(ARA) - Are you ready for retirement? A lot of people think the answer is "yes." They've listened to the experts and put money away in IRAs and 401ks, and they have pensions and social security coming to them. But according to a pair of new studies, it won't be enough.
Both the Retirement Confidence Survey, one of the most established and longest running retirement attitude surveys in the United States, and a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, found a huge gap exists between the public's expectations for retirement and reality.
Scott Roy Smith and his wife, Lucy, know they haven't put away enough, but unlike most of their friends they have a strategy. "Everybody I know who has made decent money, my father included, did it in real estate, so I decided that's what I was going to do too," says Scott.
Late last year, while reading up on real estate investing strategies, he came across the Carleton Sheets' No Down Payment course and signed up. It wasn't long before he and Lucy started making deals.
Their first purchase was a pair of four-plexes - each for $290,000 - that they bought using the equity in their home as a down payment. Just a year later, they nearly doubled their money, selling the pair for $1.09 million.
They then exchanged the proceeds for a percentage share in two large office buildings which bring them about $35,000 per year in positive cash flow. Management of the property is handled by a third party, which frees up their time.
"It's probably a little less flexible than owning my own property independently," he says. "But it also has other assurances. Because it's an institutional grade property, large investment groups and corporations may want to own it in the future."
Now instead of worrying about how they'll manage in their golden years, Scott and his family are enjoying their success. They hope to continue investing in real estate, and to diversify back into the residential market. "We can see the future now," he confides happily.
To learn how to secure your future, log on to www.carletonsheets.com. A 30 day trial of the course materials is available now for the low introductory price of only $9.95.
Copyright © 2006, ARA Content
