The Washington Post has several articles of bad apple investors.

Here is a great article about cards.

Don't miss The BiggerPockets Podcast - they are great for learning how others are finding success.Oh - and here are my favorite articles on Wholesaling: 9 Reasons You Couldn’t Find A Buyer For Your Wholesale DealDon’t Start Wholesaling Until You Read This: Wholesale Advice from a Fix and FlipperHow to Start Wholesaling: Getting Past The Education and Into the FieldOh - and be sure to set up some Keyword Alerts- especially for "Palmetto" so you'll be notified when people mention it here in the forums.Thanks again for introducing yourself!

Any one have any good articles or podcasts to check out on this specific topic?

I read this article by Mark Ferguson on paying of mortgages early etc.http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2014/02/09/paid-off-rental-property/I'm beginning to see creative ways to solving the problem of ramping up on investment properties.Thanks again for sharing!!

You may want to check out some of the articles by @Sharon Vornholt on the BP blog.

I've been on BP for a while, reading through a lot of articles and forum posts, and finally decided to introduce myself to the community that is so diverse and experienced! 

Be sure to read through The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing to help you get started.Also - here's a couple articles you might enjoy:The 21 Best Real Estate Investing Books Ever How to Rent Your House: The Definitive Step by Step GuideFinally -be sure to setup some keyword alerts - especially for "Frederick" so you can jump into local conversations.See you around the forums!

Most of the articles I've read state that you still want to make sure to take care of any big ticket items to avoid "equity stake" issues.

Here's a couple articles you might enjoy:The 21 Best Real Estate Investing Books Ever How to Rent Your House: The Definitive Step by Step GuideHow to Be a Landlord: Ten Tips for SuccessAlso, if you haven't yet, try to setup some "Keyword Alerts."