Feels like a go-kart on steroids.  

Any IRA can be set up as self-directed: Traditional, SEP, Roth.Checkbook IRA - essentially it is also a self-directed IRA on steroids.

@Michael Quarles best way I can describe what you talked about is marketing, negotiating, and wholesaling on steroids! 

@Lennie HollandI have a partner and we split everything right down the middle, we cn spend far more than that,,,, but it pays off, So Cal is a tricky market, we do a good amount of deals a year with decent spreads, but theres always those huge deals, that come around 2 or 3 times a year...when they come we dont mess around we put alot back into the marketing side of the business which can carry our marketing for months...and im no expert, but i bleed marketing, i love it, its steroids to me, so i study it, i study the big companies like Sears, Walmart, kmart...etc...and i see how they operate and i apply it to real estate...My partner is a sales guy, he bleeds sales...So combine we make a good team, and one thing we both learned coming from the mortgage world, is LEAD CAPTURING, so we understand that and it allows to keep track of everyone who calls, everyone we speak to, follow ups etc...And no matter what anyone tells you, direct marketing is always the best, a simple letter or postcard, wording is not very important just get to the point...The big companies survive from this, they know what you want before you even know you want it, they track every dime you spend, every keystroke you make, and they feed you advertisment all day, and you dont even realize it...how does the mortgage guy know you need to refinance, how does Sears know you bought a house and wants to give you 50% off all appliances, how does the car guy know you only have 1 year left on your 5 yr car loan, and hes offering you the best eal ever...THEY ALWAYS KNOW...and we as REI should always know...its the same concept, its just finding those people....But anyhoo i know you didnt ask for ll of this, its late, and i always ramble when its late....its a bad habit for me

also try Chicago you will run into all those issues on steroids in that city.... you need to be very proficient at what you do to rehab in Chicago successfully.  

Then there is these Monday morning webinars which are like podcasts on steroids, and you can ask questions for J&G or their expert guest to answer, this has added tremendous value to me.

People are capitalizing on that and selling false goods to these Bros and pumping them full of steroid-like deal flows to catch their ego working strong.

The times have changed, but I still think it is possible, and of course, if you put your program on steroids and speed it up, it may happen sooner.

In the process of creating a spreadsheet that can help me and my team quickly, and accurately analyze a deal, I've created and excel workbook on steroids, possibly overkill, but I can't let it go to waste.

.- Property buying tours (on a bus) in various markets- Networking with the nation's top real estate investors (all coaches that mentor you in the program must make millions of dollars a year in real estate)- Networking with successful people who connect you to others to help your business grow (it's like a REIA on steroids--they're proven performers, not wannabes)- All the legal forms and docs you need to close deals, including purchase offers, mortgage deeds and release of deeds (if you are doing private lending deals), promissory notes, etc.- Unlimited deal review for every deal you do, so someone can guide you and help you make the most out of every deal- Speed of implementation (sure you can learn a lot of this stuff online and from books, but it might take 1-2 years to amass all the knowledge and materials yourself)- Fully integrated software (web site lead generation, deal analyzers, database and customer relationship manager, accounting reports, marketing, etc) -- you could put all this stuff together yourself, but it wouldn't be automated, thus costing you hundreds of hours of extra labor per year- Systems that train your employees- Systems that allow you to replicate yourself in several markets without your business being reliant on you being there to run things- Guaranteed 24-hour response from a coach- Emergency Hotline to talk to a coach immediately- Lifetime membership and access to all their educational systems and continuing markets as markets changeAs you can see, FortuneBuilders's Mastery program is much more than a seminar company.