As landlords, we tend to be secret agents. We do great stuff locally to help out our communities and we do it under the radar screen. I am not sure why we do what we do the way we do it, but it is appreciated generally. I think it is because we don't want tenants to believe we are just giving away rent moneys. I guess much of what we do is balancing Dreaming Vs Goals

When you are a kid, you don't understand the value of money. That was indeed the case with me. My parents divorced when I was age 10, so for me to say I was an at risk child would be an understatement of epic size. Not only did I grow up in a rural setting -but Appalachia isn't regarded as mecca of opportunity. Within Appalachia, my hometown is even today considered underserved as compared to other poverty centers. Some might say I was born on the wrong side of the tracks, but our town scrapped the tracks after the trains stopped coming.

Things were not looking so good for Ray as a child. I wasn't aware of any "hand out" programs that I might know today. It is all but absolutely certain that my single mom took advantage of at least some of those safety net programs. Now I can't really explain how you boot strap yourself out of hole, when you don't even know you are in a hole to start with. Some how I did. But it took a great deal.

You see, my senior year in high school on 31 May, a chain of tornados took out my hometown. Some might kid around and say this was an improvement. 89 people died that evening, more than 1,000 injured. I learned that my hometown was a great place to be FROM. I joined the service got humbled even more. It was from these humble roots that leadership skills are developed.

I could talk about how I got into Landlording and used leadership skills, Nope, instead I want to share that my dream today is help others who might also be considered at risk. I want to do even more to help to raise funds for those who are in need. That is my dream. As for goals, those tend to be performance oriented for real estate investments - the vessel that has allowed me to dream.

Side note : If you are not happy where you are at, I would ask you to look at yourself what you are doing. Process improvement drives performance. It is sometimes hard to see that there are better ways to do what you need to do.

How are other landlords doing good while doing well? I know for me, a local fund raiser we have raises about $32,000 for basic life support functions back in that initial county that I came from. That gets a lot of diapers, baby formula, socks and skivvies. You can't take the money with you. In the neighboring county, I am the voice of the local fair - one of the only two free community fairs near me.

What are you doing now a days to create a legacy and help someone else dream?

Thanks for sharing your story.

I didn't grow up rich but my dad did ok in the business world. We were firmly middle class but dad had a way of keeping us humble. I remember as a teenager being neck deep in mud and cow manure hunched under the tail of a bull calf about to be a steer at my hand thinking I don't deserve this, why doesn't dad hire this out. Looking back, I know exactly why he didn't hire it out, I did the same with my boys. My dad was always thankful as well as humble. He told the story often about his childhood and how a fireman in Denver gave him a blanket in the middle of winter because he didn't have a coat, his father was an alcoholic. As a result, my dad did a great job teaching us to give back. I doubt that fireman ever knew the impact that little act had on one boy's life.

I've shared on this site before that I'm in a stage of life where I can give back as well. The city where I live has a significant homeless problem, 3X the state average. I've been working with a ministry that has is a partnership between my Church, the City, and several businesses. They are pulling together a multi-layered program that will initially provide an open air warehouse where they can come get out of the weather, take a shower, and get one meal per day. Construction should finish in February. Right now they just have a daytime only resource center. The city is providing counselors to help address drug addiction, mental health resources, and financial counseling. Several of the older Church men are going by to help build relationships and encourage right behaviors. If they stick with it they get to move into a "pallet house" (really just a tool shed with a locking door) and from there into a stripped down apartment. As I've said before, I'm all about giving a hand-up instead of a hand-out. The goal should be to work us out of the need for such programs, but for now we need to be the light to the world. While it's rewarding to give back, I was not expecting the personal growth I've experienced as I've spent more time and resources in philanthropy.

Great topic and I've enjoyed reading your story Ray, along with the others.

I was lower middle class growing up. We lived in rentals until I was in 3rd/4th grade. Humble places, much like the ones I own now. It's there I first learned what a "baby cooker" (i.e. floor furnace) was. Loved every minute of it because it was warm there in the morning and I would build a box/sheet fort around it. Our kitchen table was an old aluminum work table, spattered with paint. We threw a table cloth over it to make it look presentable. My folks were good to us. We never went hungry, and although we shopped at Payless Shoes and Wal-Mart, we never had holes in our clothes. I felt blessed then.

But yes, at some point that fire burns in your soul that you want to do more for yourself and your own family. That's why I quit teaching in public school (the pay, and the ridiculous philosophy of "no child left behind"), got into software developing, and started building a rental empire.

Today we love to support several local charities dear to our hearts. We have more than enough for ourselves, and it's wonderful to share with others. We taught our kids the three purposes of money (spend, save, share) from an early age, and they practice all three now diligently without any prompting from mom and dad.

Leaving a legacy has been important to us, in our kids and in our community. Being a "secret agent" starts in the home and spills over into the lives around us. It's been a humbling yet also extremely gratifying place to be. Wonder where tomorrow will lead us?

RayRay,

Nice post.

Brought to mind this from the Bible:

1Corinthians 12:4 "There are different kinds of gifts [ie skills given to a believer, by God], but the same Holy Spirit distributes them."

Wifey and I spend our efforts making money so we can fund the efforts of others. Us times 100. Spiritual gift of giving. We focus our giving on things that repeat and empower other so they can help spread the Gospel at ground level. Not Gospel? Not my money.

"We buy the boots for the boots on the ground trained helpers."

Financial and time FREEDOM!!! from little rental houses allows us to do these things.

BRAD

Ray, I don't remember that tornado outbreak (1985?), but then I was focused on my wedding day in June of that year, plus the Philadelphia MOVE bombing travesty that had happened 30 miles from us. Sounds like an awful way to start adulthood.

My kids grew up with Sesame Street and other educational programs on public TV. I start nearly every day listing to NPR. Started giving (small) yearly donations about 30 years ago. Have been a sustaining supporter ( monthly donations) for 20+ years... in ever increasing amounts

Have an endowment fund established where I & 2 of my siblings graduated college -- in our parent's name that gives scholarship to someone from our home town ( none of us live in that state any more) Continue to add to the endowment every month...

We sent grocery gift cards to one of our tenants-anonymously wen they lost their job during COVID--even though they couldn't pay rent Worked with them on getting rent covered.. still tenants of ours (all caught up on rent)

Donate food, new clothing (when Costco has a sale on kids winter coats, we buy 6 to 8-plus-wool socks etc), and monthly cash donation to local food bank...

Donate to quite a few of the "normal" non-profit programs