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Update 1/19/26: Another round of targeted offers. Can try but they require being targeted and logging in:
Update 10/18/25: Myself and others continue to get this $400 offer as a popup in the AmEx login.
Update 8/19/25: New round of $400 bonuses went out with the same $25,000 deposit requirement. Valid through 9/13. You might have gotten an email about it, I got it as a popup upon login, and it also shows in your Amex Offers (screenshot below). Others got targeted for a better $500 offer.
Update 2/9/24: A new round went out to a lot of people, this time for a lower $300 bonus. Same $25k requirement.
Offer at a glance
Targeted offer sent out via e-mail (subject line ‘<name>, earn a $350 bonus with Amex Savings’)
This account has no monthly fees to worry about
No early termination fee is mentioned.
This seems to have been sent out to a lot of people, but it’s targeted and not everyone got it. We’ve seen similar offers before from Amex, and this one is better than prior offers. Given Amex already offers a decent interest rate, the added $350 on top makes this a nice deal.
Update History:
Everything has been coming up roses for mortgage rates in 2026, but that could soon change if the Greenland situation spirals out of control.
At the moment, 30-year fixed mortgage rates are hovering around 6%, which is basically a three-year low.
That led to a surge in home loan applications last week, with both existing homeowners looking to refi and prospective home buyers jumping in.
Ironically, President Trump’s latest proposal to buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) got us there.
But his latest threat to impose new tariffs on numerous European countries could send mortgage rates higher again.
You’ve likely heard of the threats to take Greenland from Denmark, with Trump floating a new round of tariffs if they don’t agree to a sale.
In a Truth Social post, he said, “Starting on February 1st, 2026, all of the above mentioned Countries (Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, The United Kingdom, The Netherlands, and Finland), will be charged a 10% Tariff on any and all goods sent to the United States of America.”
“On June 1st, 2026, the Tariff will be increased to 25%.”
This is in reference to the aforementioned countries visiting Greenland “for purposes unknown” and impeding a sale to the United States.
Trump has argued that the purchase of Greenland is imperative for “Safety, Security, and Survival of our Planet.”
And that countries like “China and Russia want Greenland, and there is not a thing that Denmark can do about it.”
Long story short, Trump wants to buy Greenland and if Denmark and its apparent European allies stand in the way, a new round of tariffs will be unleashed.
While we can argue whether or not tariffs cause inflation until the cows come home, the St. Louis Fed laid out a pretty good case.
Per the St. Louis Fed, “Over the June-August 2025 period, tariffs explain roughly 0.5 percentage points of headline PCE annualized inflation and around 0.4 percentage points of core PCE annualized inflation.”
Not to mention Fed chair Powell said last summer that they weren’t able to cut rates as freely as possible because of the unknown impacts of the tariffs.
So whether you believe tariffs cause inflation or not, there’s a decent argument they keep interest rates higher than they might otherwise be (CPI vs. mortgage rates).
About a year ago, we saw mortgage rates go on a rollercoaster ride thanks to the on-again, off-again tariffs.
But they were arguably stuck at higher levels because of tariffs or the threat of new tariffs.
We saw the 30-year fixed climb above 7% on several occasions last year, leading to another dismal year for home sales.
Once a lot of that talk began to wane, and inflation data continued to cool, mortgage rates began moving lower.
Today, they’re about one full percentage point below those year-ago levels, but that’s in part due to worsening labor (jobs reports) and perhaps many of Trump’s policies now baked in.
And as mentioned, the latest proposal for Fannie and Freddie to buy billions in MBS to lower mortgage rate spreads.
However, mortgage rates don’t exist in a vacuum and the MBS deal could be completely overshadowed by this new tariff threat.
As the St. Louis Fed noted, tariffs accounted “for a meaningful share of recent inflation.”
The threat of new tariffs (and larger ones) means inflation estimates could get murky and the Fed might pull back on additional rate cuts.
In the meantime, 10-year bond yields could move higher on the uncertainty, pushing the 30-year fixed higher in the process.
The beneficial effects of the MBS buying could be completely absorbed and we could see mortgage rates climbing back into the 6s instead of falling deeper into the 5s.
As I’ve said many times, this would be yet another gut-punch for prospective home buyers (and sellers) and the housing market at large.
So hopefully we get some clarity on this situation ASAP to avoid ruining yet another spring housing market.
(photo: David Stanley)
Before creating this site, I worked as an account executive for a wholesale mortgage lender in Los Angeles. My hands-on experience in the early 2000s inspired me to begin writing about mortgages 19 years ago to help prospective (and existing) home buyers better navigate the home loan process. Follow me on X for hot takes.
Key Points
The American Federation of Teachers is escalating its legal fight against one of the nation’s largest student loan servicers, arguing that conditions for borrowers have not improved (and may have worsened) since the lawsuit was first filed last summer.
On January 15, the union filed an amended complaint (PDF File) against the Higher Education Loan Authority of the State of Missouri, better known as MOHELA, in federal court in Washington, D.C. The revised filing expands on earlier allegations that MOHELA violated consumer protection law by failing to provide basic loan servicing functions, including accurate billing, timely processing of repayment and forgiveness applications, and meaningful access to customer service.
The amended complaint also introduces new federal government performance data comparing student loan servicers – data that, according to the filing, places MOHELA at the bottom of the pack for customer service.
According to the latest student loan statistics, MOHELA is the 4th largest loan servicer by number of borrowers serviced – with 7.23 million borrowers.
The original lawsuit, filed in July 2024, accused MOHELA of engaging in deceptive and unlawful practices in violation of the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act. The amended complaint argues that MOHELA’s problems were not isolated pandemic-era failures but instead reflect ongoing business decisions that prioritize cost-cutting and growth over borrower support.
According to the filing, the Department of Education has paid MOHELA more than $1.1 billion since 2011 to service federal student loans. Today, MOHELA services more than seven million borrower accounts nationwide, including a disproportionate share of borrowers pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness.
The amended complaint alleges that MOHELA has continued to:
The AFT argues that these failures have concrete financial consequences for borrowers, including unnecessary payments, missed forgiveness credit, damaged credit standing, and prolonged debt burdens.
One of the most striking additions to the amended complaint is new federal data comparing how long borrowers wait to speak with customer service representatives at different loan servicers.
According to the Department of Education’s loan servicer performance metrics cited in the filing, MOHELA borrowers wait about seven times longer than borrowers serviced by EdFinancial to speak with a representative. Compared with borrowers at Aidvantage, CRI, and Nelnet, MOHELA borrowers wait more than 50 times as long.
Call abandonment rates tell a similar story. While no other major federal loan servicer sees more than 5 percent of callers hang up before reaching a representative, MOHELA’s abandonment rate exceeds 14 percent—nearly three times higher.
The amended complaint argues that these numbers are not accidental. Instead, it alleges MOHELA intentionally relies on “call deflection” strategies (routing borrowers to automated systems, websites, or self-service tools) rather than staffing call centers adequately.
For borrowers, that can mean hours on hold, dropped calls, unanswered messages, and unresolved account errors.
Student loan servicers are the primary point of contact for federal borrowers. They send bills, process payments, calculate repayment plans, and track progress toward forgiveness. When servicers fail, borrowers often have nowhere else to turn.
The amended complaint includes detailed examples of borrowers who:
For borrowers pursuing PSLF (teachers, nurses, first responders, and other public servants) servicing errors can be especially costly. A single misapplied payment or unnecessary forbearance can delay loan cancellation by months or even years.
The AFT argues that these problems persist even as federal policy changes have made accurate servicing more important than ever, including repayment restarts, income-driven repayment adjustments, and ongoing litigation affecting repayment plans.
The case comes at a time when millions of borrowers are navigating repayment after years of pandemic-era disruptions, shifting repayment plans, and legal challenges to student loan relief programs. Accurate servicing and accessible customer support are essential for borrowers to make informed financial decisions.
The AFT argues that MOHELA’s conduct underscores the need for stronger consumer protections and greater accountability in the student loan system. The amended complaint seeks injunctive relief, civil penalties, and changes to MOHELA’s practices under D.C. consumer protection law.
The lawsuit does not immediately change borrowers’ obligations or erase debt. Court cases can take years, and outcomes are uncertain. Still, the amended complaint highlights issues borrowers should watch for closely.
Borrowers with MOHELA-serviced loans may want to:
Borrowers experiencing errors may also benefit from filing formal complaints with their own state attorneys’ general, which can help document systemic problems and trigger additional oversight.
Whether the lawsuit succeeds, and whether it leads to lasting changes for borrowers, will be closely watched across the student loan system.
Don’t Miss These Other Stories:
The post Lawsuit Says MOHELA Still Failing Student Loan Borrowers appeared first on The College Investor.
For the past two-and-a-half decades, the mandate for global business leaders was relatively straightforward: grow the existing business, allocate capital efficiently, and implement technology to drive productivity. But Mohamed Kande, global chairman of PwC, speaking to Fortune in Davos, Switzerland, ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting, insisted that era is over. Kande argued that the CEO job has changed more in the past year than anything he’s seen over the last quarter-century.
“This is one of the most testing moments for leaders,” Kande told Fortune‘s Diane Brady, describing a new “tri-modal” mandate that requires executives to simultaneously run their current business, transform it in real time, and also build entirely new business models for the future. “I’ve not seen that in 25 years,” he said.
Despite this pressure, Kande’s message to the global business community is rooted in historical optimism. “Do not fear the future. It is unsettling. It is true. Every day something changes, but do not fear it,” he said, noting that all the uncertainty so stressful to executives has happened before, from tariffs, roughly 100 years ago, to the industrial revolution, even further back. “Eventually, something good will happen.” Kande allowed that he’s an optimist by nature, but he insisted that top leaders can adjust to this business climate.
Of course, a primary driver of this unsettling change is the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), as revealed in PwC’s 29th global CEO survey, “Leading Through Uncertainty in the Age of AI,” released at the onset of the annual meeting in Davos. Based on responses from 4,454 CEOs across 95 countries and territories, the survey reveals a stark disconnect between ambition and reality. Kande said the business community made huge strides from 2024 to 2025, going from asking themselves whether they can or should adopt AI to a point where “nobody is asking that question anymore. Everybody’s going for it.”
PwC’s survey finds, however, that only 10% to 12% of companies report seeing benefits on the revenue or cost side, while a staggering 56% say they are getting “nothing out of it.” This echoes the MIT study that shook markets in August with the finding that 95% of generative AI pilots were failing across the corporate sector.
Kande attributed this tension not to the technology itself, but to a lack of foundational rigor. “Somehow AI moves so fast … that people forgot that the adoption of technology, you have to go to the basics,” he explained, citing the need for clean data, solid business processes, and governance. PwC is finding that the companies that are seeing benefits from AI are “putting the foundations in place.” It’s about execution, not technology, he argued, and that comes down to good management and leadership.
The uncertain environment has also created a paradox in business sentiment, Kande told Fortune. While CEOs express confidence in the global economy, only 30% have confidence that they can grow their own businesses. Kande questioned whether this hesitation stems from geopolitics, tariffs, technology, or a lack of leadership agility. The last 15 years, he noted, have been ones of solid growth and stable business models, making this time a real test for the C-suite. “This is one of the most testing moment for leaders, what we have today,” he said, because it requires the ability to change fast and adapt quickly without getting bogged down in day-to-day, tactical combat.
Only three in 10 CEOs were confident in PwC’s 29th survey about revenue growth over the next 12 months, down from 38% in 2025 and 56% in 2022, marking a five-year low in CEO confidence in their own revenue outlook. Another survey question may be more revealing, about CEO confidence in their company’s 12‑month revenue growth: this has fallen sharply over recent years, even as many leaders continue to pursue multiyear opportunities to reinvent their businesses through AI, innovation, and cross-sector expansion.
The transformation of the CEO role is trickling down to the workforce, necessitating a reimagining of career paths. Kande warned that the traditional “apprenticeship model”—where entry-level employees learn by doing basic tasks—is being disrupted by AI. That classic career ladder, starting at the entry level, taught lots of expertise through hands-on learning, but this will have to be redesigned, going forward, to teach “system thinking” rather than task execution, as AI increasingly handles the latter.
Ultimately, Kande urges executives to look at the last 50 to 100 years rather than the last five to understand the current moment. Citing the infrastructure booms of the railroad era and the early internet, he said he believes the current wave of investment will birth the next age of innovation. The CEO survey’s framing of a coming “decade of innovation and industry reconfiguration” supports this long-term view, highlighting that companies generating more revenue from new sectors tend to enjoy higher profit margins and higher CEO confidence in future growth.
“I’m an optimist,” Kande concluded. Rather than being afraid of all of the changes that are happening now, he urged leaders to remember that people fear what they don’t understand, and the best remedy for that is to seek understanding. “That’s why I spend so much time learning now and traveling a lot, just to understand what’s happening and thinking about what can be done differently. That’s why I don’t fear AI.”
“I’ve seen change,” Kande said. “You’ve got to embrace it.”
Digital Wealth Partners (DWP), a Registered Investment Advisor focused on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, has partnered with Two Prime Inc. to oversee a substantial $250 million in Bitcoin assets. This collaboration now underscores the demand for sophisticated risk management strategies in the volatile ecosystem of digital currencies.
DWP, which caters primarily to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and other RIAs, selected Two Prime for its expertise in delivering tailored Bitcoin financial solutions.
The arrangement involves managing the assets through a dedicated separately managed account framework, designed to generate stable returns denominated in Bitcoin while minimizing volatility.
This setup builds upon an ongoing relationship where Two Prime has previously supplied customized trading approaches to DWP, highlighting a deepening trust between the two firms.
Two Prime, itself an SEC-registered investment advisor, specializes in providing institutional-grade exposure to Bitcoin via innovative derivatives strategies.
The company focuses on offering transparent, high-touch services to a diverse clientele, including corporate treasuries, mining operations, and family offices.
Its subsidiary, Two Prime Lending, stands out as one of the leading providers of Bitcoin-secured loans worldwide, further solidifying its position in the institutional crypto ecosystem.
The partnership arrives at a pivotal time for Bitcoin, which continues to gain traction as a mainstream asset class.
As institutional adoption accelerates, investors are increasingly seeking ways to integrate digital currencies into traditional portfolios without exposing themselves to excessive market swings.
Two Prime’s approach combines quantitative methods with Bitcoin-specific tactics to optimize risk-adjusted performance, addressing these needs head-on.
Alexander S. Blume, CEO of Two Prime, expressed enthusiasm about the expanded alliance.
“Strengthening our ties with Digital Wealth Partners, a top-tier independent advisor in the digital space, reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence in performance and client relations.”
Blume emphasized that modern institutions require more than mere access to Bitcoin—they need tools for risk mitigation, income generation, and seamless portfolio blending, akin to handling conventional investments.
Max Kahn, CEO of Digital Wealth Partners, highlighted the rigorous vetting process behind the decision.
“We approach partnerships with the utmost diligence, assessing not only track records but also operational integrity and openness.”
He added that Two Prime’s methodologies would empower DWP’s clients to expand their Bitcoin positions securely, even amid unpredictable market conditions.
This development signals broader trends in the financial sector, where regulatory compliance and transparency are paramount. Both firms operate under SEC oversight, ensuring adherence to stringent standards that protect investor interests.
However, as with any cryptocurrency investment, risks such as price fluctuations, cyber threats, and evolving regulations remain inherent.
By leveraging Two Prime’s specialized strategies, DWP positions itself to help clients navigate the complexities of Bitcoin holdings, potentially setting a benchmark for institutional crypto management. As the digital economy matures, such partnerships may become essential for wealth preservation and growth in an increasingly interconnected financial ecosystem.
Mastering cash flow: the key to business success. In this comprehensive video, we explore how mastering cash flow management can lead to unparalleled business success. Whether you’re a small business owner or a seasoned entrepreneur, understanding and managing cash flow is crucial for sustaining operations, funding growth, and ensuring profitability. We’ll cover essential strategies, practical tips, and real-world examples to help you gain control over your cash flow. Learn how to forecast cash flow, handle unexpected expenses, optimize receivables and payables, and maintain a healthy financial balance. This guide is designed to equip you with the knowledge and tools needed to make informed financial decisions and drive your business towards success. Don’t miss out on these valuable insights to enhance your financial management skills and secure your business’s future!
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Feel trapped at a nine-to-five job that promises “success” but robs you of all joy, peace, and freedom? Today’s guest was in the same boat, but when everything came to a head, she traded it all for a new life that would allow her to pursue actual financial freedom—with rental properties!
Welcome back to the Real Estate Rookie podcast! Casey Nguyen had (almost) everything. She and her husband were making seven figures and owned a beautiful home in the Bay Area, but they were working around the clock—and they were miserable. So, when they had reached their breaking point, they did what most wouldn’t: they moved to a lower cost-of-living area and started investing in real estate.
Casey has since built and scaled her real estate portfolio to seven properties across Texas, North Carolina, Ohio, and their new home state of Kentucky, where they have recently launched an Airbnb that will bring in over $50,000 this year. With each day, Casey is one step closer to her ultimate goal: more time with her family, the flexibility to travel the world, and more than enough money to fuel it.
Ashley:
Our guest today built herself up to seven figures in annual income, but one night in her living room, she broke down crying, realizing success had trapped her instead of freeing her. From six figure commissions to dog sitting for survival, today’s guest took some fearless swings that completely changed her family’s life. And today we might find out that chasing more money isn’t always the answer. This is The Real Estate Rookie Podcast. I’m Ashley Kehr.
Tony:
And I’m Tony J. Robinson. And with that, let’s give a big warm welcome to Casey. Casey, thanks so much for joining us today.
Casey:
Thanks for having me.
Ashley:
Now, Casey, you and your husband were making over $1 million a year. I think everyone’s first question is how?
Casey:
Well, I am still, but we were living in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley to be exact. We’re very close to Apple, Google and all. And my husband is an engineer. I’m myself a real estate agent. And as you know, in the Bay Area in San Jose, a home could easily cost 1.5 to $2 million. And I was one of the top producer. So I probably bring in … The minimum would be 50,000. And the max, I believe I made $170,000 a month.
Ashley:
Yeah. Wow. That’s incredible.
Casey:
But I work twenty four seven.
Tony:
Yeah. Well, that’s what I was going to ask Casey. I mean, because there’s a lot of folks in our audience who either are currently agents, but maybe even more so who are thinking about maybe transitioning to be an agent as they get into the world of real estate investing. What do you think it was, aside from being in a market that’s maybe more expensive, because there are plenty of agents in the Bay Area who are not making nearly as much as you. What do you think you did differently that allowed you to really achieve that level of financial success?
Casey:
I honestly think it’s mindset. Your mind is really powerful. You can do whatever you want to do if you can actually think about it first in your mind. So before I started real estate, it was difficult. The first year I made nothing, zero. And so I told my husband, something got to change. I hire a coach and I start to get into the room with people that was doing better than me, masterminding. And that’s how I get to the production that I was doing before.
Ashley:
So you’ve done everything that most rookies are chasing. You’ve got thing come, you’ve got the homes, travel. What signs did you miss that told you this actually wasn’t sustainable?
Casey:
I think I was working twenty four seven. And I remember COVID time because we were living in a condo. It was our start of home. It’s like a thousand square foot. And we have a designer come to kind of redesign a condo so that it’d make it livable during COVID. So she turned our living room into our office. So my husband’s desk and my dad was facing one another. And I remember it was 10:30 PM at night. I was fully closed. He was actually in the meeting. I actually just got out of the meeting and I looked at him and I said, “This is terrible. This is not the life I want to live. We have a lot of money and we don’t even have time to spend it. ” And it’s funny because my husband and I have been together for 13 years. When we first got together, we had $4,000 in the bank come by and we were so happy and we were traveling to Hawaii, we were traveling to Vietnam.
So it’s pretty interesting that the more money you have, it doesn’t really bring you more happiness. You just have a lot of responsibility and a new sets of problems, I would say.
Ashley:
I was just going to look up, what’s that one song? It’s by a country singer, but money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you a boat.
Tony:
I haven’t heard that one before. Of course you haven’t,
Speaker 4:
Tony.
Tony:
Or there’s the other saying it’s like money won’t buy me happiness, but it’s okay. I’ll cry in my Ferrari. I’ve heard that one. But for you, Casey, I mean, would you say that you were burned out?
Casey:
Completely. Yeah, 100%. And I think I didn’t have a direction because I was working nine to five and obviously everything on social media or people always say, “Quit United Five so that you can be an entrepreneur and have your own schedule.” But then I went from nine to five to twenty
Ashley:
Four seven. So when you had this realization of like, “I don’t want to do this. I’m not happy. We have enough money.” What were the first steps that you took? Did you take action the next day to change your life or what did that progression kind of look like where you made this shift?
Casey:
Pretty much immediately. So I’m the type of person that when I set my mind onto something, I would do it right away. And I really don’t care what you say or if you tell me that I’m going to fail, I just really listen to my gut. So I wanted to invest in real estate with all these extra money that we have because I honestly don’t know anything about stock and my husband invests our money in stock, but the return, he showed me the return every year and it’s really sad.
Tony:
I just want to add to that too, Casey, because a lot of people talk about the stock market. It averages whatever, eight to 12% over the last 50 years. And again, someone go validate this because I haven’t done my homework on this, but it’s something that was just interesting. But he was like, even though the average stock market return is between eight and 12%, it’s never actually hit that number in a single year. It’s either crazy crushing it or really, really bad. And those extremes just kind of average out to that eight to 12%. So even when folks talk about investing in the stock market, it’s not this steady kind of upward climb. It really is kind of jagged up and down that you’ve got to really zoom out over the long term to see those returns average out.
Casey:
100%. And I think I’m just really impatient because you hear about compound interest, so you have to leave it for like 20, 30, I don’t know, until you did to see the return. And I’m just not like, I got to see it now.
Tony:
Now, during your journey, Casey, I know you unfortunately experienced a miscarriage and you mentioned that as really a turning point for you, especially with all these other feelings you were having about being burned out. How did that loss change really what mattered to you about work and about wealth?
Casey:
I’m sorry, I’m just a little emotional.
Tony:
No, it’s okay. Take your time.
Casey:
So my son is actually almost one and a half downstairs playing with my mom. And so I was working a lot. We were trying to have a baby and I think it would just stress. So I lost the baby and I’m the type of agent where I do everything for my clients. I go out of my way to take care of my clients and my friends. So when I had a miscarriage, it was just really lonely because I was just pretty much just alone. And I was thinking, I don’t know what is the point of doing all of these to make sure everybody happy, everybody healthy and taken care of, but I can’t even take care of myself.
And so that’s really the turning point for me to change a lifestyle and actually move out of the Bay Area. And I’m so glad that we did. So now we live in Lexington, Kentucky. And I know Tony, you live in Los Angeles area and people in California just live in their little bubble. I used to be, live in my little bubble that we have the best weather, best food, diversity, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And everywhere else in the world or everywhere else in the US are just bad, bad weather. But Lexington, Kentucky is very beautiful. People are so nice and we’re very, very happy.
Ashley:
I appreciate you sharing that with us because I think it is so important for someone who’s listening to understand that you don’t have to wait till you get to that point, till that devastation. You have the choice to change your life now before something devastating happens to you like that or your turning point. And I appreciate you being vulnerable and sharing that on the podcast because that is something very, very hard and difficult to speak about and to share. So I really appreciate that and hopes that somebody listening and it could be any kind of event or something that could happen to them, but when you’re working so hard and you’re filled with all that stress and you’re taking care of everyone else besides yourself, if you’re that person right now listening, don’t get to that breaking point. Start today making those changes in your life to really be healthy, happy, and build the life that you actually want, not what you’re building for everyone else.
Tony:
I couldn’t agree more. And to Ashley’s point, Casey, thank you for being vulnerable about that moment in your life. My wife and I experienced a miscarriage before our first daughter was born, so we know how difficult of an experience that can be, but I think to use that moment as a wake up call for you to kind of reassess your life and point you in the direction and put you on the trajectory that allowed not only your financial goals to be fulfilled, but also the rest of your life, right? Finding that balance to be fulfilled is important. You talked about moving from California to Kentucky. How did that decision to kind of pack everything up, leave the Bay Area, how did that change, I guess really everything for you? Were you fearful leaving California? Why Kentucky of all the places to go? I guess so many questions.
Yeah. So I guess first, why Kentucky? Why did you decide to go there first?
Casey:
So my husband was from Kentucky. So he grew up in Kentucky, Central Kentucky, and he went to UK, University of Kentucky. And he told me a little bit about a city. So I never visit Lexington, Kentucky prior to moving here. So it’s like a total shock.
Speaker 4:
Oh, wow.
Casey:
Yeah. Yeah. So that’s to show you, when I said I’m going to do something, I’m going to do something. Does not matter. So a couple things about University of Kentucky, they have two sport teams. So they have a football and a basketball. So people would travel and they have students from all over the world. So people would travel here to see the team play. So I was thinking, oh, it’s going to be great for Airbnb. It comes as a surprise for me that they have so many hospitals here in downtown Lexington. So it’s really good for midterm rental as well. And then there’s an area about an hour from us called the Red River Gorge, and it’s where people go for a kayak, rock climbing. And we actually just bought our Airbnb there and setting it up.
Tony:
When I think about packing up my life and moving clear across the country, there’s probably a few things that are like running through my mind. Was there any moment of hesitation for you or was there anything that you were fearful of doing this? And the reason why I ask Casey is because, hey, we’ve interviewed quite a few folks who have done something similar where they said, “Hey, I’m going to move because I want a better quality of life. I’m going to move because I want to be able to save more money. I’m moving because of there’s this goal I want to achieve.” And each of them kind of had their own hesitations or fears around that. So I’m curious for you specifically, was there anything that you were afraid of taking this leap and packing up and moving across the country?
Casey:
Everything. We cry. I cry every single day prior to the move. I mean, prior to selling our home in California. After we sold it, we actually sold it for a really good price so I was pretty happy. But moving away from California, leaving my friends and the career that I have there, to me and to my husband, it’s like we’re failing. And to my husband especially, he moved away from Kentucky to go to California so that he can get this fancy job and now moving back, he feel like he was failing in California. So that was a mindset going into this whole process, but I know that the direction that we’re going, we’re going to burn all of our savings, we’re probably going to have to work. I probably going to have to work twenty four seven, never going to get to see my son, and that wasn’t the life that I want to live.
Ashley:
So at what point did you make the decision to downsize and actually sell your home? When did those steps kind of begin to take shape as to, did you list the house first? Did you find a house in Lexington?
Casey:
Yeah. So Jen, I would say around January of 2024, that’s when we decide, okay, we’re going to sell our home. As a real estate agent, I’m very aware of the market. And then when I pick our home, the area is an up and coming area. So the price have increased so much in two years. We were very lucky. We bought the home when the market was down and that is the beautiful thing about the Bay Area. The market just go up and down. If you time it right, you can cash out for a lot of money. So yeah.
Ashley:
We have to take a quick ad break, but when we come back, we’re going to talk about dog sitting to actually be in survival mode during that season in your life and how it actually ended up outperforming one of your rental properties. I want to dig into that next because that’s a hack most listeners have never even considered. We’ll be right back. Okay. So you mentioned this creative strategy that kept your family afloat when everything slowed down. So let’s talk about how you turned dog sitting, something most people overlook into a legitimate income stream. So walk us back to that first listing. What made you even decide to try dog sitting and how much did you actually make that first month?
Casey:
So we had a little dog. He’s 10 right now. So when he was little, we wanted him to have companion, but we didn’t want to have more dogs. So we thought, oh, we’re just going to do dog sitting so we have friends. So we enlisted our home or apartment at the time on an app called Rover and that’s how you get … It kind of like Airbnb for dog pretty much. You could do boarding or like daycare. And so we started about 10 years ago. In the beginning, we didn’t make a lot. In 2024, when my mom came to live with us and I thought, “We’re going to take more dogs.” And someday we have six to seven dogs, but all the tiny little dogs, we have a very big home, very big backyard, so everything was very easy. And the most that we make from dog sitting was $6,000 in one month.
And then that year, we actually make about $53,000. I’m laughing because I listen to you guys’ podcast every week when I go to the gym. And I remember in one of the episode, Tony was answering a question of this couple. They wanted to house hack, but they was worried about the roommate situation. They didn’t have a good experience. And I’m like, “Dog sitting. You should buy a house and dog sit.” And so I keep hearing the same question and I’m like, “I have to go on a podcast and tell people to dog
Ashley:
Sit.” What a way to generate income off of your property.
Tony:
Yeah. I don’t know if we’ve ever interviewed someone on the podcast who’s made that much money from dog sitting. I guess one clarifying question, Casey, was this at your home in Kentucky or was this still back in the Bay Area?
Casey:
So both. So in the Bay Area, we did that for all the homes that we were living in, all the apartments- But
Tony:
The 6K, that was in Kentucky?
Casey:
The 6,000 was in California because the race was higher there. In Kentucky, we just started, we moved here in November last year, and then I opened the calendar right away. And I think the most that we make is probably like $1,500 a month.
Tony:
So maybe a higher demand and a higher cost of living area to be able to hit those figures. But for all those folks who were living in a place like California, New York named the high cost of living place, sounds like dog sitting could potentially be a good way to generate some extra income. I guess, were you surprised? I mean, because 50 grand a year, that’s more than most rentals are going to make. Were you surprised by that amount at all, Casey, or was that …
Casey:
Yeah, it’s so funny because back in California, every month I would do our accounting and I text my husband, I was like, “Guess how much we make this month from dog sitting?” And he would be like, “$2,000.” And I’m like, “No, $5,500.”
Ashley:
Okay. So let’s just give the overall business picture of this. So the Rover website, do you need to … My mind always goes to insurance. Darryl will pitch me all these business ideas and I’ll be like, “Well, there’s a lot of liability. You’ll need to get insurance, which is going to be expenses because this could have, that could have. ” And so is that like Airbnb where you get insurance through the app or is that something you had to get on your own? Do you need to add coverage onto your homeowner’s policy? Are you providing the food, things like that, or people bring their own? What are your actual business expenses that are coming out of your pocket each month for this?
Casey:
So let’s say when you send your … It’s very similar to with daycare when you send your … Ashley, I know you have two sons.
Speaker 4:
I have a goat. Oh, my goal. I thought you were talking about daycare. I have a goat. When you send- My ghost doesn’t go to daycare. Grandma comes here to take care of the goats, right? When you send them
Casey:
To daycare, you pack their food, you pack their clothes or whatever. Same thing with the dogs. So Rover actually cover all the insurance, so you don’t have to get extra insurance. All you need to do, it’s very easy actually. And I am a little bit scared to bore my dog because I don’t know if they screen everybody. They said they do. So you have to send in your ID and they do do a background check on you. I never have any accident with any of my dog, knock on wood. The dog parents would bring all the supplies like beds, food, anything.
Ashley:
My son, he wants a puppy for Christmas and I’m thinking this is the perfect opportunity. Let’s sign up for this. We’re going to bring in the dogs. You take care of them. You show me responsibility and you can get a puppy.
Tony:
And then you can use that money to pay for the dog, Ash.
Ashley:
My God, I’ve been looking at prices as a dog. Oh my God. The last time I bought a dog when I was like 18, I brought it home to my parents’ house and my dad was ready to murder me, but it was like $200 maybe for my dog. And it’s like, I need $2,000 at least to buy a dog. Oh my God.
Tony:
Casey, what comes to mind for me, because we invest a lot in the short-term mental space. And I think about dealing with the guests and for you, I guess it would be like the- The
Casey:
Dogs.
Tony:
… the pet owners or yeah, the dogs too, right? I guess both of those, right? You’ve got both sides. Have you found it difficult to manage the actual owners? Because like you said, this is almost more like a daycare where they’re dropping off someone that they love. Have you found it difficult to interact and deal with the pet owners?
Casey:
For me, no. So with Rover, they have a process. Before you accept any dog, you can do a meet and greet. So the parents would bring the dog to my home to meet with me and I would see if that dog is nice, is it potty training, is it good with environment? And now I have a son. It has to be good with my babies too. And then it’s also an opportunity for me to kind of interact with that owner. If they seem just difficult, I wouldn’t accept a dog at all just because I know that a road is going to be more problem, but most of 90% of them, they’re really easygoing. They just want somebody love their dogs and I’m genuinely love dog. My dream is to have a facility where I can help homeless dogs, but yeah.
Tony:
Do you get a lot of repeat guests or repeat customers in this space?
Casey:
Yeah. My rebooking rates, I would say very high. So when a dog parents leave the dogs with me, they don’t go anywhere else.
Ashley:
How did this pivot actually change your mindset moving almost all the way across the country? How did this change your mindset about what financial creativity it looks like?
Casey:
So I think there’s a lot of ways to make money. And if you just want to make money … I’m an immigrant. I came from Vietnam and I think this country is pretty amazing. If you want to make money, there’s like 101 ways that you can do it, but if you want to make money, live a healthy lifestyle, be happy, and you can see your family every day, that’s very difficult. So moving to Kentucky, I know for sure my goal is my number one priority is to take care of my son. And the real estate portfolio that we have is really help paying for our mortgage, a little bit of our living expenses and selling our home in California really help us with that money to look for opportunities to invest in either Airbnb, midterm rental, or maybe like multiple units like duplex, fullplex, to get more income.
Ashley:
How much was the amount that you ended up profiting off of the sale of your house in California?
Casey:
Are you ready? Hold it onto my seat. So we bought it in September 2022 and we sold it in September 2024. And you have to stay in … Yeah, two years. You have to stay in the home for two years for your primary residence so that you don’t have to pay capital gain. We net $460,000 from the sale.
Ashley:
Two years and tax free.
Tony:
That is amazing.
Ashley:
Yeah. And so much on the podcast, we talk about not investing or moving. We just did a question on Rookie Reply about moving to a lower cost of living area and getting a house hacked there or whatever. But there’s also opportunity in the more expensive markets too, because you are oftentimes going to have a lot more equity buildup just because you’re buying at a larger amount.
Casey:
100%.
Ashley:
That’s awesome. Congratulations. Thank you.
Tony:
Casey, one follow-up question for me because you mentioned this as you were answering the last question, but you said you immigrated here from Vietnam. How old were you when you immigrated?
Casey:
17.
Tony:
17. Wow. So most of your young life, you spent living in Vietnam and came here right before you were a legal adult, and you were able to build yourself up to making over a million dollars in annual income. And I just think that it’s such an inspiring story. We interviewed Sebastian Rodriguez on episode 626, and I can’t remember what country he immigrated from, but when he came here, he literally knew no one. There was at one point he slept in his car and he was able to build up a really big amount of cash flow from his real estate business from just hustling. And the reason why I highlight that is because there are so many people who are listening right now who started off in such an easier position and still haven’t taken the action that there’s literally no excuse when there are folks like you, Casey, who have come over here, built a life, built that income and built the business, and it’s just about taking action.
So I just want to give you credit because it’s an amazing story and even more so given the fact you didn’t even come to America until you were almost 18 years old.
Ashley:
So I want to go over your portfolio that you’ve built. So what rentals, what properties do you have right now in your current portfolio?
Casey:
So we have two in Austin’s. One, it’s a long-term rental. The other one, we’re rented by the room. We have two in North Carolina, Raleigh area. We have a four unit in Palmer Heights, Ohio, and one unit in the building next door is a very interesting situation. We bought all five. And then we have our primary home and our Airbnb in the Red River Gorge.
Ashley:
And congratulations on building that impressive portfolio. And you had slightly mentioned that a lot of the income from these properties was like covering your current mortgage and other expenses for you. How has work shifted for you and your husband? Are you still selling real estate in Kentucky? Are you just managing your properties? What has both of your careers kind of shifted since you’ve made this move?
Casey:
Yeah. So my husband, we’re very lucky. My husband got to still work at the same company in the Bay Area. He has to go to California once a month. I’m still selling in California. I have a team there. I do have listing on the market, so it’s very easy. I just signed a listing, do the negotiation. My team will clean, stage, and do everything else.
Ashley:
Wow. So like all the showings and everything for you to not even have to be there?
Casey:
Yeah. All the showing I can pay agents per show to show, but usually I only work with listing because with buyers, you have to be there. You have to build a connection. It’s really hard to do that over the phone. I find that a little bit difficult when I moved to Lexington, Kentucky. And then I just got my license here in Lexington, Kentucky. I don’t know if I want to sell real estate again. I mean, it’s a really easy job to make good income, but I just don’t have the drive to do that anymore. I don’t know.
Ashley:
And you have the team already built too. If you wanted it to be the same model, you’d have to go and build a team from scratch here too.
Casey:
Right. Yeah. So I’m still thinking about it. I do have the license, but I really want to focus in real estate investing for now.
Ashley:
Well, that’s awesome. Congratulations on outsourcing what seems like 90% of your job to having other team members do it. That’s great.
Tony:
Okay. So we got to bring you back for two separate episodes. One, just to do a deep dive into dog sitting. And the second one is like, how do you automate your real estate agent business so you can do it from halfway across the country because both of those are incredible stories.
Ashley:
Okay. So you said earlier that all of this, the burnout, the reset, even the dog setting set you up for a much bigger move. Leaving California entirely. When we come back, I want to unpack what it took to sell the Bay Area home, pocket nearly half that million dollars tax free, and then start fresh in Kentucky. We’ll be right back. Before the break, you teased the big leap of moving to Kentucky, making that $460,000 gain off of your house in the Bay Area. But let’s go into that move into Kentucky and you actually saw an opportunity in one of these markets, the Red River Gorge to buy your investment property. So tell us about this market.
Casey:
So this market is pretty interesting. It’s an area where people go to do all the outdoorsy. And it’s funny because I’m not an outdoorsy. You can pay me money to sleep on the floor. I’ll pay you money so I can go inside. So we actually had a neighbor. So we move into our neighborhood and are across the street neighbor. My husband came home one day and he was like, “I met the neighbor. Guess what he does?” I said, “I don’t know. He does Airbnb.” And my mind just like …
Speaker 4:
Let’s go over
Ashley:
Right now and talk to him.
Casey:
Exactly. Everything happens for a reason. And so we chat with the guy and it’s really fun Tony, we did no research. And Tony, this is probably going to scare you. We did zero research before we buy this property in Red River Gorge, simply because we trusted the neighbor. He said it’s doing really good. The number is great. And we said, okay, we found our property, bought it. Now we’re getting it ready. So everything just happened.
Tony:
I’m glad it worked out for you guys. And I definitely want to get into a little bit about that property because I know it was a cool project for you guys. But yeah, I think it does make me a little bit nervous because I definitely don’t want people to follow in your footsteps because there maybe is a chance that the neighbor maybe gives some bad advice. But I guess what did he share with you that made you guys feel so confident? I think that’s really what I want to know.
Casey:
Just numbers, the potential of how much it going to make. And then I think two things about Lexington, the Red River Gorge and UK is like, it’s very popular here. Everybody that you talk to, they would talk about UK and they would talk about Red River Gorge. So it’s kind of like a destination where the local goes already. It’s really popular. The second thing is we actually visited. We went there for the weekend. It was pouring rain. So we didn’t do anything literally just stay in our Airbnb. But when I was there, I really do see a lot of potential. And I think for the next five to 10 years, it’s going to grow so big.
Tony:
Casey, the property that you actually end up purchasing, tell us a little bit about that. How big was it? What was your purchase price? Did you have a sense of what the revenue might be before you bought it? And if so, did those numbers match up? Just walk us through that deal a little bit.
Casey:
I am not a number person. You’re asking the wrong person. Did I look at the revenue? No, I didn’t do any numbers at all. The property is a two bedroom, two bath condo sitting on a one acreage lot and it’s surrounded by tree. It’s really, really beautiful. So somebody bought it, remodel it. And if you ever go to the Red River Gorge, you’ll see they remodel everything black. And they pick … I’m sorry, but the ugliest appliances, the ugliest color. I don’t know why. Everybody has the same thing. And so this property was newly renovated and it needs a lot of work. So I see the potential. We bought it. We kind of fixed it. This morning I listened to a podcast and Tony, you literally nailed it in the head. You said you have to account for the remodel and what is that? Furnishing cost, $30 per square foot.
And I did the calculation. I’m like, “Oh my God, he’s so right.” And we didn’t account any of that. So yeah, so we’re getting hot tub, cold plunge, sauna, and kind of make the property nicer for the audience.
Tony:
It is something that we see a lot where folks get maybe enamored with the property and like the amount of revenue that it can do, but then they only focus on the acquisition cost, which is your down payment closing costs. And they forget about like, “Hey, we’ve actually got to put stuff into it and we definitely don’t want to want to skip there.” You said that you think this area is going to grow a bit over the next five years. What are you specifically seeing, Casey, that leads you to believe that?
Casey:
So the property itself is 350,000 that we bought. We put down 20% and it’s going to bring in around 50 to $60,000 a year in revenue. So what I see is the area is still a little bit underdeveloped. A lot of people are buying and building these newer, more desirable Airbnbs, and then they’re putting a lot of shoppings in the area. So it’s had the potential to grow like Ganford.
Ashley:
Okay. Casey, before we started recording, one of the things you had said that has stuck with me, don’t be afraid to change. And you’ve really gone through an incredible amount of change yourself. So what does freedom mean to you now that you have completely shifted and pivoted your life and how do you define success today?
Casey:
So when I first started investing in real estate, my goal, to be honest with you, is to not work anymore, just move to, I don’t know, Southeast Asia, be on the beach and just hang out every day. That’s no longer the goal because I think if you live a life with no purpose, it’s just really boring. Having my son is really give me a new purpose as up to spending a lot of time with the family, take him, travel the world. So my ideal of success is to just get to spend time with my family, go on vacation, working in a really meaningful field that would give you a sense of purpose.
Ashley:
Well, Casey, thank you so much for sharing your story today with us and your lessons learned. And also congratulations on the portfolio and also being brave enough, having that courage to completely pivot in your life and what you’re working for. So where can people reach out to you and find out more information?
Casey:
You can follow me on Instagram. I don’t really go on there anymore, but it’s @KCZNwyn.
Ashley:
Thank you guys so much for listening today. I’m Ashley. He’s Tony and was you guys on the next episode of Real Estate, Ricky.
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