Biggerpockets Money Podcast

Have you ever made a poor financial decision? You’re not alone! But can a bad blunder disqualify you from FIRE? Today’s guest made a huge investment at the worst possible time, a move that had consequences a decade later. Despite this, he was still able to reach early retirement in just fifteen years! Welcome back to the BiggerPockets Money podcast! Ryan Connell had a picture-perfect start to his financial independence journey—saving money at a young age and living well below his means. But then 2007 arrived, and Ryan made the “worst financial decision” of his life. He bought a house just weeks before the housing market began its historic collapse. But a move that could have derailed his quest for FIRE proved to be a minor setback because Ryan was still able to retire at the age of thirty-eight! In this episode, you’ll learn why you should treat real estate as less of a “sure thing” and more like the stock market. Ryan discusses his current portfolio, which consists of 100% index funds, and what led him to