental properties in particular.  We could meet up for coffee.