@Jacob HavlovickBigger Pockets is a great place to find a real estate tax accountant.A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

By and large, QI's have very high ethical standards, and are sometimes overlooked as the engines of this tax saving tactic.]REPUTATION MARKERS 📊INDUSTRY STANDINGMembership in professional organizationsLeadership roles in FEAEducational contributions to the industryRelationships with major title companiesCLIENT RELATIONSHIPS 👥Testimonials from CPAs and attorneysReferences from title companiesLong-term client relationshipsTransparent fee structuresRELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS 🚩Overly familiar with your realtor/brokerKickback arrangements (illegal!)

For less risk, consider hard money or a business LOC.Remember that LLC might help in tax savings if you are going to have decent profit.

Fast forward 20 years: I now have money in the bank, excellent credit, live modestly on my own, and run a business that’s doing well.Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to save much for retirement during most of my life.

I'd been working and saving for many years, however, did not feel it was enough.

She has some stock (maybe 50k), some retirement IRA of around 100k which I believe she has started to take and then maybe 20k in her savings account.

Hey @Michael KlickUsing a HELOC to finance your first rental can be a great way to leverage equity in your primary residence without tapping into cash savings.

If you read all of this I'd really appreciate some candid feedback.I live in Snohomish County, I'm a Navy Veteran, have a stable W-2 making about 80K/yr after taxes, and have a modest amount in savings.

Additionally, I have one savings account for reserves for all my properties, which I add to every month. 

I hope you're working on saving up some of your own cash since you will need that to buy more property.