On this #MemorialDay2020 we will #HonorTheSacrifice of those before us who died due to their service.

Help spread the message that America is ready to Open by purchasing your patriotic American or State specific shirt at www.veteransstore.us!

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As each state begins to relax the restrictions related to the spread of COVID-19, I look out across the nation at our Veteran business owners, the first-responder community, and American patriots in general, and I see a courageous group that has held together and stood together throughout these past few difficult months.  We have all experienced loss.  Some of us have lost our jobs, some of us have lost our businesses, some of us have lost people dear to us.  

As a combat Persian Gulf War Veteran, I can say that our community of Veterans understands loss. Many of us understand the price of freedom as we have watched The flag draped over the casket of a brother or sister in arms. During Memorial Day I take time to remember those in my family and those with whom I served who are no longer with us. 

I wanted to share the story of my cousin, Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, of England.  Cousin ADM Ramsay fought bravely in WWII and was a leader during the famous Allied extraction effort known as Dunkirk, and the Admiral for the Allied invasion of Normandy.  Before the invasion of Normandy he stated ‘We shall require all the help that God can give us & I cannot believe that this will not be forthcoming.’ ADM Ramsay trusted God and served with honor the remainder of the War. 

In a cruel turn of fate, just one short year after winning one of the most important victories in the history of  liberty by defeating the evil Nazi empire, ADM Ramsay, my cousin, passed away in a plane crash leaving him with the title of The Forgotten Hero of World War II.  His story is not truly forgotten as it lives on in our family history, and now as I share it, it can live on through each of you. 

Decades later, on 12 October, 2000, an explosion on board the USS Cole took the lives of 17 service members.  Had that explosion happened just one year earlier, I quite possibly could have been of those victims.  Determined to never let those 17 members become “forgotten” like my cousin, Sir ADM Ramsay, I honor their sacrifice during this, and every, Memorial Day weekend.  Any chance I get I attend the Memorial for the USS Cole which now enters its 18th year.

There is no way to repay or bring back those heroes who have fallen or friends and family that we have lost. For many of us during this time we think of those who served alongside us and who have lost their lives not only to the enemy, but to their own hands.  They are just as much a casualty of war as was my cousin Sir ADM Ramsay, or the 17 on the USS Cole.  

It is healthy and enriching to grieve and honor our heroes for their service and dedication.  Their legacy has shown me the way and they inspire me everyday to overcome life‘s struggle.  I honor their sacrifice and willingness to give it all up for the sake of freedom. 

This Memorial Day, as America looks for the courage to reopen for business, I ask all freedom loving Veterans who with honor remember their oath, to join with me and wear your dog tags.  We will wear them for freedom, not for fashion.  It will serve as a reminder to every American as to why we fought.  Hopefully, seeing our tags will inspire others to stand and fight now to reclaim what we have lost over the past few months.  The courage and the resolve of the Veteran is needed now more than it has ever been.   

If you are reading this and you are not a Veteran, but you have the tags of one who has fallen or a relative who passed, I encourage you to put them on this weekend and join us.  It isn’t stolen valor if it’s intended to honor the valor of the man or women who wore the tags.  Honor your loved ones by resurrecting their spirit of service this Memorial Day 2020. 

This weekend, as we wear our tags, share our spirit, and remember those who have fallen, let us also remember that we are not a nation of red states and blue states.  To be sure, we are a nation of red and blue, but those colors are joined with white to represent the greatest nation on earth.  Let’s come together to celebrate and to work together to restore that greatness. 

Not for Fashion for freedom! 

In America and for the world! 

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Why the Hashtag Campaign, #PardonFlynnNow, is So Important and Timely

By Pat Scopelliti – @ThyConsigliori – and Kate Scopelliti

In the wake of the newly released House Intelligence memo, there is much analysis being proffered and much yet to be learned.  It is, however, the perspective of this analysis that insufficient attention is being focused on a most important implication.  The one man in all of America who has suffered most unjustly and most cruelly is Lt. General Mike Flynn.  He is the true victim of injustice here, in more costly ways, and for less cause than anyone else.

The simple sketch of the relevant facts thus far is easy to follow.  The Democrats paid for false research.  They ensured it was fed into both the intelligence community and the FBI and DOJ.  FISA court warrants were fraudulently procured on this basis.  At the same time, General Flynn was specifically targeted, set up, trapped and lost his position in the White House as a near immediate result.  During these attacks, he was also made the subject of a false investigation – the fix was completely in – which was utterly poisoned by its purposeful targeting of an innocent patriot for political, vindictive and corrupt reasons.  Then, once the Special Investigation unit was set up, they immediately pushed forward to the point of a falsely based prosecution.

At this point, these facts – in light of what we now know from the memo – demonstrate beyond the shadow of a doubt that General Flynn’s prosecution was not actually that; it was pure persecution, illegal, and entirely baseless.  Thus, there can be no doubt remaining that his prosecution has no proper standing in justice.  It is, in fact, the most egregious injustice of this tragic travesty, with one exception – the damage done to Rule of Law in our nation.

There is a campaign that we the people must engage.  All patriots who detest injustice, who wish to provide relief for the warrior who has suffered this vile corruption, must now find their voice.  Fortunately, social media provides a proven vehicle to express our outrage and recruit forces to concentrate on a single, simple, powerful good.  We must let the world know that we want this injustice against General Flynn to stop…NOW.

The one person who has the power to end this is President Trump.  He has the power of pardon and may use it at any time of his choosing.  It is our mission to loudly and persistently request that he do so, now.  If we join together as a social movement, we absolutely can create the voice required to be clearly heard by our Commander-in-Chief.  Further, should he decide to pardon General Flynn, we can assure him of our total support for that most appropriate action.

We should be confident that now IS the time.  Why?  There can be no further gain from forcing General Flynn to endure continued prosecution/persecution.  The gain for the President, and for the nation is most simply and effectively summed up by the term: Rule of Law.  If the President pardons General Flynn now, the pure justice of the act will resound:  When the American justice system is co-opted, corrective action through Rule of Law will be certain.  The President’s pardon will reach forward with an assurance and healing power necessary for us all.

So, what must we do?  We must speak on Twitter and Facebook, and all other social media.  We must build up the standing, the ranking if you will, of this particular hashtag:  #PardonFlynnNow.  Sufficient participation – into the millions of uses – will garner traditional media attention, as well as communicate this strong message to President Trump.

Patriots will rejoice once this horrible injustice has been fully and formally addressed.

And, finally, even if the pardon is not granted at this time, imagine how it will affect General Flynn to experience our nation fully behind him and willing to demand justice for him.

#PardonFlynnNow

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by Scott Trench | BiggerPockets.com”

By far one of the best written articles on beginner real estate investing! I believe this to be of the utmost importance for all investors getting started in real estate to follow this path. I too followed a similar path in building my portfolio and suggest you do the same! I hope you find motivation and inspiration in this article. –  Joshua

“I just talked to a lender that prequalified me for over $1 million in financing. This is a conventional mortgage broker—not a friend, not a family member. This is a loan at the best rates available.
That’s $1 MILLION.

I don’t earn a ridiculously high salary, and I don’t have a tremendous amount of cash.

In this article, I want to talk about a reward that I did not foresee when I started investing in real estate. I want to talk about how I went from a position of approximately $0 in net worth just two and a half years ago to a position in which I am able to single-handedly purchase around a million dollars in real estate, right now, using conventional or even FHA financing.

For the foreseeable future, at least until I screw up badly or the economy collapses, I will have no problem getting access to real estate financing. This is in sharp contrast to most of my white-collar peers, for a reason that I will convey below. Please note that this article is written for investors who aspire to build real estate wealth while working a full-time job, not folks who are more on the “entrepreneurial” side of real estate investing, who fix and flip, rehab, or manage properties full-time.

See, the two things that hold most would-be part-time investors back from investing in real estate are their cash position and their access to financing.

In my opinion, accumulating cash is actually the easy part. I chose to do it by systematically saving my wage income of just under $50,000 per year (yes, after paying taxes on that income), working hard at my job and changing jobs to earn more money over the last few years, and investing passively in index funds. While that may sound hard to some people, the fact of the matter is that pretty much anyone who works a median income job in a city that isn’t LA, SFO, or NYC can give themselves a great shot at saving up the down payment on a rental property in under two to three years. It could take less than one year if they house hack, as I did here in Denver while earning less than $50,000 per year. For example, conventional lenders will typically only lend to first-time investors if the investor can bring 15-25% down (15% on a single family rental or a duplex and 25% on a triplex or quadplex). That’s $45,000-$75,000 in cash on a $300,000 property. That’s a challenge for many people, but not for a big saver with a few years in the workforce.

real-estate-investing-easy

The Big Newbie Investor Issue: Access to Financing

The cash problem is solved simply through consistency and time. Again, it’s not the hard part; the hard part for many people is actually the access to financing. If you are a saver, you will eventually have no problem coming up with the cash to put 15% to 25% down on rentals with conventional financing. The real challenge you might run into is that your income isn’t high enough to qualify you for financing. The challenge is that most lenders won’t lend to folks to create an environment where their financing costs are more than 35% their income.

What does this mean in reality? Consider the following example:

Joey makes $85,000 per year and has $40,000 in lifetime savings outside of his retirement account. His lender tells him that this qualifies him for a maximum mortgage loan of approximately $400,000. The reason he is qualified for that amount, at maximum, is because the debt service, including principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, on a $400,000 loan is about $2,500 per month, or roughly 35% of his monthly paycheck.

So what does Joey do with this information? Well, he buys a $440,000 primary residence, putting roughly 10% down, and stretches himself to his absolute financial limits to live in the best home he could possibly purchase. Unfortunately, this wipes out his ability to save cash (a huge chunk of his paycheck goes to his mortgage), his current cash position (used for the downpayment), and his ability to get access to future financing (his debt to income ratio is maxed out, and lenders will no longer offer him credit)!

Fast forward a year or so, and Joey now decides that he would like to achieve early financial freedom in part through real estate investing. He goes to his lender, and his lender tells him this:

“I’m sorry, but you will need 15-25% in the form of a down payment AND enough income such that you can cover both your home mortgage AND the rental property’s mortgage. Because you have no history as a landlord, we cannot count any rental income towards your purchase. It may be quite some time before we can offer you a loan for a rental property.”

Joey is in a really bad position to begin investing in real estate. The reality of the situation is this:

If Joey wants to buy a second $400,000 property as a rental, he will need to accumulate $60,000 to $100,000 in cash AND increase his income to $140,000 -$155,000 per year in order to qualify for a loan.

Folks, this is the position that many BiggerPockets readers are starting in! They earn solid salaries, but have little cash accumulated and debts, like a mortgage, that inhibit their ability to borrow. Joey is forced to buy tiny rentals to get started, rentals that will have little impact on his overall financial position and that may not be available or desirable to him, depending on his location. These rentals will produce income and wealth that is insignificant relative to his wage income and are more likely to annoy him than encourage him. Unless Joey has equity in his home and is willing to leverage that to invest, he is a long way away from building significant passive income from real estate.

Related: The Tax Implications You MUST Understand Before House Hacking

The Less Painful Route to Bank-Financed Rentals

But, I, Scott Trench, have avoided this predicament.

How, you ask?

By buying my first home as a house hack.

Unlike our poor friend Joey, I do not have any trouble accumulating cash or getting access to future financing. I’ve saved thousands of dollars per month compared to folks like Joey for years by house hacking and having my tenants cover all of my mortgage. I have passive real estate income. I have cash AND access to financing, all I could want.

When I go to the lender, you know what he tells me?

“Mr. Trench, I see that you have a wage income of $______. This income qualifies you for a mortgage of hundreds of thousands of dollars on its own as an upper-middle-class wage-earner at a respectable corporation.

Additionally, in your case, your current mortgages do not count against this income because the payments, including principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, are wholly offset by the rents your current properties receive. In fact, because we allow 75% of the gross rents your properties command to count towards your income, your current properties actually increase your ability to borrow.

Let’s add an extra couple hundred thousand dollars to your purchasing power.

Oh, and Mr. Trench, I forgot to mention. Did you know that because you are landlord with two years of experience, verified by your tax returns, that you can actually use the expected rent from a future property to count towards your purchasing power? That’s right, if you buy a property with four units and each unit is estimated to command $1,500 in rent, we can tack on 75% of that rent (or $4,500 in monthly income) to help you qualify for a loan?

Let’s add yet another extra couple hundred thousand dollars to your purchasing power.”

My eyeballs exploded when I saw the amounts that my lender was willing to offer me for my next purchase(s). I can, right now, buy property at well over seven figures in value (using a combination of low-down-payment loans like FHA and 5% down conventional), assuming I house hack (move in and put down 3.5%-5% on one very expensive quadplex and purchase one much less expensive duplex or single family). Of course, I plan to remain conservative and am looking to purchase properties under $600,000 this year—but wow!
life-on-half-income

Financial Freedom the Easy Way

So, what’s the real difference between Joey and me in the eyes of the lender? The difference is I have two years of landlording experience and no debt with service that is not covered, with room to spare by the gross rents of my properties. You reach a real breakthrough point as a part-time investor when you get those first two years of rental history under your belt and are able to qualify for significantly more financing.

I, with my experience as a house hacker landlord, find it very easy to get a loan at a great interest rate. Shockingly easy. Joey will find it extremely difficult. My ability to buy real estate is perpetually increasing and is, at this point, basically limited only to what I can bring to the table in cash. Joey cannot get a loan without another co-signer, unless he can convince a private lender to give him money, likely on unfavorable commercial terms with high rates and origination fees. Joey is limited by both his cash and income. I am not. Joey may never get started and will have to fight very hard to get his business off the ground. I can offer on property worth more than Joey’s house every single year if I like.

The reason for my advantage is entirely due to the fact that I “put in my dues” for two years by house hacking instead of buying a primary residence with my first purchase. Had I not house hacked and used my first large loan to help me generate rental income, I might be in Joey’s position struggling to save and earn more. My first rental purchase would likely be years away and/or a very small property in a less-than-desirable area (unless I was willing to sell my home and start over by house hacking–unlikely if I was settled into my home). I would not believe myself to be “conservative” in looking to purchase property priced as high as $600,000. I would not have the option to purchase property approaching or exceeding seven figures in value.

This is not an argument against buying a nice home. I intend to buy a nice home one day. But that purchase is at least a few years away. I’ll buy the fancy home when my house hacking income can easily cover the mortgage payment. My argument is to delay the purchase of that first home, at least for two years, while one becomes a landlord the easy way, through house hacking. Or, at the very least, buy a home at a price point so conservative that you could easily buy two, and make a second property as a rental.

Related: Am I Missing Something, or Is Real Estate Investing Really Not That Hard?

Get the process started with a rental property that cash flows reasonably before buying a long-term primary residence at the upper bounds of your purchasing power. Put in your first year or two, and watch opportunities multiply in front of you. Do whatever you need to do to buy a solid rental property, large or small, and put yourself in a position where you can use the rent from your current and future purchases to help you out with your next purchase.

Then, when you have passive income, plenty of cash, and a proven track record, buy the nice home if desired.

If you can get started and set yourself up over the next few years such that you can save thousands of dollars per month and use your current and expected future rental income to purchase property, you may find real estate investing to be easy, fun, and automatic rather than something almost unattainable. Too many folks on BiggerPockets are spinning their wheels trying to get into real estate investing because they used up all of their purchasing power on a primary residence. In fact, the only set of circumstances that allows folks who buy their first homes to invest is when they experience a lot of appreciation on that home very quickly. That’s a big gamble to take, and that financial benefit would only be exaggerated if it were a rental property. If you do decide to max out on your first home purchase, you might find that financial freedom through real estate is decades farther away than it needs to be.

Looking to set yourself up for life as early as possible and enjoy time on your terms? Scott Trench’s new book Set for Life, slated for release April 23, 2017, is now available for pre-sale! Whether you’d like to “retire” from wage-paying work, become less dependent on your demanding nine-to-five, or simply spend time doing what you love, Set for Life will give you a plan to get there. This isn’t about saving up a nest egg. It’s not about setting aside money for a “rainy day.” Set for Life is an actionable guide that helps readers build the accessible wealth they need to achieve early financial freedom.”

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Pete Hegseth is first a Patriot, Second an OathKeeper, Thirdly a Combat Veteran and fourthly a Media knight who has stood steady through such a tumultuous onslaught against our community over the years.  It is in no small part through his courage to stand against the tide he helped to  lay the groundwork for the Veterans For Trump Coalition to gain such momentum.  Had the Concerned Veterans of America not made it a point to educate, expand and unify the Veteran Vote I personally do not believe that the flame which ignited the nation would have burned so brightly in the beginning of it all.  We all made it our focus and mission to ensure the Veteran Voice was heard across this great nation of ours.  By keeping the Veteran cause at the forefront of the presidential debates we maintained the narrative of America first and her servants in the military community as the heroes they are.  I want to personally say Thank You Pete Hegseth for standing in the gap and holding the line while your reinforcements were on their way! JM

Pete Hegseth Interviews Joshua Macias at the Mike Pence event @ Founders Inn.

Pete Hegseth Interviews Joshua Macias at Mike Pence event

Article By : Pete Hegseth | FOXNEWS

“Today, on November 11, America pauses to thank our veterans for their service to our nation. The freedoms we enjoy in this country—which are the exception to the rule in human history—were literally purchased by men and women of all generations who have courageously worn the uniformed cloth of our country.

We live free because warriors—and then veterans—have selflessly served our nation in dangerous places.

THE FOUR THINGS PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP SHOULD FOCUS ON FIRST

At the very least, make sure to use this Veterans Day to honor and thank a veteran in your life.

Veterans Day is about honoring veterans, not politics. But we also cannot ignore that our nation’s policies impact the way we empower, and care for, our veterans. We have failed our military and veterans too often over the past eight years.

That said, the current state of our country for military members, and our veterans, is disappointing at best, and dangerous at worst.

At the Defense Department—the government’s largest department—deep spending cuts, failure to modernize our weapons, and utter strategic drift have created a readiness and morale crisis that makes America far too vulnerable.

At the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (VA)—the second largest federal department—a waiting list scandal exposed a corrosive, bloated, and unaccountable bureaucracy that is very good at serving itself—but not good at serving veterans.

On both fronts, thankfully, I believe a new era dawns. On the campaign trail, candidate Donald Trump made both rebuilding our military and fixing the VA two of his signature issues.

President-elect Trump is poised to do the same. President-elect Trump has pledged to get rid of the disastrous defense sequester, invest in long-overdue future military technologies, grow the ranks and numbers of ships and aircraft, and repeal stifling rules of engagement that handcuff our troops.

In just a few years, the posture of our military could look much different—ensuring America both deters aggression and can swiftly defeat enemies.

At the VA, President-elect Trump has pledged to “clean house”—an aggressive mandate veterans have been clamoring for. He has vowed to choose an aggressive VA secretary, and empower that leader to swiftly fire VA employees who have failed veterans. This will mean confronting the VA unions, as well as the VA bureaucracy; something Trump has unapologetically said he would do. Moreover, President-elect Trump has vowed to empower veterans to choosetheir healthcare—either from VA facilities or from a private physician. When veterans can choose, then VA must compete and is incentivized to treat veterans like customers, not numbers. It’s about time.

Veterans Day is about honoring veterans, not politics. But we also cannot ignore that our nation’s policies impact the way we empower, and care for, our veterans. We have failed our military and veterans too often over the past eight years.

My sincere believe is that President-elect Trump will muster the courage, leadership, and clarity of purpose to ensure America brings back “peace through strength” with our military posture and the enacts real reform at the VA.

It’s the least we can do for our warfighters.

Pete Hegseth is the former CEO of Concerned Veterans for America and the former executive director of Vets for Freedom. A Fox News contributor, he is an infantry officer in the Army National Guard and has served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and at Guantanamo Bay.  He is the author of “In the Arena” and serves on the Advisory Board for United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).” 

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/11/11/pete-hegseth-life-for-our-veterans-and-our-military-could-be-much-different-soon.html

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A great article which bears the need to amplify is written by re/code writer Liz Gannes where she shares in her own words her personal connection to Detroit both past, present and future.  As a man of faith and science I see all the potential that Detroit has to leap frog other cities in the realm of tech start-ups and companies looking to expand.  With the infrastructure that Detroit has for pulling in major steel and manufacturing it has all that is needed to be the new mecca of tech companies.  Lets not forget it’s strong support of business growth and diverse college graduate population along with it’s low barrier of entry.  Detroit is setup to explode within my generation and I just hope that I will be on the right side of the wave supporting it’s rise into the future I know it belongs in.

I encourage any REIT or Online Storage companies to setup shop in Detroit by purchasing these old manufacturing plants.  Convert them into server farms, tech-incubators, or MAKER spaces.  With the inexpensive cost of overhead and infrastructure Detroit is a solid long term investment within the technology world.

I am sending a shout out to all my friends in Detroit holding down the bunker for future generations.  You epitomize the definition of TrueGrit and continue to inspire America with your resilience!

Check out the series from Liz Gannes for more in depth review HERE.

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SANDRA GONZALEZ stated 2 DAYS AGO on MASHABLE
“Just weeks into its freshman run on the Science Channel, the network’s new series All-American Makers has highlighted some pretty fun tech, but Wednesday’s episode might have some of the coolest yet.

In case you’re not familiar, the idea of the show is to give innovators and entrepreneurs a chance to turn their ideas into big money. It’s kinda of like Shark Tank for the tech savvy.

In the episode, airing at 10 p.m. ET, the show’s panelists — including Printrbot founder Brook Drumm, robotics expert Brian Roe, and venture capitalist Marc Portney — are presented with the Puzzlebox Orbit — a mind-controlled helicopter.

WATCH VIDEO HERE

In the clip above, exclusive to Mashable, the very cool toy is taken for a test run that will probably leave you wanting to try it yourself.”

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Friday morning at 6:15 a.m., crews were putting in the driveway and landscaping at the new home.

The Hill-Burdette family is due home on Saturday afternoon. It’s going to be quite a different house home from the one they left a week ago.

Joshua Macias with JEB Development is on the team that’s installing something unique to the family’s needs.

“We helped to work on the whole salon. There’s actually a nail salon right behind the garage. It’s pretty amazing. There’s going to be custom tile all throughout, electrical, plumbing, a nail bath. It’s pretty cool to see the design that was put into it as well as a powder room, the bathrooms downstairs,” he said.

Extreme Home Make Over

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