Before I "retired" at age 37, I worked in the corporate world for 15 years and held a variety of jobs including marketing manager for a tech company, a conference and event director, a probation officer, an office manager for a major alcohol distributor, and a counselor at a residential rehab facility for teens.

The one thing in common besides high property taxes is their leadership.

As I have grown in my investing career I have come to realize that attending conferences and joining masterminds is necessary for continued growth.

That said, I also pony up to attend the IMN residential mortgage conferences (East and West).

.- Attend at least 2 national REI conferences to network with you bigger fish!  

However, I was hoping that someone would pick up on the leadership piece of the fourth option.  

I've always felt it provides a great mix of quality for a reasonable price.Outside of that, I'd confer with coworkers regarding your commute. 

Then, start going to conferences, workshops, seminars.

A great program can get ruined by leadership and really bad programs can actually benefit the owners with great leadership. 

Just got back from the IMN Non Performing Loan conference at Dana Point.