BiggerPockets Daily BiggerPockets

As real estate investors, your emergency funds are a critical line of defense against unexpected costs. It prevents you from dipping into your budget to handle them.
But what should you really use an emergency fund for? And how much money should you keep in your safety net? Here’s everything you need to know.
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From the moment we take our first steps, we’re handed a blueprint for the American dream. Grow up. Get educated. Land a job. Buy a car. Tie the knot. Purchase a house. Raise a family.
Clock in for 40 years while diligently stashing away funds in a 401(k). 
It’s the classic tale of success, promising a life of stability, security, and financial freedom. But what if I told you that beneath this facade of prosperity lies a lurking threat to your wealth journey?
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If you read traditional financial independence/retire early (FIRE) bloggers, many of them reached their goals by simply pairing a high savings rate with a standard portfolio of stocks and bonds. There’s nothing wrong with that. It works, and anyone can replicate it. 
But my wife and I follow a different path to FIRE. You do need a stable financial floor—but that’s just the beginning.
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If you dream of becoming a real estate investor but work at Walmart, you could well be on your way to realizing your dream much sooner than you think. This comes with one important caveat: You’d need to manage a Walmart store to enjoy the financial benefits that could set you up with the cash needed to invest.
Walmart U.S. announced last week that it would be giving its store managers stock grants in the company. The announcement comes after Walmart also made the decision to raise managers’ salaries and introduce a new bonus structure that will allow store managers to earn up to 200% of their salary in annual bonuses. 
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When evaluating deals in the competitive world of house flipping, as showcased in my current project, featured in my Flip/Off battle with James Dainard (you can also read about his weekly progress), I consider several key factors to ensure both a strategic purchase and a profitable sale. These components are crucial to the success of the flip and are designed to resonate with a broad range of potential buyers, especially those entering the market for the first time.
But before I share my recipe for success, let me give you some background on my project.
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Breaking news: Direct mail is still a key factor in real estate marketing, and it has the potential to be bigger and better than ever before. That’s because the analog marketing technique is being supercharged by digital tools. 
The days of the one-size-fits-all approach are gone. We all remember those days: stacks and stacks of the same advertising leaflets delivered to hundreds of local mailboxes, only to be discarded by uninterested (and often annoyed) residents. The cost of printing was, in many cases, unjustifiable, given the lackluster performance of this marketing method. 
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