Invest 4 an Abundant Life

How do you know who to take advice from?

Dec 16, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

A question I got recently from another syndicator is “Who do you go to for unbiased retirement investing advice?”
Key differences between REITs and syndications

Dec 2, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

At a high level, syndications comprising multiple properties look an awful lot like REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) so a reasonable question is why would you invest in a syndication, where your money is locked up for years, when you could invest in real estate through a REIT instead.
Book Review – 10x is easier than 2x

Nov 18, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

Grant Cardone made thinking 10x bigger popular with his book “The 10x Rule” [1] back in 2011. However, he focused on the mindset that you need to reach these seemingly impossible goals. Building on this idea, and providing some additional insight into how to actually make this work, Dan Sullivan and Benjamin Hardy published “10x…
What we look for in our investors

Oct 21, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

You already know that not all investments are right for all investors. That also means that not all investors are right for a specific investment.
Tax Adjusted Returns – understanding how taxes impact returns

Sep 23, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

When comparing investment opportunities, it is very tempting to just look at one of the common metrics, in particular IRR, and pick the investment with the best projected return.
Risk adjusted returns – not all investments behave the same

Sep 9, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

When comparing investment opportunities, it is very tempting to just look at one of the common metrics, in particular IRR, and pick the investment with the best projected return.
Book Review – Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity

Aug 26, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

I am an avid reader of non-fiction. I believe in continuous education and find that books provide an incredible wealth of information. Reading a good book provides both inspiration and insight, opening the mind to new possibilities.
Why I like the Texas markets

Aug 12, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

Once you know what your overall investment strategy is [1] and have decided on an asset class [2], the next major decision point you need to make as a real estate investor is what market to invest in. Unlike a stock, which is identically priced anywhere in the country, the price of real estate varies…
Why I like self storage facilities as an asset class

Jul 29, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

Once you start looking at syndication deals, you will find that there are a huge number of opportunities to invest in a wide variety of real estate – as well as other types of syndications as well (did you know that many movies and broadway shows are syndications?).
Are your investment goals and strategy aligned?

Jul 15, 2023

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Terence Critchlow
Don’t be afraid to ask the hard questions

Jul 1, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

I almost got involved in a ponzi scheme. The only reason I didn’t end up losing a lot of money was sheer luck.
Your lawyer and CPA – don’t invest without them

Jun 17, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

If you hang around real estate investors for a while, you will always hear the disclaimer that “I am not a lawyer, CPA, or financial advisor”. You will even see it on each of my blog posts J.
Why do syndicators share their deals instead of keeping them all for themselves?

Jun 3, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

A common question from people exploring syndication for the first time is, “if this deal is so good, why doesn’t the sponsor keep it to themselves?” It is a very natural question, but misses the point of why someone is syndicating in the first place.
What is a cost segregation and why should I care if I am not a real estate professional?

May 27, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

If you hang around commercial real estate investors for any length of time, you will hear the term “cost segregation” come up.
Yes, you can lose money in real estate, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

May 21, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

Interest rates are up. Inflation is high – which means the cost of everything is increasing rapidly. Banks are failing. Rents are no longer increasing at 10+% per year, And it is getting tougher to qualify for a loan.
Appreciation vs cash flow investing philosophies

May 13, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

There are at least two major investment philosophies. The first is to invest for appreciation the other is to invest for cash flow.
How I think about, and manage, risk in real estate investing

May 8, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

If you have been paying attention to the economy lately, you know there is a lot going on.
What do you mean, “my home is not an asset”?

Apr 22, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

If you have ever read the classic Rich Dad, Poor Dad [1] you have seen Robert Kiyosaki assert that your home is not an asset but rather a liability (note: if you haven’t read this book, you should, it is a classic and helps establish the mindset required to become financially independent). This is one…
Understanding common metrics defining returns: CoC, MOIC, and IRR

Apr 15, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

When evaluating different investments that would fall into the same bucket within your portfolio, it can be challenging to understand how they compare since they may have very different characteristic such as cash flow and time to completion (to know what your buckets are, you need to understand your personal investment philosophy). To help compare…
What is a “preferred return” and how does it relate to a “waterfall”?

Apr 8, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

When you start looking at syndications, you will hear a lot about “preferred returns” (also known as “prefs”), and “waterfalls”. These terms are thrown around a lot but not usually defined. So what do people mean when they are talking about them?
What does “active investing” in real estate mean?

Apr 1, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

When people think about real estate investing, what they typically think about is active investing. In active investing you do the work to make the investment succeed. And if you don’t do the work, your investment will likely not be successful. This is what a sponsor does, but you don’t have to be leading a…
Thoughts on the latest bank failures

Mar 18, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

It has been a really interesting week on the financial front, so I wanted to take a break from my normal focus on syndications and talk about what has happened so far, what seems to be happening in the short term, and some possible long term implications. While this isn’t specifically focused on real estate…
Definition: What is an accredited investor?

Mar 11, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

An accredited investor is the term used by the SEC to refer to investors who are “financially sophisticated”. Accredited investors are able to invest in a wide variety of opportunities that normal investors are not – some of which (such as capital raises for tech startups) are much riskier than the investment options that are…
When should you use an IRA or other retirement accounts to invest in syndications

Mar 4, 2023

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Terence Critchlow

Standard disclaimer: I am not an accountant or financial advisor, and am not providing tax or financial advice, this article reflects my understanding of the rules as they currently exist and is not a recommendation on what you should do. I always recommend talking to your tax and financial advisors before making any financial decisions.

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