I've heard so many success stories on the BP podcast of people who've done really well with the buy-and-hold strategy and have the freedom to travel and not have to work a 9-5 (unless they want to, of course) and can pursue other interests, so that is a huge dream of mine too.

We have a clear path to financial freedom and we are running towards it. 

What would you recommend me doing first as a new investor so I can FINALLY pull the trigger and be on my way to finacial freedom ?  

However at some point I was desperate to live by myself - to get to experience that freedom so for about two years I paid two rents, two sets of utility bills (this was before I knew anything about REI) then decided she can move in with me again not only to save some money but because she was getting depressed on her own.

Josh, first thing is, you are owner occupied and that gives you more freedom to do things.

This way he could scale his impact, help more people at more scale, build a business of more freedom and impact, and add lots of value.

When you tell these people that it often takes more than a decade before the investing makes things like that possible, they go looking elsewhere for advice, until they find someone who's willing to sell them what they want to hear.Building relationships, improving your lifestyle, relieving chronic anxiety, creating strong friendships, building bonds with family, work-life balance, delayed gratification, risk-reward management, lifelong financial freedom, all the really good things about REI are often suffocated under the overwhelming need to GENERATE INCOME TO QUIT MY HATEFUL JOB.What's the best thing about investing for me?

I have no doubt that we will achieve financial freedom via Multifamily Investing for our family!!

Everyone is very inspirational and pushes me towards financial freedom. 

That said, if a new government is formed that is pro-personal property rights and freedom of individuals and businesses, it might be worth a look in a few years. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/06/nicaragua-ortega-protests/562094/