Chris for into real estate 34 years ago, and Lauren dives right in. It started by being exposed to his dad’s commercial real estate buildings when he was younger. In the 90s, they built over 100 homes, profiting on each. When the 2008 crash came, though, things weren’t good. He had A LOT of homes in his name. To get back in the game, and make good on what he owed, Chris bought a list and started calling. Now, Chris is focused on doing deals with his community members using what he’s learned since the crash. Some of the community members are in Florida, which naturally piques Lauren’s interest. Chris gives an example of the type of deal they do: single family homes sold via rent to own. Chris believes everyone should have a real estate coach. If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 190: How Retiring at 44 Changed My Life.About Chris:Chris Prefontaine is a Rhode Island-based real estate investor, 7-figure coach, and CEO of Smart Real Estate Coach. He is a Forbes Business Council Member and a 3x Inc 5000 Honoree for Fastest Growing Company. Over the last 17 years, he has coached over 30K individuals and engineered more than $75M in transactions. Connect with Chris:https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisprefontaine/https://www.instagram.com/chris.prefontaine/https://wickedsmartacademy.com/mastersclasswickedsmartbooks.com/LaurenConnect with Lauren:https://www.realadultingiseasy.com/⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/About Lauren:Lauren Keen Aumond is passionate about personal finance. She hosts the Adulting Is Easy podcast, where she helps make adulting easier for listeners by making money easier. Lauren became a millionaire at age 31 through high income, investing in stocks, and owning and managing real estate. She was able to leave her 9-5 at age 33 and now manages her short- and long-term rentals on the west coast of Florida with her husband. For fun, Lauren plays tennis, spends time with her family, drinks red wine, travels, and boats.

This week we're replaying one of our most popular episodes! Back to regularly scheduled programming in 2 weeks! Thanks

Forget passive income, find passionate income? OK, OK, you can do both. This week, Lauren is bringing you her interview with Brian Luebben. They talked about what financial freedom is, and Brian firmly believes the best way to get there is through passionate income. You must figure out what fires you up, and what you want to spend your time doing. And once 50% of your time is spent on your side hustle, go in on it full time. Your financial foundation is not sexy stuff. Brian's involved house hacking (renting part of a property out while living there) in Atlanta, GA. Brian drops a TON of actionable advice. What does your exciting life look like? Maybe it’s not traveling around the world. Document this in detail, using a tool like a vision board. Surround yourself with mentors and coaches. Your peers matter too. Confidence comes from action. Not the other way around. Your environment matters. Information is not the answer, you have to take action. YOU will be the reason you succeed.

About Brian Luebben:

Brian Luebben is an Entrepreneur, Podcaster, and Real Estate Investor out of Atlanta, GA. He started a DJ company in college. During his career, he made it to the top of a Fortune 500 Company in their Sales Organization, only to realize quickly that living the “corporate America life” wasn’t for him. Brian now runs a successful podcast “The Action Academy” where he talks to seven, eight, and nine figure entrepreneurs on how to earn freedom in life and business. Through his podcast, cash-flowing real estate, and his Media Company, he has the Financial Freedom to do what he wants, when he wants, with who he wants.

Brian left corporate job in March 2022, hopping on a one way flight, and traveling the world for 6 months straight. His new mission is to help 1,000,000 other people do the same through The Action Academy.

Connect with Brian:

⁠https://twitter.com/theactionpod⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/actionacademypodcast/⁠

⁠https://theactionacademy.co/⁠

Connect with Lauren:

⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy ⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/⁠⁠

Financial literacy has two parts 1) knowing your numbers and 2) knowing the terms people use in the industry. Michelle has always been passionate about numbers, especially business numbers once she became a business owner. Later, when she got her personal finance knowledge and certifications, though, she became OBSESSED. You don’t have to be as passionate as Michelle or Lauren, but you should at least start talking about personal finance and learning. And it’s easier to learn now more than ever. No longer are “they” able to gatekeep finance knowledge from you. Michelle then opens up and shares her story of racking up over $500,000 in debt – and that didn’t include a mortgage! She proves that learning her numbers, learning the terminology, and talking about her situation improved her life. Michelle started digging herself out debt by debt (some of which had been written off by the lenders over time). Lauren reminds the listeners that we shouldn’t try to keep up with others because we don’t even know if they own the things they have. Trying to keep up could mean piling on a lot of debt. If you’re looking to start today, get honest with yourself about your debt. Know your numbers! And make sure you give yourself permission to build and have wealth. It’s not amoral (and you can always give it away). Michelle closes by reminding us that we’re not alone in our personal finance journey.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 161: Beyond Broke: Unleash Your Financial Potential.

About Michelle:

Michelle Campbell is the author of Bluebird, a memoir that candidly explores themes of trauma, heartbreak, and the resilience found in life’s struggles. She is also the founder of a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals through financial literacy and fostering economic stability. MICHELLE CAMPBELL was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and began her educational journey in South Dakota before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia, to continue her studies. During her academic pursuits, she launched a real estate investment firm, marking the beginning of her entrepreneurial path. Over the years, Michelle expanded her ventures into various industries, including horticulture, where she founded an interiorscape company, and logistics, where she established a commercial trucking business. Drawing on the insights and expertise gained across these diverse fields, she transitioned into a career in the financial services industry. She enjoys traveling, cooking, exploring diverse cuisines, organizing, dancing, indulging in spa treatments, and spending quality time with her cherished Pomeranian.

Connect with Michelle:

https://bymichellecampbell.com/

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561259970143

https://www.instagram.com/bluebirdmemoir/https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-c-1a697b318/

Connect with Lauren:

https://www.realadultingiseasy.com/

⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy

https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/

About Lauren:

Lauren Keen Aumond is passionate about personal finance. She hosts the Adulting Is Easy podcast, where she helps make adulting easier for listeners by making money easier. Lauren became a millionaire at age 31 through high income, investing in stocks, and owning and managing real estate. She was able to leave her 9-5 at age 33 and now manages her short- and long-term rentals on the west coast of Florida with her husband. For fun, Lauren plays tennis, spends time with her family, drinks red wine, travels, and boats.

Wealth is defined as the people Greg works with as having enough money to do what they want and need to do. They live in a “post-budget world.” The first-generationwealthy are building their wealth in non-sexy ways, like consistent investing over time. This might be in their own companies or retirement accounts, for example. Most millionaires don’t inherit money. They build wealth themselves slowly and consistently over time. All this talk about first-generation wealth begs the question about the second generation. How do you manufacture the hunger?The reasons for financial failure are 1) lack of purpose, 2) lack of a plan, and 3) lack of discipline. That’s why the 3 financial superpowers are 1) Power of Purpose, 2) Power of Plan, and 3) Power of Execution. Having a purpose and a plan helps you avoid decision fatigue. You’re also easily able to reset if you “mess up.” Having a clear purpose is the most important thing. You don’t even need to have a high income! If you haven’t started, though, it’s important that you getstarted ASAP with an emergency fund (“financial shock absorber”). Having a plan keeps you from comparing yourself to others, which is key. You compare yourself to only yourself. Anybody can do this and become first-generation wealthy.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 199: the 3 pillars of prosperity.

About Greg:

The founder of Luken Wealth Management, Greg Luken. He began developing math-based investment solutions forclients in the early 1990s. For nearly four decades he has been working primarily with first-generation wealthy – men and women who have built their own wealth from nothing. It is this experience that inspired his new book, “Unleash YourFinancial Superpowers: How the First-Generation Wealthy Do It and How You Can Too!”

Connect with Greg:

Website: www.Luken.pro/book

Social media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryluken/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Unleash-Your-Financial-Superpowers-First-Generation/dp/1637633726/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15CWTLORDV2FO&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.8vA2_I19D7ARio0ujOyTV6QoPRNgTnO7LYp-CqEt25vGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.XcoQWumVArdVlJ8wDpKHGcuFWzXKoQFKIgJ-j0SvjdM&dib_tag=se&keywords=unleash+your+financial+superpowers&qid=1744659519&sprefix=unleash+your+financial+%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-1

Connect with Lauren:

https://www.realadultingiseasy.com/⁠⁠⁠

https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy

https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/

About Lauren:

Lauren Keen Aumond is passionate about personal finance. She hosts the Adulting Is Easy podcast, where she helps make adulting easier for listeners by making money easier. Lauren became a millionaire at age 31 through high income, investing in stocks, and owning and managing real estate. She was able to leave her 9-5 at age 33 and now manages her short- and long-term rentals on the west coast of Florida with her husband. For fun, Lauren plays tennis, spends time with her family, drinks red wine, travels, and boats.

We are exposed to a lot of information about the economy and markets. Much of it is useless. It’s also very short-term focused. Mick’s goal has been to cut through the noise and mellow people out as it relates to their money. In his book, Chapter 4 is about the man who did everything wrong and one who did everything right. The key to remember as you’re reading this chapter (or listening to this conversation about it) is that we all have the psychological potential within us to be either person. Mr. Wrong initially chose an advisor who was known for putting all eggs into one basket, and when that basket (bonds) went down, he switched to Mick’s firm. When Mick’s firm started rebalancing into stocks and stocks went down, Mr. Wrong changed course again. This story leads to a spirited discussion about diversification. One way to manage expectations is to speak of hypotheticals in real dollar values instead of percentages. The couple that did everything right, on the other hand, chose to take a conservative approach to diversification. They understood what could happen to the value of their portfolio upon a downtown. When one came, they decided to buy even more stocks. In the end, they didn’t draw down their principle at all over the course of their whole retirement! In order to behave like the folks who did everything right, the most important thing to do is get started. Invest what you can. Try your best to understand your own risk tolerance. Over time, re-balance your portfolio if you ideal allocation becomes skewed when one asset class has been up over time. Mick reminds us that when investing with an advisor to pay attention to fees. And he closes by letting us know that our experiences can be life tuition. Try to look at it that way.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 168: Keep Finance Personal: Get Your Time, Energy & Financials Right.

About Mick:

Mick Heyman, CFA, is the author of “Mellow Your Money: How to Surf the Market and Build Wealth without Stressing Yourself Out” and the Founder of Heyman Investment Counseling. With a 40-year career in wealth management, Mick has built a reputation for helping individuals grow and preserve their wealth through a stress-free approach to investing. Mick holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northwestern University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). In addition to his book, Mick shares his insights on sound money management through articles on LinkedIn and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal. Residing in San Diego, Mick enjoys an active lifestyle, engaging in tennis, golf, surfing, and practicing meditation, yoga, and qigong (she gong). He also has a deepappreciation for mystery novels and Russian literature. To learn more about Mick’s approach to investing, visit mellowyourmoney.com.

Connect with Mick:

https://mellowyourmoney.com/

Connect with Lauren:

https://www.realadultingiseasy.com/⁠⁠⁠

https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy

https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/

About Lauren:

Lauren Keen Aumond is passionate about personal finance. She hosts the Adulting Is Easy podcast, where she helps make adulting easier for listeners by making money easier. Lauren became a millionaire at age 31 through high income, investing in stocks, and owning and managing real estate. She was able to leave her 9-5 at age 33 and now manages her short- and long-term rentals on the west coast of Florida with her husband. For fun, Lauren plays tennis, spends time with her family, drinks red wine, travels, and boats.

Lauren kicks off by asking who Sabrina asks for advice. She leans on supportive individuals and does not ask those that are not supportive of real estate investing and risk. Sabrina’sfirst job out of college was selling mattresses, and so she figured selling big ticket items like houses would mean making bigger money than selling mattresses. Lauren, whose career was in sales, points out that increasing yourincome is a key part of personal finance. Speaking of personal finance, Lauren asks how Sabrina bought her first investment properties. Her first home appreciated enough to buy an investment property when she sold it. As sheworked her way up in tech sales, she made more and more money, saving a big chunk of it. That’s how she bought additional properties. Sabrina’s goal is to be financially independent by age 43. Currently, Sabrina has 3 properties, and she tells us how they’re performing. The one that is paid off has 10% ROI. Her second property is appreciating and doing a bit better than breakeven. Her third property is just getting going now. Lauren asks Sabrina who she thinksshould get into real estate. Basically, anyone can as long as they act in spite of fear! They close the conversation by looking toward the future, and Sabrina would like to add at least 2 more properties.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 147: 51k in Debt to House Hacking or 128: Managing STRs from Abroad.

About Sabrina:

Sabrina Carrender is one of Lauren's best friends whom I met in college. Sabrina has been interested in real estate for many years. She was a real estate agent for 6 years and a property manager for 3. Knowing she had the interest and the skills to build her own portfolio, Sabrina worked hard and saved cash for 3 years to buy her first 2 rentals (in 2022 and 2023). She added her 3rd property in 2025. Sabrina currently lives in Naples, Florida, where she runs her own business (Lovegood Lingerie) and loves spending time with friends, traveling, gardening, and doing yoga.

https://lovegoodlingerie.com/

Lauren’s guides and course:https://adultingiseasy.gumroad.com/

Connect with Lauren:

https://www.realadultingiseasy.com/⁠⁠⁠

https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy

https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS' DAY

Rather than posting a new episode that no one takes seriously, this week we're replaying one of our most popular episodes: GO TO THE INVESTING GYM BUT MAYBE DON'T GET AN INVESTING TATTOO. Enjoy!

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Decade Investor aka Kolin drops dozens of gems in this week's interview. As a 24-year-old with a $250,000 stock portfolio, he knows all about slow and steady investing. Lauren and Kolin go over the 8th (or is it 1st?) wonder of the world, compound interest, with real-life examples. No matter your age. whether you're in your 20s or 50s, you'll walk away motivated to start investing, even if it's $5 per week. Get comfortable having money that isn't yours to spend right now. Make your future self your best friend. You can build your investing skills like you build muscles at the gym, but you do need to START! Lauren lays out what the 4% retirement rule is. Kolin addresses young parents. He also takes a stance on what percentage of your income you should be saving (which might surprise you). He also addresses rumors on whether he got a VOO tattoo, representing $100,000 in Vanguard's S&P 500 index fund.

About Kolin:

Kolin goes by Decade Investor on social media. He started his account in 2020 to get other young investors, like himself, excited about investing for the long term & to spread the good word of investing to all who come across his content!

Connect with Kolin:

Twitter: ⁠https://twitter.com/DecadeInvestor⁠

Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/decadeinvestor/⁠

YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@decadeinvestor⁠

Subscribe to the Adulting Is Easy YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@adultingiseasy⁠

Donate to the show:⁠https://cash.app/$AdultingIsEasy⁠

Connect with Lauren:

⁠⁠⁠https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy ⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/⁠⁠

Millennials saw their parents work for 40 straight years, and many are considering taking some time off from work, aka taking sabbaticals. Again, Lauren and her guest discuss the book Die with Zero. Sabbaticals allow you to travel, catch up on life tasks, re-evaluate life choices, and alleviate burnout. They’re usually 3 months to 1 year long. A mini retirement, on the other hand, can last years, and you may be making some income during that time, perhaps by doing contract work. At the end of the day, money is a tool, and it doesn’t make sense to accumulate for the sake of accumulation. You’re a whole person outside of your job. And a sabbatical can help you remember that. If you’re feeling uneasy about your life path, consider planning for and taking a sabbatical.

If you liked this episode, you’ll also like episode 185: A Smorgasbord of Personal Finance Tips.

About TJ:

Theodore Joseph (T.J.) van Gerven is a financial planner and the founder of Memento Financial Planning that aims to help maximize your resources and is passionate about helping millennials to use money intentionally as a tool to build toward financial flexibility while accomplishing various goals on the path to independence.

Connect with TJ:

https://mementofinancialplanning.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tjvangerven/

Connect with Lauren:

https://www.realadultingiseasy.com/⁠⁠⁠

https://twitter.com/AdultingIsEasy

https://www.instagram.com/adultingiseasyreal/