And no, I am not using the same philosophy I did with the tax certs(buy and learn). 

@Chris Purcell, I love the time over $ philosophy!  

If you are willing to shed some light on your philosophy behind your practices that would be even more helpful.I am working with the rough idea of [12xPITI + 1 month's rent + my insurance deductible] as a 'formula' for my reserve fund goals.Something I am considering is taking my cashflow and splitting it in half. 50% for me to enjoy now and 50% for reserves and to build funds for future properties.A little back story, I am investing in real estate to subsidize my own lifestyle, a freelancer/traveler.

@James Marshall Here's the link, well one of the links...http://www.kitco.com/news/video/show/Kitco-News/16...I don't expect everyone to stay the same in terms of their investment philosophies.  

(When I was in college, I took CLEP tests for Comparative Religion and Philosophy - feel free to PM me if you want to know more about how this works!)

In any case, the CAFR is really only going to tell you the health of the local government, which may or may not mirror the community at large depending on how well it is managed and the economic philosophy of that town.

I do not understand the philosophy of this.

I love my sleep, but after reading the Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod, my entire philosophy on sleep has changed, and I now need 7 hours (vs 8 Hours) of sleep to be fully functional (Not groggy).

Action - Apply "The One Thing" philosophy to cut down on "clutter" of work. 

I really buy into the whole building wealth through real estate philosophy, but I am not sure I have the personality to be a landlord.