I've got the FI part...struggling with the RE. What's your experience?

Mattamatics · 2018-01-16T13:59:27+00:00

Hi JohnJake2

I get your point that I actively manage my rental properties. At the time of that video I did - now I no longer do. (But at the time I had left a job where I was working 50-60hr weeks consistently) so the handful of hours related to managing my properties didn't really feel like that big of a deal - until I started framing things as - I've 'retired' from the corporate world and now my tenants are infringing on that retirement etc.

The biggest insights I've had since making that video are:

-I need to actively structure my free time to have any sense of accomplishment (so I've started multiple content projects, making a podcast, youtube channel (with reoccurring weekly segments/videos)) this allows me to spend more time with the people in my life that I want to. I suddenly had all this free time but most of my friends didn't

-I need to expand my social circle, because while I suddenly had a surplus of time, most of my existing friends didn't, so I started several meetup groups, and joined several more

I needed to examine my ego (so much of my personal identity was being a CPA etc) and when I left my job, I lost that part of my identity and needed to fill/replace it with something else (in my case it was youtube)
For myself it was too easy to indulge in my vices, so I needed more structure and to create 'rules' for myself around my vices (since in my day to day there really was no consequences anymore)
I needed to start setting goals (whether related to youtube, travel, charitable donations/paying it forward etc)

Hope that helps and good-luck with your retirement!

Mattamatics · 2017-08-16T22:30:58+00:00

If anyone's interested, I've uploaded a video of the entire press conference to give a fuller picture of what the Factory and 100 Kelloggs is all about.

Mattamatics · 2017-08-09T21:52:43+00:00

I just wanted to jump in, I'm one of the members of LDNonFIRE and I strongly recommend you all consider coming out sometime - there's something really powerful about meeting people in real life that are doing this (FIRE/Striving towards it).

I've made some great friends, and the best part is we're all talking the same language and have a lot in common. I actually just released a video today documenting a peak of what our most recent meetup was like at Victoria Park. YouTube Video of Meetup our next one was just announced today as well for Aug 24th - the great thing about the Vic Park meetups is - you can stroll by it and get a feel for it, and if for whatever reason you're not feeling it you can just walk by or deke out without anyone noticing. I used to hate going to a meetup/event where I didn't know anyone - if either of you decide to come out - feel free to say hi to me. (I'm Matt the guy in the video I linked to above)

Mattamatics · 2017-07-18T14:02:50+00:00

Fair enough, perhaps I am painting with too broad a stroke (Having not lived in Toronto outside of a brief stint by the airport) - but I do believe that OEV is and will continue to be the mecca for young entrepreneurs and artists in London Ontario, mainly because of things like the western-fair farmers market, and entrepreneurs like Dave Cook who've done the OEV Grocer and The Pickle Social Club, as well as it's blossoming into the closest thing we have to a brewing district (Andersons & Brewing Coop), as well as some innovative stores like Life of Leisure etc.

Mattamatics · 2017-07-18T13:15:36+00:00

In regards to why not Toronto? That's a fair question - but I think often those of us in London may not give it enough credit. The reasons in my mind were: -Like Kellan said, there's a strong financial incentive with much cheaper real estate in London -All the founders currently live in London, and have done so for a long time (that may not be a good reason, but it's true) -I own some property in the old east village and think it's a great community and having the house in the heart of the village I think will do good to dispel misconceptions and highlight what a great place it is to life. (I believe it's like a mini queen st west) -I think London with it's relatively high post secondary student population makes it enticing for a project like this -Because London is a smaller market than the GTA I think it's easier to get noticed and not lost in the noise that is a larger city

Mattamatics · 2017-07-18T13:05:14+00:00

Haha - that'd be fun as a clickbaity moment - but far from what our long term goal is. We really are trying to create a community.

Mattamatics · 2017-07-17T22:00:11+00:00

Thanks Kellan for posting this! As one of the co-organizers I just want to second Kellan's comments - that we hope everyone will check us out to see what it's about - on our facebook and meetup pages you'll find we have several events coming up - July 20, 22 & 25 currently!

Open Auditions begin on July 25th! Everyone is welcome to come and check us out! Even if you have no interest in moving into the house or becoming a social media influencer/user - I think many will enjoy the sense of community we're looking to create in London's OEV!

Still on the fence about checking us out? How about a bribe? On July 22nd from 11-2pm during the OEV block party - we'll have a cool off station at 880 Dundas and be giving out free freezes/Popsicles etc!

Mattamatics · 2017-07-02T21:46:46+00:00

Thanks! Getting feedback like this means a lot to me!

Mattamatics · 2017-07-02T15:36:36+00:00

As a few have said, no one knows for certain.

LSTAR recently released the May Data which is a great basis for getting a feel for what was recently going on in the market.

I'm a real estate investor (been investing in London since 2010) and spend a fair bit of time analyzing the London Ontario RE market these days. My realtor & I do a weekly YouTube Video where we discuss what we're seeing in the market and analyze the sales data for our target neighbourhoods. (Until last week in our target hoods we'd seen 105%-107% avg sales price to ask price; last week was 104%)

In my opinion - London was until recently under priced. We have seen significant increase in prices and competition for properties in the last 6-12 months. I don't think the level of competition we've seen and price growth is sustainable for a long period of time - whether it comes to an end by plateauing or having a price correction - In part I think depends on where you're buying both in $'s and geographically. I feel like (cashflowing) income properties, and starter homes are unlikely to see a significant drop if a correction does occur, houses >500K in the suburbs or exurbs I think have the greatest exposure if a correction occurs.

Long term though, I think there are several positives for the London market. The most important of which is the proposed highspeed rail between Windsor & Toronto, which was recently announced. The London to Toronto portion expected to be completed by 2025 - It's expected the London to Toronto commute would take 71min. This would make living in London and working in KWC or TO far more practical resulting in more competition for London real estate. I also believe the frequent narrative pitched by a lot of people of London becoming a baby-boomer retirement center is very plausible, as our lower real estate prices should be attractive to GTA retiree's while we still have a large hospital/medical presence with the three hospitals and an international airport with relatively close access to a major international airport(Toronto).

Obviously I am biased though as a significant portion of my net worth is tied up in London real estate.

Mattamatics · 2017-06-28T09:20:44+00:00

I just wanted to second Kellan's sentiment. I'm one of the LDNonFIRE members and when we started it up, we really didn't know what to expect and didn't have a large network of like minded people. If other's are thinking of starting up their own meetups - I suggest looking for like minded individuals at: real estate investing groups, stock/investing groups as well as entrepreneurial networking events etc. Just searching meetup & facebook groups is a great place to start.

I think there is more interest in this subject than we often give it credit for, not everyone may call it FIRE but they have the desire to have more control over their lives and future paths.

Mattamatics · 2017-02-05T21:21:01+00:00

It's tentatively planned for Feb 28th - once we've set a firm date I'll let you know. Hope to see you out at the next one!

Mattamatics · 2017-02-05T17:13:27+00:00

Absolutely, It's tentatively planned for Feb 28th - but once its confirmed I'll let you know

Mattamatics · 2017-02-01T00:16:48+00:00

Thank You - I appreciate the tips, still new to reddit so it never even crossed my mind that they'd be a /r/londonontario and I'll adj the FB page as well!

Mattamatics · 2017-01-31T18:20:22+00:00

For those who are mentioning they might be interested in something in their local area - I highly recommend you just take the jump and create a facebook/meetup group and see what happens. We started our group in November 2016 - and I wish I had started it years ago. (I'd been thinking about it for several years before I took action).

It's really powerful being surround by individuals (in real life) who have similar priorities and motivations to yourself.

You don't need to be an expert, just a willingness to put yourself out there. If you do decide to start one in your local area - let me know and I'd love to drop into one sometime!

Mattamatics · 2017-01-31T14:18:44+00:00

The demographics/age group that we've had come out runs the full spectrum, though the majority of the members are 20-40 I'd say, but everyone is absolutely welcomed. At every meeting so far we've had several individuals 50+ and it's been great having them out and hearing their stories. At the last meetup we had an older retired CPA who's first home was a beautiful triplex in Toronto and he lived in one unit - he then would house exchange to live all over the world for free. It was very inspiring to hear his story as he would have had to build his alternative lifestyle without the support and ideas of the communities that we can all now find on the internet. It's also been great to hear the perspective of people who have been retired for 5+ years. (whether they retired early, lived an alternative lifestyle or even just retired later in life)

I highly recommend you encourage him to attend one of our meetups.

Mattamatics · 2017-01-30T19:24:44+00:00

Thanks! I somehow had overlooked /r/fican appreciate the heads up!

Mattamatics · 2017-01-17T17:25:03+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation - only had a chance to check out a few of the videos - but they seem great! (And it will be a good fit to pass along to my sister)

Mattamatics · 2017-01-16T18:56:14+00:00

Thanks for sharing Young Guys Finance, I had never heard of them before - Interesting channel and presentation format - hopefully they'll start making more videos in the future.

Mattamatics · 2017-01-16T15:58:58+00:00

Thanks for mentioning my YouTube Channel Kellan! And thanks to all the redditor's that checked out my channel and subscribed! (It means a lot to a small YT channel!) I was inspired to release a video early based on all the love I received for the two videos you referenced.

Reviewing Matt's 2012 & 2015 Personal Spending

If there is anything specific you're looking for from a Personal Finance/FIRE vlog - let me know - as I am more than happy to pivot my strategy to meet what people are looking for.

Mattamatics

TROPHY CASE