Learned.RENTAL - Fast forward to March 2017, I was listening to a financial podcast (cannot recall which) and the hosts kept mentioning that the wealthiest people on the planet have a significant real estate portfolio.

For the latter I may not know the title of the person...financial advisors have wrinkled their brows while tilting their heads. 

I'm currently consuming all things REI - books, blogs, podcasts, etc. in hopes of gaining the knowledge to make an exciting and financially independent future for myself and my wife.

@Patrick PhilipThe beauty of much of this business for the investor is that while an investor sees a piece of land with a structure on it in terms of fungible value, a retail buyer sees a home and hearth, a place to raise their children, somewhere to grow old together with their loving spouse, a symbol of their financial competency, a mark of belonging to one class rather than another.

I've also really enjoyed a blog/podcast on personal finance and broader financial independence at  https://www.choosefi.com/https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/11/1...https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2013/04/1...

I can't imagine a more frustrating and dangerous scenario than to try to invest in an unfamiliar area that meets your financial proformas but where you don't know anybody, have access to on and off market opportunities, have relationships with trades people and property managers. 

So things that are red flag for me may be fine for someone more aggressive.1) Portfolio matching: (takes 30 seconds per deal)a) Have an educated opinion on where you think we are in the real estate cycles (financial and physical market cycles)b) Then only then pick the strategies, capital stack, and specialized asset subclasses that make sense for that opinion.

My goal is to eventually become financially independent so I dont have to depend on my job and do the things that I enjoy.

Luke Kwon Congrats to your decision on wanting to focus on real estate as a vehicle to reach more financial liberty and thus freedom of choice.

Be careful daisy-chaining your properties together financially with HELOCs because if a downturn in the market occurs, your property investments will fall like dominos.