For me, Trust is a simple idea: Do The Right Thing. Some people might find it tough to always do the right thing… especially when money is involved! For Real Estate Investors, the building and maintaining of Trust must be as consistent as the rising of the sun… Each and every day.

Trust The Sunrise and Sunset Everyday www.DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/

Do it right all the time and you’ve got people begging to do business with you.  Screw up even a little, and you’ll spend more time and energy trying to rebuild Trust, or paying for it in other ways. This isn’t only about Real Estate Investing – this goes for every relationship you have.

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In 1995, I left Berklee College of Music and had no idea that one day I would actually want to be a Private Lender. Here’s that weird story..

t might not always be a straight path, but you'll get there with www.DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/
I was in debt with student loans. Unsure of how an inexperienced jazz drummer was going to make his way, I decided to form an investment company with my father (who had 15 years of real estate investing experience) and my brother-in-law (who was about to leave the Army and have a baby). We converged on Orlando. Because of my complete disregard of all things real estate while growing up, I was starting with a disadvantage. We came across some Ron Legrand teachings, and started to get an understanding of real estate investing.

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Last weekend, I had a great conversation about investments with some friends. They finally realized that there is a big distinction between assets & investments. While they’d never thought about those differences before, it occurred to me that most people haven’t thought about them either.  I’m always surprised when somebody justifies a purchase with the term, “It’s an investment”.

Assets & Investments are like Apples & Oranges! Learn more at www.DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/assets-vs-investments/
“Oh, I buy expensive watches. They’ll be worth more in 20 years” a new friend said to me. “Buy a classic car – it’ll hold it’s value” was something I’ve heard before. Or, “I’m buying and holding on to great musical equipment like microphones, because good gear is always going to be good gear” was another comment. These bright, clever, and driven people claimed that all were good investments. But they hadn’t thought about it from the correct vantage point.  If they had, they’d see apples and oranges…

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Get your Loan Approved at DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/

If you want to become a Private Lender, or if you’re a new borrower that wants to know what kind of documentation most Private Lenders require, then this is THE post for you! Because new Private Lenders and borrowers want to know these same things, this post is uniquely targeted to both readers. You do know which group you’re in, right? Good! If you obtain ALL of this information prior to making a loan, then you’ll finally understand why Private Lending is one of the most transparent investments you will ever make. Continue Reading…

Eject out of the stock market now with DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/

October 9, 2007 might have been the best and the worst day for many people in the United States. In the previous few years, people were making money. People felt comfortable and were celebrating. People looked at their houses as a great source of disposable income, and they spent it. Their portfolios seemingly could do no wrong. But that day was the end… at least for a while. Seven months to the day, the DOW had dropped to 6547, losing a total of 7,617 points. This is a 53.77% drop. If you had $50,000 (Which, according to this 2006 report was the average amount people had invested in their retirement programs) your portfolio would have dropped to less than $27,000. Dark times, to be sure.  It was tough on all of us. Some people sold, other people held in the hopes that there would be a recovery. This last week, we can safely say “We’ve recovered our losses!” We have weathered this storm, as challenging as it has been. On January 29th, 2013, the DOW closed at 13,954 - the highest since ’07, and a gain of 7407 in just over 4 years. If you don’t plan now, the next time the market crashes, you’ll crash, too. Private Lending can be your ejection seat. But you need to use it before the crash!

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No Private Lending Magic Pill at DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/There is NO Magic Pill. But there is a pill called Steady & Consistent Work. Some people come to me thinking I’m going to solve all their problems – borrowers and Funding Partners alike. They all want “Better”: Some borrowers want more, cheaper money and to rehab 20 houses a month. Some Funding Partners think they should be able to get 1000% return every 3rd day and to become millionaires in a few months with Private Lending. This isn’t the truth of real estate investing. No Magic Pill exists. The Pill of Steady & Consistent Work is what you should be taking. If you want another type of pill, play the lottery. But if you’re ready for truth, here’s how great real estate investors and Private Lenders do it:

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Private Lenders: Get over your fear of Foreclosure at DiscreetInvestors.com/blog/

The biggest fear that might hold you back from jumping into Private Lending is the need to foreclose on a borrower. Understand however, that this is one of the most powerful tools in your ‘risk-mitigation-toolbelt’! It’s like the nuclear option against an evil defaulted borrower/despot!  Your concerns are legitimate, to be sure. But they’re no reason to avoid getting into Private Lending. In fact, I’m going to share why foreclosure is a Private Lender’s best tool for investing safely!

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