And just look at wholesaling its become regulated yet gurus still tell their students its totally legal the way they teach when it simply is not.. 

I’m hitting a bit of a roadblock when it comes to funding.I’m eager to start building a portfolio, but being young and not having substantial savings yet means I’m looking for advice on how to secure capital to get started.

Securing legitimate deals is a great first step.

total return from an RE investment includes value added, appreciation, tax benefits, equity pay down, and the cash flow. 

I know that the general guidance is that emergency funds aren't to be invested, but given our financial security and the fact that we already have a personal e-fund in a safe, non-volatile location, would it still be crazy/unwise to invest this 15k in an S&P500 index fund in a brokerage? 

You are VERY easily able to open accounts remotely by just uploading your EIN doc and then once your biz account is open you can open additional accounts for things like holding your security deposits, reserves, etc.

Others are also struggling to secure a carrier or are being forced to pay exorbitant premiums just to have their applications reviewed.

Hi BiggerPockets Community,I’m Jaedon, and I’ve spent the last few years helping clients secure business funding to grow their ventures.

I'd say start the process of securing your HELOC if you havn't done so and spend time analyzing deals and determining what type of investor you are looking to be. 

For seller financing deals, I show sellers the interest earned over the life of the loan and total proceeds from the sale.