In this episode of the Truly Passive Income Podcast, hosts Neil Henderson and Clint Harris are joined by the insightful Chad Ackerman, co-founder of Left Field Investors. Diving into a captivating discussion, they reminisce about their recent encounter at the 'best ever conference' in Salt Lake City and delve deep into the world of passive investing. From market nuances to community building, this episode promises a treasure trove of knowledge for every passive income enthusiast.
[00:01:25] - Introduction and Chad's initial journey into passive investing
[00:11:37] - Strategic approaches to passive investing
[00:15:07] - The rapid growth of Left Field Investors
[00:17:50] - Incorporating financial education into daily life
[00:20:20] - Chad's decision to leave the corporate world
[00:23:02] - The intricacies of underwriting deals
[00:25:57] - Diverse investment opportunities across locations
[00:28:44] - Chad's affinity for unique investment ventures
[00:31:03] - Balancing investment strategies with personal life stages
[00:34:06] - Realizations and reflections on passive income
Website: LeftFieldInvestors
Email: Chad@leftfieldinvestors.com
YouTube: Left Field Investors
Books Mentioned: Anti-Fragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
YouTube: Truly Passive Income
TikTok: @trulypassiveincome
Instagram: @truly_passive_income
Facebook: Truly Passive
Twitter: @trulypassive
Everything you need to get started in passive investing - Download Here
Mentioned in this episode:
Sponsored by Nomad Capital
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In this episode of truly passive income.
2
:We sit down with Chad Ackerman
co-founder of left-field investors.
3
:We talk about his journey into passive
real estate investing and building a
4
:thriving community of passive investors.
5
:We discussed.
6
:Chad's transitioned from corporate
HR to becoming a full-time real
7
:estate investor, the importance
of education and networking, and
8
:Chad's advice for new investors.
9
:Welcome to the Truly
Passive Income Podcast.
10
:I'm Neil Henderson.
11
:Clint Harris: And I'm Clint Harris.
12
:Today we have Chad Ackerman with us today.
13
:Chad Ackerman is one of the co
founders of Left Field Investors.
14
:Chad, how are you, sir?
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:Chad Ackerman: I'm doing great.
16
:Appreciate you guys having me on.
17
:Really excited about this.
18
:Clint Harris: Yeah, absolutely.
19
:Happy for you to be here.
20
:Um, so I was, Neil and I were
talking earlier, we met at the, the
21
:best ever conference in Salt Lake
City and of everybody there, it's
22
:my second year at the conference.
23
:Very pessimistic feel to the whole thing
this year compared to the year before,
24
:just because of the current market, the
variable rate debt and things like that.
25
:The most exciting thing for me, Coming
out of that conference was meeting
26
:up with you guys with, with what you
guys are doing with left field, the
27
:community that you put together, uh,
you know,:
28
:for me was, I think the coolest thing.
29
:So I'm really excited to have you on.
30
:Chad Ackerman: Well, I'm glad you
didn't just say the happy hour we threw.
31
:So I'm glad it was more
content than entertainment.
32
:Neil Henderson: What happy hour?
33
:I didn't get to see a happy hour.
34
:There was a happy hour?
35
:Clint Harris: Neil got stuck in
the elevator for an hour and missed
36
:the first half of the happy hour.
37
:Chad Ackerman: Oh, that's great.
38
:Neil Henderson: I heard the food
was amazing, but it was all gone.
39
:Chad Ackerman: The food was fantastic.
40
:Yes, but no, we, we really loved hearing
your guys story too and meeting Nomad and,
41
:and understanding your guys strategy and
we look for a lot of diverse asset class
42
:and operators to bring to our community
and you guys are unique by all means.
43
:So we were excited to meet you
guys too and get you engaged
44
:with the community as well.
45
:So.
46
:Clint Harris: Yeah, absolutely.
47
:Thanks for being here.
48
:I want to talk a little bit about,
obviously give you a platform to
49
:talk about what you guys are doing
at left field, but on top of that,
50
:um, you've got a banking background.
51
:I know you worked in HR for a long time.
52
:You have a, uh, you're a data analytics
guy, which speaks to my heart.
53
:I've got a background investing in
short term rental and multi family
54
:conversions, and that certainly
helped me have some success there.
55
:So, but, uh, you know, Your story that
I've, I've been listening to your content
56
:and things like that, and you kind of,
you sat on the sidelines for quite a
57
:while, and then you really turned it
on, and you got aggressive, you know,
58
:I guess maybe five or seven years ago.
59
:So kind of tell us about
your story a little bit.
60
:Chad Ackerman: No, that's fair.
61
:I don't, I don't know if I was sitting
on the sidelines or just ignorant
62
:to what was available out there.
63
:I think it's probably a better way to
say it, but I was a career corporate guy.
64
:You know, I, I done the HR thing for,
30 plus years and just thought that
65
:was the way it's what I was taught,
you know, do the 401k, set up a Roth,
66
:you know, go through that process.
67
:And I was following that to
a T and I switched jobs in,
68
:uh, 2015 and I used to live.
69
:Two miles from where I worked and
this new job, I had a commute and
70
:somebody at the new job said something
about getting multiple income
71
:streams and talked about real estate.
72
:And I was like, well, that, you know,
real estate's always been something
73
:that's been intriguing to me.
74
:I'll go out and start finding some
podcasts and started listening to
75
:Bigger Pockets and, and then started
reading their books or listening
76
:to their books on my commute.
77
:And, uh, yeah, I got bit by the
bug bad that it, it really fired
78
:me up to want to look into this.
79
:And I was chasing the shiny object
syndrome bad of not sure what I
80
:wanted to do was in a full time W 2
didn't really think I could replace
81
:my income or I, everything I looked
at, I just needed to scale like
82
:crazy that I was like, I just, I.
83
:I wasn't comfortable with making it work.
84
:I didn't know how I'd
be able to get there.
85
:And I had found a local meetup group
here in Columbus, Ohio, through
86
:BiggerPockets, that was called Coin,
that I went to four or five of those.
87
:And the last one that I went
to, uh, Jim Pfeifer got up and
88
:talked about how he left his.
89
:corporate job to, um, pursue other
things because of his passive income
90
:from investing in syndications.
91
:And I'm like, this, this
sounds like the thing.
92
:This is what I've been looking for.
93
:I don't have to worry
about the scale as bad.
94
:I don't have to worry about tenants.
95
:I don't have to worry about
construction or rehab or
96
:whatever, but I can scale still.
97
:And so I reached out to him after
the meeting, found out we live
98
:in the same suburb of Columbus.
99
:So we got together for a drink
and, you know, I'll cut out a
100
:lot of the middle story, but.
101
:Yada, yada, yada.
102
:Here we are, uh, several years later,
we've started a whole community of
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:like minded passive investors to
educate, network together and grow.
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:And that's allowed me to be able to
leave my corporate job and retire
105
:from the corporate world, if you will.
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:And, uh, doing the left field
thing full time, as well as my own
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:passive investing and so forth.
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:So I skipped over a lot there, but you
know, you got the, the beginning is,
109
:uh, kind of interesting, I think and
you don't want to hear about all my
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:shiny object chasing probably, uh, so...
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:Clint Harris: Neil and I have the
same disease, I can promise you that.
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:And, you know, one thing that you
said that I don't want to pontificate
113
:here, but the same, something as small
as you changing jobs, and having a
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:commute, and having windshield time.
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:And using that time and investing
in yourself completely changed the
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:financial trajectory of the rest of
your life and where you are right now.
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:The same thing happened to me.
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:Chad Ackerman: And I, I started, well,
I wasn't a big podcast guy before that,
119
:but once I got into it, I thought,
okay, you're blessed with this time.
120
:I can listen to the, you know, true
crimes kind of things that entertain
121
:me, or I could try to better myself.
122
:And that was really the approach.
123
:And then I, I kind of even paused after
I'd been doing it for several months
124
:and I'd read like 12 books in the car
or listened to 12 books and umpteen
125
:podcasts, I'm like, well, maybe I need
to focus on being a better parent.
126
:And so I started.
127
:trading out like business podcasts
and books for self help or
128
:betterment kind of things too.
129
:Just to like, again, take advantage
of what time I had available to me
130
:to really turn this into something
profitable personally, spiritually,
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:you know, the whole ball of wax for me.
132
:That was really my take on this, uh,
when I had that time available to me.
133
:Clint Harris: So, Chad, the
exact same thing happened to me
134
:when my wife and I relocated.
135
:I had a 16 year career in medical sales,
11 years before we moved to Wilmington.
136
:I took a promotion.
137
:We moved to Wilmington,
North Carolina in:
138
:And my wife was in medical sales as well.
139
:She was going back and
forth a couple times a week.
140
:Uh, to Columbia, which is
about a three hour drive.
141
:And she started telling me about
some podcasts, some Pockets podcast.
142
:And I was like, okay, well, I have no
interest in making pants or anything.
143
:So I didn't really
understand what it was about.
144
:And over a period of a couple months,
we always talked about real estate.
145
:We had invested, we had a small
portfolio of nine single family homes.
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:We did most of it wrong,
but we didn't know.
147
:Um.
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:Her vocabulary changed and the way
that she was talking about what we
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:were doing and forced appreciation and
leverage She started using different
150
:words and having different conversations
and looking at things with the goal in
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:mind And I was like, what is going on?
152
:And then that's when she turned
me on to the world of podcasts.
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:And I just want to say that no matter
what it is, um, if you don't know how
154
:to do something or, you know, you have
questions about your future and the
155
:answer is, I don't know, that's okay.
156
:Because that just implies ambiguity.
157
:Ambiguity is a lack of
education and education is free.
158
:We have more available right now than
we ever have in the entire world.
159
:So whether it's real estate, self help,
raising kids, better marriage, whatever
160
:it is, having that time and investing that
time in yourself, uh, is, is monumental.
161
:If you add up the amount of windshield
time that you have, there's a good
162
:chance that in just a couple years, it's
enough hours for a master's program.
163
:So anyway, that's my soapbox.
164
:That's my soapbox on that.
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:But good for you, man.
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:I'm proud of you.
167
:Neil Henderson: Chad, you had a little
bit different real estate trajectory
168
:than the average passive investor
is that you never invested in real
169
:estate actively other than perhaps
buying your own personal residence.
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:Is that correct?
171
:Chad Ackerman: That's correct.
172
:Yep.
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:Neil Henderson: So what was it
that You, you'd mentioned coin.
174
:What was it that spurred you to
take an interest in investing in
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:real estate in the first place?
176
:Chad Ackerman: I actually have a,
um, a minor degree in real estate.
177
:So I had been in real estate, uh,
during college, I was going to
178
:school at night, putting myself
through college, working, uh, for a
179
:civil engineer firm of all things.
180
:We were the right of way department.
181
:So we went in and bought
all the real estate.
182
:or signed all the contracts to be
able to go do road work, utility work,
183
:whatever, that got me interested in it.
184
:And I'd gotten my real estate license
in Ohio, never sold a house, but the
185
:project we were on, we bought 250
homes and relocated people out of it.
186
:So I said, I never, never bought it or
never sold a house, but I bought an awful
187
:lot of houses with my short year that
are two years that I was doing this.
188
:So I'd always kind of had that
inkling, but I left it for.
189
:25 years or so before this person
that I work with kind of dropped the
190
:hint of about a second income stream.
191
:I, I'd had buddies that had
done flips and some buying holds
192
:and stuff, single family work.
193
:Um, so I, I'd seen it and you
know, what always irked me is
194
:like, Hey, I'd call them up, but
you want to go golf on Saturday?
195
:Well, I can't, I got to go to
the rental and what can I got to
196
:go, you know, move a person out
or get them evicted or whatever.
197
:And I'm like, Oh, you know,
that just, it never really.
198
:Rung through with me, especially
while I was in a W 2 to
199
:dedicate that much time to it.
200
:And so the only reason I probably
didn't pull a trigger was just, it
201
:just never seemed to fit to be like,
is this really a path I can take and
202
:scale and be comfortable doing it.
203
:And in that conversation with Jim,
he's kind of the first one that broke
204
:it down and said, well, you know,
let's say you had 50 grand to go buy a
205
:distressed single family home and you
had to put another 25 grand into it.
206
:and you flip it over and
maybe you make 125 on it.
207
:He said, what if I told you you could do
that exact same thing in the syndication
208
:world without having to lift a hammer or
vet a tenant or whatever the case was.
209
:And I was like, I'm intrigued.
210
:I liked that a lot.
211
:And so I, I never got comfortable enough
to pull the trigger on a single family
212
:thing, but once he kind of walked me
through that logic, and then when he told
213
:me about the tax advantages, and I really
started to understand that in my math.
214
:Uh, I was, I was bit by the bug again.
215
:You know, that's when
I, I got really excited.
216
:And, uh, Clint, as you had said, the
first deal then that I got into, you
217
:know, forget about single family.
218
:I jumped to a 17 story building
in downtown Cleveland, uh, that
219
:I got involved with instead.
220
:And I haven't looked back since I've,
I've loved the space ever since then.
221
:Clint Harris: Yeah, that was a conversion
on a, an old existing building, I believe.
222
:And I've, I've heard some of
your content on that in the past.
223
:Tell me a little bit about when you
got started, you know, I heard you
224
:mentioned before that, that maybe you
wouldn't have done that as your first
225
:deal, I believe you said that somewhere
just from the cashflow standpoint.
226
:So in terms of when you made the
decision that you're aggressively
227
:going to pursue a strategy that could
get you out of your W 2 job, that
228
:clearly comes with defined goals.
229
:And a timeline and probably
a diversification strategy.
230
:So walk us through kind of where your
head was at as you made that decision
231
:and how you've honed in on that.
232
:Chad Ackerman: Yeah, no,
that's, that's very fair.
233
:I, and I'd like to tell you, I had that
all worked out when I started and the,
234
:the 17 story building was strategic.
235
:But it was, it was a shiny object
syndrome it was, it was neat.
236
:It was, Ooh, this is cool.
237
:It's a Rockefeller building.
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:Rockefeller built it back in the day.
239
:They're rehabbing it to micro
apartments from office space and
240
:Sherman Williams bought the office,
the, the surface lot right next door.
241
:And they're going to build their
corporate global headquarters there.
242
:And so it was great location.
243
:So yeah, it was, it was a lot of
luck and a lot of shiny object
244
:syndrome that made me pick that one.
245
:The reason why I say I probably shouldn't
have gotten into it is that my goal, once
246
:I finally got to that point and wrote it
down and defined it was to get out of my
247
:W 2 and that particular investment, though
it will be a, I think a good investment.
248
:I'm happy I'm in it.
249
:It hasn't cashflowed in three
years because it's a major rehab.
250
:It's tied up in a lot of paperwork still.
251
:So it's done nothing for my
immediate goals of needing cashflow
252
:to get out of my W 2, if you will.
253
:Um, so it, that one,
it's, it wasn't a mistake.
254
:It's not like some guy ran off with my
money and I went broke on that deal.
255
:Nobody's going to have
empathy for me over that deal.
256
:I think by the end of the day,
which is okay, it's just, it did
257
:teach me a lot of, Hey, really
understand what you're getting into.
258
:There are, many different aspects
of these deals that can get very
259
:almost customizable that really
needs to align to your goals.
260
:If you're going to be, you know,
strategically looking at this, uh, and
261
:it's easy to get lost in some of that.
262
:It's not rocket science, but you need
to understand it to be sure that you
263
:aren't buying a whole bunch of Ground
up builds or full rehabs if you need
264
:cashflow, which was really what I
was ultimately trying to look for and
265
:just didn't realize it at the time.
266
:So, so it helped me learn a lot
because it was the first deal.
267
:Once you get in, just taking action
to get into that first deal teaches
268
:you so much, but it really then let
me regroup and define my goals and
269
:then I could be better about picking
and choosing what I got into next.
270
:Neil Henderson: Well, you really
discovered that there are,
271
:you know, two primary types
of investments in syndication.
272
:There's growth or equity,
equity growth and cashflow.
273
:And, and then, and then
there's a blend of both.
274
:And, and that's really what you need
to be clear about going in very clear
275
:about is what is the short term goal?
276
:What are the short term distributions
of the syndication and what's the long
277
:term timeline and how does that fit
in with your, your investing goals?
278
:Chad Ackerman: Like that's well said.
279
:Yep.
280
:Uh, that's what I try to preach in my
podcast as well of like, I don't have,
281
:thank goodness, you know, that terrible
deal that went sour kind of example
282
:to give to people, but I can give them
that, Hey, you know, I got excited.
283
:I jumped in, which isn't the worst
thing to do as long as, you know, you
284
:did pick a right deal, but I've done
much better since I've known my goals
285
:better and could really understand what
those asset types are and how they're
286
:going to help my goals in the long run.
287
:Um, and then, and then, you
know, go forward from there.
288
:So it was helpful.
289
:Luckily, it wasn't a
total bust kind of thing.
290
:If anything, you know, it'll,
it'll, it may be a home run one
291
:day, you know, honestly, so, so I
say nobody will feel sorry for me
292
:for picking the wrong one there.
293
:Clint Harris: Yeah, I'm
sure that it will be.
294
:I think that when it comes to the idea of.
295
:Um, either figuring out writing
and verbalizing your own goals
296
:or picking operators, picking
asset classes, picking deals.
297
:I think the, um, that's really
where the value and importance of
298
:left field investors shines to me.
299
:Because that community.
300
:That comes out of that, you know, if I'm
looking at a deal, it's one thing versus
301
:if you have 500 sets of eyes looking
at that deal and the conversation that
302
:comes up and hearing other people's goals
and what they're trying to achieve in
303
:their timeline, it rubs off on me and
that affects me and I'm like, Oh, I want
304
:to do that the same way that that Jim
had a conversation with you and you're
305
:like, That's what I want for my future.
306
:That's what I want that to look like.
307
:That's where the reality of, um, I
think that real estate investing has
308
:changed so much just in the last 10,
15, 20 years because of our ability
309
:to network, uh, ability to network.
310
:Obviously locally, we all have
a computer in our pocket now.
311
:Podcast.
312
:Uh, forums and things of that nature
that the community that you guys
313
:are building and the scale that you
have, you guys have:
314
:And so there's so many different goals.
315
:There's so many different deals out
there that you put all that together.
316
:It's really powerful and it
helps you sharpen kind of what
317
:you're, what you're aiming after.
318
:Chad Ackerman: Yeah.
319
:And it, I mean, it's a funny story.
320
:You talk about the luck of the,
of discovering the windshield time
321
:and starting into the podcast world
and how that changed my trajectory.
322
:Left field is the exact same kind of.
323
:I, the idea there that we opened it
up in March of:
324
:that it was going to be a 10 to 15
person meetup and COVID hit right
325
:before our first meeting that we
never got to have that first meetup.
326
:And we got put on zoom like
everybody else in the world got put
327
:on to collaborate and organically.
328
:It snowballed on us then to where three
years later, we've got:
329
:like you say, in the community that we
never would have been here talking to
330
:you from a left field perspective had
COVID not happened and put us onto Zoom.
331
:And it, and it took off from there,
uh, which I think is just call it
332
:fate, call it, you know, divine
intervention, whatever it is.
333
:It gives me goosebumps half the time
when I think about it of how close we
334
:could have been to not coming here, being
here at the time, but enough dominoes
335
:fell at the right order at the right
time that it really put it together.
336
:And now, to your point, in the economy we
are in right now, I don't think there's
337
:anything better than to be a part of a
community to kind of make sure you're
338
:educated before you pull the trigger
on things because it's getting tighter.
339
:It, it, we're seeing more
and more operators that maybe
340
:weren't ready for these kinds of
environments being exposed now.
341
:And so having that community to kind
of bounce off of and feel, you know, a
342
:little better about getting into this,
I think is, A huge asset at this point
343
:that I've been, you know, I'm, I'm
10 times a better investor today than
344
:I was when I got in that first deal.
345
:Just, you know, what got me excited about
that first deal was the multiplier they
346
:had on it and the cashflow, you know, the,
the, uh, preferred cash they had on it.
347
:Well, I didn't pay
attention to capital stack.
348
:I didn't pay attention to the debt.
349
:I didn't pay attention
to most of the metrics.
350
:And, you know, I've gotten so much more
educated through my time developing
351
:left field and being a part of this.
352
:As well as all the interactions I've
had with the community members that,
353
:uh, you know, I, I couldn't have paid
for, um, any better education than what
354
:I've gotten by doing all this stuff.
355
:So, uh, it's been a neat journey.
356
:Neil Henderson: Well, talk to us a
little bit about some of the education
357
:that you've gotten after that first
deal, some of the lessons learned.
358
:You talked about, uh, understanding
the capital stack, understanding
359
:when the distributions are
gonna go out, things like that.
360
:You've obviously, uh, do you mind telling
us how many deals you're in LPN now?
361
:Chad Ackerman: Uh, I'm up to, I
think it's 18 deals now that I'm
362
:in between directly investing them.
363
:And then, um, we've partnered with a
company called Tribevest that allows
364
:you to group invest as limited partners.
365
:I'm in four different
tribes, um, investing in
366
:different deals with them now.
367
:One of those tribes, I always like to
share, I've put my two teenage kids
368
:in with me and we invest together so I
could start teaching them about it and
369
:getting them, show them tangible stuff.
370
:They're helping me vet deals.
371
:They're helping, you know, they're
learning as they go along then.
372
:Um, so that's been another avenue
that I've tacked on as I've been
373
:doing this so they can, 40 something
like I did to figure this stuff out.
374
:They're learning about it as
teenagers that they can make hopefully
375
:better decisions or good decisions
along the way, better than I did.
376
:Clint Harris: I love that.
377
:So I've got a, I've got a three and
a half year old and a seven week old.
378
:Um, with the three and a half year
old, we, we do chores around the house
379
:so that he can get his allowance.
380
:And, uh, his allowance is 5 a week, right?
381
:Five ones.
382
:And it's One is for saving, one is
for giving, and three are for him.
383
:And we're working towards getting to
the point where we can find a long term
384
:goal that he wants to save money for.
385
:It's a little bit of a struggle right
now, but uh, we're getting there, yeah.
386
:And then we've got a
deal starting next year.
387
:Neil Henderson: It doesn't
get easier at eight.
388
:Clint Harris: Starting next year, he
has to start a business that we're going
389
:down to the little local farmer's market.
390
:I think he's going to like grow
some little basil plants and try to
391
:sell them for a dollar or something.
392
:But, um, you can't start that young
enough, especially, you know, you
393
:got teenagers and you know, the
moment they can sign legal documents,
394
:you, you're, they're invested in
something like that, that it creates
395
:that dialogue and that conversation.
396
:I mean, I don't know how you got started.
397
:I remember.
398
:When and where I read Rich Dad, Poor
Dad, that was the first thing that,
399
:you know, everybody's got that moment,
whether it's Bigger Pockets or Rich
400
:Dad, Poor Dad, or whatever it is,
everybody's got that light bulb moment.
401
:And that was for me.
402
:And, um, at a fairly young age,
and then I kind of took a long time
403
:to really learn what I was doing,
but, um, man, that's so awesome.
404
:I'm that I'm excited.
405
:I'm, I'm stealing that.
406
:I'm, I'm doing that with my boy.
407
:Chad Ackerman: No, please do.
408
:I think it's been great.
409
:It, it was helpful with the teenagers
that I had been in enough deals and
410
:I had my track excel spreadsheets
and I could sit them in and I'd
411
:had enough cashflow coming in.
412
:I could sit them down
and start to show them.
413
:And I had my first deal go full cycle.
414
:So I could walk them all
the way through that.
415
:And that really helped, um, pull
the whole process together for
416
:them that it started clicking.
417
:And then they, the
interest was there then.
418
:And once they were interested, then
that made it all easier to say, Hey, let
419
:me put you in a tribe and let's let's
invest in this together and so forth.
420
:So it, I don't know, it's,
it's one way to go about it.
421
:That's for sure.
422
:I don't know if it's the right
way or not, but they're, they're
423
:getting into it at the very least.
424
:So.
425
:Clint Harris: Well, we know, we
all understand if in real estate
426
:investing, we all understand the
value of time, especially with, with
427
:equity growth and cashflow over time.
428
:We all, you know, everybody at some point
wishes, man, I wish I got in five years
429
:earlier or 10 years earlier or whatever.
430
:Like these are the first real estate
investors people are ever going to meet.
431
:They can't say that.
432
:They're going to have been in it for so
long and you've got the benefit of time.
433
:So I'll be honest with you, Chad, I
think you might need to update your bio
434
:on left field investors because it still
says that you have a full time job and
435
:I know you to be a full time investor.
436
:You left your job.
437
:I left my job, um, November of 2022,
and, uh, I think that you were not, you
438
:were around the same time that you were
full time, uh, real estate investor.
439
:Chad Ackerman: March of
23 is when I left, yeah.
440
:So, not very far off from that.
441
:Clint Harris: Fantastic.
442
:Well, it's, uh, welcome
to the, the other side.
443
:So, um, tell me about the goals that
you guys have for Left Field, for
444
:what you're accomplishing, um, the,
the growth rate, what you guys are
445
:looking at, and what you guys are
doing to educate your, your community.
446
:Chad Ackerman: Yeah.
447
:So I think where our emphasis
is, it's great timing.
448
:We were just in Minnesota, our
operations team in person last week,
449
:kind of having a strategy meeting.
450
:We sat together in a conference room for
12 hours one day and six hours another
451
:day, hashing out kind of what direction
we, we just did a website update.
452
:So we've been really bunkered in on
that lately and we wanted to kind of.
453
:build out our direction going forward now.
454
:And I feel like we're really trying
to peel back and put an emphasis on
455
:education and build out a lot more
material for that, for the community.
456
:Um, one of the main things we want
to do is get a bunch of masterclass.
457
:Videos put together and build out a
library from, I think we've run into, um,
458
:kind of just running with kind of where
we are in the, in the industry that gets
459
:pretty thick into some heavy material
that we need to peel back and, and hit
460
:material for the newbie a lot too, to help
educate them and get them started as well.
461
:that we want to put an emphasis on that.
462
:Also, um, we've got so many things
that we want to build some new tools.
463
:Um, we want to get more
feedback from the community.
464
:That's how we've done a lot of the
change that we've done is relying
465
:on what the community feels like
they're missing and trying to
466
:find a way to build that for them.
467
:Um, so it's, we want to kind of get
back to that nitty gritty that we
468
:started left field out with that made
the culture, what it is, which is the
469
:biggest thing we're trying to protect
in everything we do with left field.
470
:You know, we.
471
:We went about.
472
:building left field as a hobby,
which allowed us to build a culture
473
:because that's all we thought it was.
474
:And then a year and a half into it,
we realized, you know, Hey, wait,
475
:there's a business in here too.
476
:Let's build a business around this now,
but let's not upset the apple cart.
477
:That is the culture that we built because
we think it's a pretty good thing.
478
:And that's, Ultimately, our
biggest asset, I think, is the, the
479
:community really seems to thrive
because the way the interactions
480
:that we keep having and so forth.
481
:So, so we've got some ideas in mind,
we've got, you know, some plans to
482
:move forward and we're just trying not
to, you know, disrupt anything that
483
:we've built so far, because that's
what's made it work so well so far.
484
:Clint Harris: Well, I know that you won't,
you, you guys have, you said the same
485
:thing and Jim said the same thing as well.
486
:Like you just want to stick true to
your roots and be education first
487
:and education at the end of the
day is, uh, it's, you know, within
488
:the foundation of who you are.
489
:Creating some really powerful investors
that together are going to be able
490
:to accomplish some really, really
big things and keep each other from
491
:stepping on landmines too, right?
492
:Like we've all had those deals when
you're underwriting yourself early
493
:on, they never turn out the way
that you hope that they're going to.
494
:And a lot of times you just need somebody
smarter or more experienced than you
495
:to keep you from blowing your foot off.
496
:And that's kind of.
497
:That's, that's one of the things
that you guys have the ability
498
:to do for your community.
499
:Chad Ackerman: Yeah.
500
:Well, and I, I say we, we have that
group think or we can lean on one
501
:another and help educate each other.
502
:I said, we may all be wrong on certain
deals sometimes, and we may all go
503
:down together, but at least we have a
group to go down with kind of thing.
504
:Cause you know, there's risk,
there's inevitable risk that we
505
:can't see a lot of times too, that
something may just go sideways on us.
506
:But...
507
:You've at least educated yourself as
good as you could by being part of a
508
:community and asking the questions and
having other eyes on it that, uh, it gives
509
:me some comfort anyway, put it that way.
510
:Neil Henderson: Chad, can you tell
me a situation where the community
511
:has maybe discovered that either
discovered a really good operator or
512
:discovered an operator that they want
to stay away with and stay away from?
513
:And you don't need to maybe, we don't need
to trash any operators here, but maybe,
514
:you know, stalking general, generalities.
515
:Chad Ackerman: Yeah, no, I definitely
we've, um, we'll, I'll give props to
516
:the one we had, we had not met, uh,
Rise48 and Zach Happenstall prior
517
:to being involved in the community.
518
:And we had, after we had done a few
deal webinars, had a few operators come
519
:in and talk, we had several community
members come to us and say, Hey, We've
520
:been investing with this guy in Phoenix
and he's been doing really great.
521
:We think you ought to meet him and
he's one of our preferred partners now.
522
:Uh, we've had a great
relationship with him.
523
:He's brought a lot of deals
that the people in the community
524
:have been very excited about.
525
:That's been a great connection that was
brought to us by the community members.
526
:Um, I think maybe one of the bigger
stories of what's come out of the
527
:community that has turned into something.
528
:We're now starting to see clubs pop
up, subgroups pop up in our community.
529
:That it started the first thing that
really splintered off from left field.
530
:was a crypto focus group that the
community came to us and said,
531
:Hey, we'd like to, we see chatter
in the forums about crypto.
532
:We'd like to learn more.
533
:Is there any experts in the group?
534
:And we had a guy raise his hand that
had been doing it for several years.
535
:And he started off a subgroup still
under the left field umbrella.
536
:but crypto focused and we call it the
crypto bullpen and that is spiraled.
537
:Now we see we have a women's group that
started up that we think is fantastic.
538
:We've got a group called NextGen
that's kind of the 35 and younger.
539
:So people that are starting out, uh,
gives them an avenue to get started in it.
540
:Um, and now we're
starting to see regional.
541
:left field meetups occur locally
where people can get face to face.
542
:So we, we, when we open our new site, we
put a club section up and allow people to
543
:open their clubs up and boom, boom, boom.
544
:We're starting to see these regional
ones pop up that I think is awesome.
545
:And then we were like, well, shame on us
that we haven't done one here in Columbus,
546
:Ohio yet that, uh, we got to lead by
example a little better sometimes, but.
547
:Uh, we've got five or
six that are up already.
548
:And you know, the website's only been
up for two weeks that I have a feeling
549
:it's going to keep revolving around that.
550
:Charlotte's the closest one I've
seen to you guys so far, FYI.
551
:So, but, but that's, that's
all been community based.
552
:Clint Harris: That's amazing.
553
:We've got four real estate
meetups here in town.
554
:I host a commercial real estate meetup,
but there's always room for one more.
555
:And this is the kind of
thing that I could see.
556
:It's obviously organic, right?
557
:You guys tapped into something
you didn't even know was there.
558
:Now, I think that the
hunger was always there.
559
:That hunger for education and alternative
investment strategies was always there.
560
:The thing that you got lucky with
a little bit is that you timed it
561
:right with COVID when everybody...
562
:Like me that's not tech savvy was
forced to learn how to use zoom and
563
:forced to get online because that's
just where the world shifted to.
564
:But that hunger was always there.
565
:And so you guys have just tapped into
something that's organic and it's
566
:growing like wildfire on your, your site.
567
:There's no reason it shouldn't grow
organically in physical locations as well.
568
:So.
569
:Neil Henderson: Chad, so it's
called left field investors.
570
:It's not called passive
real estate investors.
571
:And I want to make that clear.
572
:We, you know, we talk about
real estate all the time.
573
:As you said, it's crypto, it's, uh, it's
ATMs, it's multifamily, it's storage.
574
:Is there anything in the
community that you were like,
575
:wow, that's way out in left field.
576
:I never like, I never thought of that.
577
:Chad Ackerman: Uh, um, I think the
one I heard hit BEC that I'd never
578
:thought of was, um, there was a guy
there that is syndicating laundromats.
579
:That I thought
580
:Neil Henderson: Sam Wilson,
581
:Chad Ackerman: Sam Wilson.
582
:Yes.
583
:Uh, then I'm like, well,
that's interesting.
584
:I'd never thought about the
cashflow going through that thing.
585
:I'm like, well, it's no
different than a car wash.
586
:If car washes work, why
wouldn't laundromats work?
587
:So, um, but you know, honestly, we've
seen some odd things that, um, what we
588
:flagged them as we, we kind of, you know,
we're in this whole syndication world,
589
:we call the alternative investing world.
590
:Well, when you get into the,
these, outside of the, you know,
591
:the multifamily, the self storage,
the mobile home park, we call that
592
:other, the alternative alternative
investments that you could get into.
593
:Um, honestly, we love finding this
stuff because the fact that the
594
:community has grown to the size it
has, we feel like we potentially
595
:have people looking for anything.
596
:They want to diversify their portfolios.
597
:They're looking for that.
598
:odd thing or something different
to put in just to hedge or
599
:diversify a little further.
600
:So I almost feel like that's our job
is to go find operators that are doing
601
:something slightly different, which
honestly is what got me so excited about
602
:Nomad and your guys strategy, because
I'm like, that's, that's in something
603
:that they feel comfortable with from
a self stare storage standpoint, but
604
:it's a different take on it that I, we
hadn't seen in the community yet that
605
:I think they'll get very excited about.
606
:Um, what you guys are offering, the
deals you structure and so forth.
607
:And that's what I view like we need to do.
608
:We get plenty of multifamily
operators, you know, we don't
609
:have to look for that as much.
610
:I like looking for something
that's a little different to give
611
:that option to our community.
612
:It may only be a small population of it,
but we're at least offering them an avenue
613
:that maybe they haven't thought of before.
614
:So I love finding stuff
that's just off the wall.
615
:Uh, I don't, I don't know if
we have any like super strange,
616
:um, you know, we've gotten into
the death benefits a little bit.
617
:We've seen some of that stuff.
618
:Um, I'm trying to think of some
other ones that are just kind of out
619
:of the norm, but I don't know it.
620
:We're on the hunt for them.
621
:So if there are any out there,
feel free to reach out to
622
:left field and let us know.
623
:Clint Harris: I know you guys have
done, uh, it was a coffee farm.
624
:I think a chocolate farm or something.
625
:Uh, there's a, there's a
little bit of agricultural.
626
:There's crypto, obviously real estate.
627
:Um, the ones to me that are interesting,
like you said, laundromats and car
628
:washes, that it is the real estate,
but then it's the operation on top.
629
:So you got to make sure
and vet the operators.
630
:But, um, yeah, it's, uh, it's, uh, it's
very entertaining getting in that group.
631
:Your forum has got a lot of
interesting content in a good way.
632
:Chad Ackerman: Well, in the entertainment
business, we've got Broadway plays
633
:that have popped up as well, just to
give you another curveball one, too.
634
:So, uh, yeah, it's, you name it, if
they need to raise money for it and
635
:syndicate it, you know, it shows up
at some point in time, it seems like.
636
:Neil Henderson: Well, I'm a big, I'm
a big follower of, uh, Author by the
637
:name of Nicholas Nassim Tlaib, who
wrote a book called Anti Fragile.
638
:And he has a strategy, his
investing strategy, he has what's
639
:called the Barbell Strategy.
640
:Which is that 90 percent of your
investments should be in things that
641
:are nicely risk adjusted, stuff that
you really understand that you're
642
:probably pretty sure is going to pay out.
643
:And, you know, index funds.
644
:So, you know, pretty normal average
syndications, things like that.
645
:And then you should reserve
10 percent for that pie in the
646
:sky, like possible home run.
647
:Um, you know, death benefits,
crypto, uh, whatever it is.
648
:Have you, have you followed that strategy
at all or are you mostly in real estate?
649
:Chad Ackerman: Uh, well, so,
um, I followed that strategy
650
:in the real estate side.
651
:How about that?
652
:Um, so, I, uh, I haven't shared
this with you yet, but I,
653
:because I got bit by the bug.
654
:Shortly after I did the 17 story building,
I'd done a couple more deals by then.
655
:I, I took a look around, knowing my
goal was to get out of my W 2, um,
656
:I took a look around at where I had
capital sitting, which was my 401k.
657
:So I actually liquidated my 401k, took
everything out, paid the taxes, paid
658
:the penalty, and moved it all into real
estate or into syndication business
659
:then, uh, because I had bought into it.
660
:And it, it, It was based
on where I was in my life.
661
:My kids were getting grown.
662
:I'd had college figured out for
them that I was going to do.
663
:I was comfortable in my W 2 for a while
that I knew that, you know, worst case
664
:scenario, I was 50 years old at the time.
665
:I thought, well, I could always start
saving again if I, something went totally
666
:wrong, but I knew I'd diversify in real
estate as well that I never felt truly
667
:like I was going to lose everything.
668
:So I, I, Pulled the trigger on, on
moving it all out of right field as
669
:we call it and put it into left field
instead and then try to diversify
670
:in the left field side of things.
671
:So went with multifamily as the majority
of my portfolio, but then got into mobile
672
:home parks, self storage, some, crypto.
673
:Um, just kind of did that smaller mad
money and, uh, some other things I've
674
:turned away from a lot of things.
675
:I think one of the other big
lessons I've learned is to be
676
:disciplined and stay in my lanes.
677
:Uh, because we see so many different
asset classes come through.
678
:There's a big shiny object syndrome
in this business too of, wow, you
679
:know, this car washes do sound neat.
680
:Let me go try that.
681
:But I've, I've pulled back on investing
in them personally, just because.
682
:I've tried to discipline myself to
stick with my four or five asset classes
683
:that I want to get to know even better
and feel really comfortable with.
684
:Then if I've got, you know, an extra
25 laying around or something, I
685
:can maybe go put that in a tribe
and take some riskier investments
686
:with it possibly as one strategy.
687
:Um, but I've really tried to
stay focused in, like I said,
688
:mobile home or a multifamily.
689
:Mobile Home Park, Self Storage,
and then Triple Net Lease.
690
:I like a lot of Triple Net Lease.
691
:I've got some industrial and
some commercial Triple Net
692
:Lease that I've done too.
693
:So, um, I've tried to just, you
know, for the, for a little while,
694
:I want to just stick in those asset
classes and learn them better.
695
:And then as I get more comfortable
with them, start looking for
696
:maybe the next two or three asset
classes that I'm interested in.
697
:That's been my approach.
698
:Clint Harris: So, that's a,
that's a big action step.
699
:Big time.
700
:Like at that point in your career
to, to realize that you're betting
701
:on, you're betting on you, right?
702
:You're betting on your ability, obviously
you're betting on operators, but
703
:you're betting on your ability to pick
deals, to pick operators, to diversify.
704
:across the board.
705
:I know you to be a banking
and a data analytics guy.
706
:So obviously there was a, there was a
conversation there about opportunity
707
:costs, about what your 401k was doing
and leaving it in there for another 15
708
:years versus pulling it out, paying the
penalties, paying the taxes, converting it
709
:and what that difference was going to be.
710
:So what did that look like when
you sat down with pen and paper and
711
:you're, you're making that decision?
712
:Of like, what do I do?
713
:Do I play it safe or do I bet on
everything that I believe in here?
714
:So what did that analysis
look like for you?
715
:Chad Ackerman: Uh, it was, it was payable.
716
:I am a, I'm a data collector, so I
will sit and analyze and analyze and
717
:analyze and analyze, and then I'll
analyze it again, just to be sure.
718
:Um, but then once I've, once I've.
719
:Kind of felt like I've ran my course
and I feel comfortable with it.
720
:Then I'm a buyer and I'm an
action guy at that point in time.
721
:And I made it to that point.
722
:Um, it was easy.
723
:One of the things that helped
as I was talking to Jim, Jim
724
:mentored me through a lot of that.
725
:He used to be a financial advisor.
726
:He boiled it down to a little bit of a
realization of like, well, you're going
727
:to pay the tax on it no matter when you
do it, so you almost have to take the tax.
728
:situation out of it.
729
:Other than the fact, had I waited and
spreaded that out longer, I probably
730
:could have lowered my tax burden
on that as opposed to taking it all
731
:at once and paying a huge chunk.
732
:But I also knew, you know, I looked
at the self directed IRAs and I
733
:was like, well, I still can't use
that to get out of my W 2 though.
734
:So that was like the biggest hiccup of all
of it was If I want to get out of my W 2,
735
:there's only one option then that's left.
736
:If the taxes aren't going to be as
big of a concern because I'm going
737
:to pay them either way, then it
boiled down to my analysis was, well,
738
:you're really only worried about 10%.
739
:And if I was 50, I thought, well, in
15 years, when I could actually touch
740
:that 401k money for the first time.
741
:I can make a lot more up, up on that,
you know, what I lose in that 10 percent
742
:doing what I'm doing in real estate.
743
:I felt then it would be if I
left it in and I watched it go
744
:up and down for another 15 years.
745
:And hopefully it's on the upcycle when
I'm ready to take it out kind of thing
746
:that it just, I, I, what I did and I,
I set a goal, a number and I'm like,
747
:well, if my 401k gets to this number,
then I'm going to take it out and I'm
748
:not going to have buyer's remorse on it.
749
:You know, it's like, be
happy that you got this.
750
:Uh, don't think back about, you
know, gosh, if I would have waited
751
:another two months, would have gone
up more, you know, in another day,
752
:it could have gone down quite a bit.
753
:So I was, I was happy to just draw
the line in the sand, take what I got.
754
:And, uh, you know, I jokingly I said, ask
me, you know, in, in another three years,
755
:if it worked out all right, but so far
I, you know, I was able to leave my W2.
756
:So it's worked out so far, uh,
that I, I don't have any regrets
757
:over doing it at this point.
758
:So hopefully that stays that way.
759
:Clint Harris: So I hadn't
thought about it that way.
760
:You know, essentially it
just boils down to 10%.
761
:Like you said, you're paying the
taxes at some point either way.
762
:It's very interesting because
I'm, I'm 40 years old.
763
:I'm sitting on an IRA and a 401k and
trying to figure out what to do with them.
764
:The IRA, I'm turning self directed
and that's going into syndication.
765
:I'm trying to decide
what to do with the 401k.
766
:And, uh, I thought I had my mind
made up until you and I talked today.
767
:So maybe I'm trying to
go back to the drawing
768
:board.
769
:If that's a more,
770
:Chad Ackerman: sorry, you're welcome.
771
:I don't know what,
772
:Clint Harris: yeah, I think so.
773
:I think so.
774
:That's a, it's a really interesting
way of, of framing that.
775
:Neil Henderson: All right,
Chad, here's my last question.
776
:We try to ask every one of our
guests this with the caveat that
777
:this is not investing advice.
778
:This is for informational purposes
and entertainment purposes only.
779
:It's.
780
:May of 2023, you have 100, 000 that you
have to invest within the next 90 days.
781
:What is your thought process
on where you would invest that?
782
:Chad Ackerman: In this economy?
783
:Or in an ideal economy?
784
:Neil Henderson: In this economy,
I said it's May of:
785
:Chad Ackerman: Yup.
786
:So in, in my situation where I
am, I'm actually dealing, I have
787
:a, I have a deal that's going
full cycle next week, actually.
788
:So I'm, I'm living what you're asking
right now, to be honest with you.
789
:Um, where I am today, because I'm out
of the W2, I'm looking at cashflow.
790
:So I've got a, a CRE
fund that I'm looking at.
791
:The cashflow is really well
that I'm excited about.
792
:I'm in his third fund.
793
:I'm looking to get in his fourth
fund, um, that I'm probably going
794
:to put a lot of it in there.
795
:I'm actually, this sounds like a
total plug, I want to put a chunk
796
:of that in with Nomad, because I'm
really excited about the situations
797
:you guys are developing too.
798
:So I'm earmarking some of that money for
it, uh, because you guys cashflow as well.
799
:So it kind of fits that same model for me
that I'm looking for at this current time.
800
:But, but that cashflow is the biggest
thing I'm looking at right now.
801
:I, because I got into that 17
story building, that's going
802
:to be a big equity thing.
803
:I'm in some multifamilies that are
going to have some good equity.
804
:I'm leaning more to the cashflow side of
things just to help with not having that
805
:steady paycheck that I used to have, uh,
just to balance it out a little bit more.
806
:So that's where my head
is personally these days.
807
:Clint Harris: Great answer, Chad.
808
:Especially, like I said, I'm, I'm out
of the W2 steady income world as well.
809
:So full time investors.
810
:So I think there's a lot of
importance there of looking at
811
:like a lot of the deals that we
do are those conversion deals.
812
:And even though they have a
preferred return, they may not
813
:pay out for sometimes two years.
814
:If we buy an old Kmart, we're
converting it for a year.
815
:It takes a year to fill it up.
816
:There's other deals you can buy
that are cash flowing day one.
817
:Multifamily, where it's a
performance improvement plan, their
818
:cash flowing right off the bat.
819
:So the importance of making sure that
you clearly define those goals, whether
820
:they're cash flow, equity growth in
the back end, or whatever they may be.
821
:Uh, and make sure and plug that in.
822
:That's something that, that
resonates with me right now
823
:too, cause I'm in the same boat.
824
:So completely understand that.
825
:Neil Henderson: Chad Ackerman,
thank you so much for sharing
826
:with our audience today.
827
:We've so enjoyed talking to you.
828
:If any of our audience wants to
reach out to you and find out more
829
:of what you're about and what Left
Field Investors is about, where would
830
:be the best place for them to go?
831
:Chad Ackerman: Yeah.
832
:Easiest places to our website
at, uh, leftfieldinvestors.com.
833
:Uh, or you can reach out to me directly
at Chad@leftfieldinvestors.Com as well.
834
:Always happy to meet some new people.
835
:So, but I appreciate the time today.
836
:This was great.
837
:Really enjoyed talking to you guys.
838
:Neil Henderson: You too, Chad.
839
:Thank you very much.
840
:Clint Harris: Sounds great.
841
:Thanks, Chad.
842
:Appreciate your time.
843
:Neil Henderson: Thank you so much
for listening and watching the
844
:truly passive income podcast.
845
:If you liked the show, if you think
it would be useful for someone else,
846
:the greatest compliment that you
could give us would be to share the
847
:episode, leave a comment down below.
848
:Or leave us an honest review.
849
:If you have any questions, don't
hesitate to let us know down below
850
:and remember with truly passive income
comes freedom of time, place and the
851
:freedom to pursue your higher purpose.