First Rental in 2016, Financially Free in 2026 (Every Strategy I Used)

Ten years ago, Erika Brown bought her first investment property. Now, a decade later, she’s financially free, with a portfolio she’s slowly starting to scale down so she can do less, enjoy her life more, and build the early retirement lifestyle she had always dreamed of. But it wasn’t always like this.Back in 2012, Erika was working at a bank, climbing the corporate ladder, with no thought of ever retiring before 65. She just couldn’t ignore one thing—every wealthy client at the bank was investing in real estate. They were on to something she wasn’t, so she tried her first house hack—fixing up a basement unit while raising three kids and working nine-to-five.Then, a few years later, the real investing began. Erika did everything—short-term rentals, Section 8 long-term rentals, cashing out her 401(k) to renovate, renting out rooms, buying up entire blocks. She gives her true, honest take on which strategies are worth the effort, which have a bad rap but strong cash flow, and why she’s scaling down, not up, only 10 years into her investing career. Henry: Before real estate, Erica Brown was working at a bank raising three kids paycheck to paycheck, just trying to climb the corporate l...