Tue, Dec 02, 2008
|
TCI Shopping
|
|
Featured TCI Properties |
|
|
,
|
|
|
|
Getting Started On Your Investment Plan Using A Spreadsheet
| | Tuesday, November 18, 2003 @ 08:00 AM EST
|  Printer Friendly Page
 Send this Story to a Friend |
Contributed by: Ed Meyer
Ed Meyer Properties
Read more archived articles about Economy - Good
I have seen various commentaries on Robert Kiyosaki on TCI. Many of you point out that his Rich Dad, Poor Dad does not give enough detailed information to begin investing. This may be so, however, some of his general advise and thinking, in my opinion, are outstanding in their simplicity. If we were to poll an investor audience who has read RDPD and ask what is the foremost piece of advise, I would bet the majority would say “Buy assets”. In other words, “Buy things that put money in your pocket, i.e. things that have positive cash-flow”. To me this
is the catechism of real estate investing and it may be for many of you as well.
If we were to ask “What comes in second?”, there may not be such a unanimous chorus. My vote is for making a plan. Charmingly simple! Most long-term projects have plans and achieving our financial goals is certainly a long-term project. Even if it is only a few years in duration, there are likely to be many events along the path. Rich Dad suggested that Robert write three plans—one to become financially secure, one to become affluent and one to become rich if Robert wanted to become rich. What I think Rich Dad was doing is what a project manager might do which is break up the work into smaller segments. After all, if you become rich you are very likely to pass through being financially secure and being affluent.
The method I have selected for my plan will work for all three stages. The advantage is that many of you may already have laid the foundation so it is easy to get started. I use spreadsheets for a great deal of information about properties. One of these spreadsheets I will describe.
Each row represents a property. The far left has the address or property description. There are columns for the date of acquisition, purchase price, current value, rental income (annual), initial loan balance (all loans), current loan balance (all loans), annual loan payment (all loans), estimate of annual expenses, net income (before taxes, no depreciation) and equity. I then have a row under the listed properties containing sums of these over the properties.
This was the starting point for my plan! What gave me a clue that this might work for a basis for a plan is that the information contained in the spreadsheet is essentially a snapshot in time. My spreadsheet showed the picture at the beginning of May of this year. Then it came to me in a flash! I was planning on acquiring a few more properties by the end of the year, raise a few rents, etc. why not make a spreadsheet that is a snapshot of what I think I will have at the beginning of 2004? I was overwhelmed by the intoxication of such innovation thinking, “Can the Nobel Prize in economics be in my not-too-distant future?”
I copied the beginning of May spreadsheet and placed it in the cells immediately below but left a separating row labeled “Beginning 2004”. Then I inserted the projected acquisitions, updated the range of the sums and edited current values to reflect projected appreciation and other changes. Because of the spreadsheet editing capability this was done very quickly. I then inserted rows that indicated my goals for 2004 which was to acquire more property. Example: “Acquire 3 duplexes and a triplex in Stockton”. The goals for 2004 were reflected in the beginning of 2005 section of the spreadsheet.
My plan goes out to 2010. I can easily scroll to any year. I have allowed for trades (1031 exchanges). These show up in my goals as “Trade Sonoma street for a 4-plex”. The next year has Sonoma deleted and a non-descript 4-plex in its place.
The plan contains assumptions that may not come true. I have assumed interest rates on future purchases and assumed modest appreciation. I will be doing “what if” scenarios and change some of the numbers to see how this effects strategies. For small changes my experience with this class of problem tells me that the various planned events are likely to remain sound except that they may occur at different times from the plan. So if I plan to trade a duplex in 2006 when its equity reaches $150K, if appreciation is slow the trade may be in 2009. I will be able to do spreadsheets to show actual performance and can compare against the plan. The plan tells me what I will do each year.
Should this be my entire plan? Of course not, but it is a good start. This may be a very good method for you to begin as well. It is fairly simple. Even if you haven’t made your first deal yet, you can plan for it! My format is not cast in concrete either. You may season to taste! If I hit my 2010 numbers, they look good enough that I will volunteer to have the annual TCI party at my mansion!
Word Cloud:
snapshot annual robert balance other think which then what events assumed spreadsheet “what become well. this will properties such they doing things various rich have plan likely these would show beginning long-term many being goals appreciation some work income projected year. inserted investment more plan. property. point good financially getting three method (all there information />
the trade might even loan left properties. sonoma tells enough 2004 were very current “buy begin deal using started thinking, sums loans), spreadsheets
|
|
| |
Average Score: 3.37
Votes: 8
|
|
|
|
|
Logged In members can moderate all comments.
|
|
