A degree in finance, economics or business administration translates very well to a career in real estate. 

I am in the max savings camp with @Chris S.It sounds like you are a bit more optimistic than I am on the overall economic trends in AK.   

In this market full of economic volatility, I think the need for multiple exit strategies has never been more important.In other words, I'm staying away from high-end flips, just because I don't know how much to trust the market.

Price is UP = + 7 % in January 2021.Economics 101 Supply and Demand -  If Supply is low and the Demand is high the Price will go UP.We expect Sales to continue UP in 2021.  

There are a lot of markets that cash flow well, however, I recommend focusing not only on short term cash flow but the longer term economic and demographic trends of a market.

HELOCs will give you powerful "check-writing ability" that works well for flipping homes, doing BRRRR style investing, and similar, but can lack the stability of a refinance.In light of the current chraos (crazy chaos . . . the only sufficient description of our social, political, and economic policy interplay right now) I'm personally looking to secure as much good debt as possible, amortized for the longest period, for the lowest interest rate. 

Retiring or slowing down can cause an identity crisis for those who don’t have plans for the next chapter of life.

And last but not least, area economics.

BTW, I do not have much knowledge of past events or economics so I'm just stating my thoughts.Thanks for the advice!

What does the future economic and population growth look like?