After receiving a Navy ROTC scholarship to Texas A&M and serving in the Marines, Steve quit college to run a hamburger delivery business with a friend. Unable to meet their financial goals after 2 years, they quit and went into corporate America. After working 60 hours a week for 5 years, winning a national sales contest and a trip to Hawaii, his company cut his pay by $20,000 a year. So, at age 27, with bad credit and no money, Steve quit corporate America and started investing in real estate. He was eventually invested in over 4000 apartment units. For the last 30 years, Steve has helped teach and coach tens of thousands of people on how to use real estate to build wealth and passive income while focusing on maintaining a balanced life. He did this through his daily radio show and one-on-one coaching. He now owns his own coaching and consulting business, Total Wealth Academy www.totalwealthacademy.com where he consults full-time. This program takes people by the hand, step by step through the real estate investing process. The education covers everything from single- family homes, apartments, self-storage, senior living and more. Steve will be seen on Shark Discoveries with Kevin Harrington.
When did your passion for real estate begin?
My passion for real estate started at an early age when I read “Think Like a Tycoon” by Bill Greene at age 21. It woke me up to the real possibility of being a millionaire even though I came from a poor and middle class background. It gave me hope.
95% of Americans fail to retire by age 65. 29% are dead. Americans are suffering financially. Share your perspective.
Many will say that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and imply the rich have something to do with it. They don’t. The reason is much simpler than that. The real reason is the rich teach their kids differently than the poor and middle class simply because the can. When we learn our “map” to success as we grow up, it comes from our parents, teachers, professors, bosses, co-workers and so on. They tell us how to succeed by doing well in school, climbing the corporate ladder, and saving for retirement. Ask yourself this question. Were any of those people multimillionaire entrepreneurs? The answer is probably no. As a result, they were unqualified to get you to success since they have never been there.” The rich give their kids a different map to success. And it works because they have been there. I taught my kids from age 8 on that they needed to develop a second stream on income along with their job. As a result, my son graduated college with $4000 a month in second stream of income from his eleven rent houses. My daughter has an even larger income stream. Some may say that he is brilliant, and hard working. He is, but so are you! The only difference is that he was told the right things to do. How many of you were told to build a second stream of income from age 8? Probably none of you. It is up to you now to follow that path and build your second stream of income and then teach your kids how to do it.
What is the biggest mistake people make when investing in real estate?
Arrogantly going out and investing without educating themselves first. Real estate investing is very difficult if you don’t know what you are doing. It is very easy if you do. There are specific business models, and best practices that you must know before you ever buy your first piece of real estate.
Tell us about the Total Wealth Academy known as “The Most Diverse Real Estate Investing Community.”
We invest in almost every type of real estate. Apartments, self-storage, senior living, hotels, strip shopping centers, RV parks, and more.
What is offered through your one-on-one step coaching?
We walk people step-by-step through the real estate investing process through phone, email, live, and online classes. We teach people how 70% of the millionaires in America built their second stream of income.
Share the steps to success.
1. Develop a burning desire for success. 2. Believe in yourself. This comes from reading self-development books. 3. Educate yourself on how to build a second stream of income. TWA can help. 4. Take massive action on what you have learned.
What trends are you seeing as a result of the pandemic?
I think everything is going back to the way it was before COVID. People are coming back to the office, and I think things will normalize in a few years. What opportunities can be found in real estate? It is the number one tool for building a second stream on income. Partly because we make money in both the up and down markets. In fact, we are praying for a real Estate crash since we make more money in the down market than we do in the up market. As a result, it is the safest, and fastest way to build wealth in America. For millennials who have thought about taking the plunge into real estate, what is your advice? Do it while you are young. Getting old sucks. LOL. I hate it. Think about this. If you are 25, how fast did that go? Be aware, the next 25 will go even faster and you will be 50. Life is brief. Take action now so you can enjoy it to the maximum. Drive that Ferrari in your 30’s. Make love to your spouse under the Eifel Tower now, not in your 60’s.
You will be in the upcoming Shark Discoveries with Kevin Harrington. What can we expect?
Kevin Harrington will be doing an interview with me about building a second stream of income that will be show nationwide over the next few years.
Tell us about your free sample class.
We offer a free sample class live and online for people who want to learn how to build a second stream on income with real estate. We show you how to live a more balanced life that includes family, romance, travel, and all the other parts of a balanced life. We also show you how real estate makes you money 4 ways unlike any other investment. These 70 minutes will change your life. “Listen and learn what the rich teach their kids that the poor and middle class cannot.
What can we find on the Total Wealth Academy Radio Show?
On the radio show, I give a 35,000 foot look at real estate investing and leading a balanced life. We talk about the real estate business model, and best practices for managing and owning it. I show you how to do this while maintaining your fitness, marriage, and the other parts of a balanced life. What do you want your legacy to be? My legacy goal if for the poor and middle class to be taught the same way that the rich are taught. That there be a level playing field. I watched my parents suffer with fears and insecurities about money. Living paycheck to paycheck all their lives. I hate that and it is my mission to teach families how to avoid it.
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