hey all, I'm a small time investor setting my affairs in order in anticipation of 1) retirement and 2) a global and/or national fiscal crisis.

At this point I'm still setting the foundation of my business, so I'm interviewing CPA's and Attorneys, setting up the LLC, beginning to network, etc.  

That can set you up for predatory dealing.Read the blog on BP "How To Develop A Good BS Meter" That will tell you where to begin in real estate and investing. :)  

Auction.com does not set the reserve, and what you thought was overpriced was just a really bad reserve set by a bank trying a better return. 

Buying investment property is a great way to build a portfolio that delivers wealth now and sets you up for a comfortable retirement in the future.

I believe there is a designation for "Highly Compensated Employees" (HCE) which allows my company to limit how much I can contribute in order for my company to meet certain rules set by the IRS that are necessary for the company to even offer a 401k.

There is another rental in town that is renting a set $600 per room, furnished with necessities (beds, dressers, sofas, and appliances...) utilities included and laundries.

Looking for some input from this vast base of knowledge on the pros and cons of setting up an LLC or S-Corp for my company structure.

In terms of specific data sets its a trial and error thing. 

My thinking is that I need to create a set of business accounts using my name as the owner and flow my income/expenses on these first two properties though those accounts and then have a separate set of accounts for the LLC activities related to any new properties.