Hi everyone, check out the August 2011 edition of the YIP magazine. I work with a couple who want to retire at 40 and live off their rental income…

Last year Deb, Jo & I were having one of our get togethers. We started talking together about our ideal day. (In case you don’t know, Deb & Jo are my accountability buddies, and best friends. We met at property seminars!)

Anyway, after revealing our ideal days, we moved on to how we could make them happen.

And somehow we landed on the idea of going to Fiji together for a holiday. 

It was just an idea, but we immediately got onto the net and started researching it. And chose a date …

And in July, we took our families to Fiji! And had an awesome time …

Then we all went our separate ways and did our own thing. Warren and I lazed around on an island …

Last year I wrote down as one of my goals that sometime in 2011 …

… I wanted to spend a month in Italy.

At the time, it was just a dream. I had no ideas on how it would happen, or even if it would happen.

But right now, I’m writing this sitting in Italy. And we’ve had an amazing time. 

We’ve been to Florence and Tuscany, seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa, boated around the Cinque Terre, ridden a gondola in Venice, driven the windy roads of Lake Como and the experienced the Amalfi Coast. Warren’s checked out Ferraris and Lamborghinis, and I’ve checked out Armani!

And we’ve eaten! Pasta and Pizza and Gelati.

We’ve experienced a range of emotions, wow moments, breath taking scenery and incredible architecture, art and lifestyle.

My husband, Warren, has a list of places he’d like to visit. On that list is Vietnam. Earlier this year I was with the Patty CashClub (my high end VIP clients), and we were discussing goals. I was telling them about mine.

I love to travel. It’s one of my all time favourite things to do.

IN FACT, travel is right up there on my list of dreams & desires.

One of the girls in the group commented on how they would like to come with us on holiday …

And that comment prompted me to share with them another goal of mine …

That is … to take a small group on an overseas seminar experience …

An overseas seminar experience that inspires those who attend to change their lives, pursue their goals, and live their passions.

At the time I had no idea where we would go, or even if I could pull it off.

So I wrote a list of the goals I would want to achieve with the group.

And I contacted Belinda, a travel agent friend, and we discussed where and how this could happen.

I chose Vietnam.

And now Warren gets to tick off one of his dreams – a visit to Vietnam, and I get to tick off one of mine – because I’m taking a small group of highly committed people with us …

… to Vietnam … in November …

… for a one week seminar experience I’ve named The Wealth Retreat.

So … are YOU living the life of your dreams and desires? 

Are you living with passion every day?

Would you like to step up? Change the way you live? Quit your job?

Do you like to travel?

Would you like to give to others?

Do you enjoy a little pampering and pleasure?

Don’t know how you could possibly make your dreams and desires happen?

Start with the dream …

Then take a step towards it … write it down! 

And take another step … Do some research. Pick a date. Pay a deposit.

And take another step … 

Just like the girls and I planning Fiji. Or my dream about visiting Italy. Or The Wealth Retreat in Vietnam. 

l started with the dream, writing it down, and then taking steps, one at a time …

And before you send me an avalanche of emails about The Wealth Retreat … yes, we have just a couple of places left. 

So, if one of your goals is to change your life and you answered YES to any of the above questions, then do yourself a favour and apply to come to Vietnam on The Wealth Retreat. Just send us an email expressing your interest and we’ll tell you how to apply! 

Bless ya

Jennie

PS What’s your dream? Share it below … then go do something about it!

As I write this I’m sitting in an Fransiscan Abbey in Italy. We’re actually staying here – the building was built somewhere around the late 1400’s. It’s quiet, serene, beautiful and inspiring.

When I wrote the first post about Legacy (you can read it here), I had just returned from a very relaxing holiday in Fiji which included a week with my two accountability partners and best buds, Deb & Jo, and our families.

When I wrote the second post about Legacy (you can read it here), I was just about to jump on a plane to Italy.

And now I’m in Italy, and I’m feeling inspired to write a third post about Legacy!

Because whilst I’ve been here in Italy, I’ve realised something else about legacy …

Let me explain.

We’re travelling all over Italy. We started our trip in Florence. And on one of our nights there, we had the awesome privilege of having dinner.

Not just any dinner.

This was in Florence.

In the Museum of Academia.

In a very special area …

In fact, we had dinner served to us at the feet of Michelangelo’s statue of David …

Yep, for real! 

Just to prove it, here’s a photo … that’s me, dressed in black, in the bottom right hand corner …

OK, so a photo really doesn’t do this justice.

When I walked into the room, and saw David, it took my breath away. I just wanted to sit in silence and bask in the moment. The world slipped away and I literally sat at the feet of the statue drinking it all in.

It is one of the most memorable moments I have ever had.

Imagine … what if Michelangelo had NOT followed his calling. What if he had NOT become a sculptor.

We would have been cheated out of so much …

Off to the side of the Great Hall where David stands, there’s another room. And again, I stood in awe at what was on offer …

These are by Bartolini.

And they are just SOME of what he sculpted!

What an amazing legacy …

What are you NOT doing today that could be inspiring someone else?

Sure, you may not be Michelangelo or Bartolini … but YOU are influencing the people around you – your parents, your children, your friends, your colleagues …

Don’t cheat yourself and others …

Step up! 

Just as Michelangelo is still inspiring people today,

you too can inspire someone for years to come …

So stop putting off your dreams and desires and get going on whatever it is that you are passionate about …

Bless ya

Jennie

PS What’s your passion? Do you even know what it is? Share it in the comments section below … and start living it! 

I'm a big supporter of charities. Its no secret that I donate 10% of all my income to World Vision Australia. Well this month, my good friend Matt Jones is doing something incredible with his own charity fundraising

Matt is riding a Postie Bike 3500km in 10 days from Brisbane to Alice Springs next month to raise money for Rotary and other local communities along the way.

Matt ran a fundraising auction at his monthly Brisbane Property Networking Group meeting where they raised $7500 by auctioning off over $50k in property investing resources and education products.

I was one of the major contributors to Matt's auction and he provided me with a certficiate of appreciation that I thought I would share with you all below.

If you would like to donate some money to Matt's fantastic cause, just click on the image below to make a donation – every dollar counts towards his target of $12000 by 9th August 2011

Last week I shared with you the legacy of writing my Mum had given me. Who knows how far reaching that legacy will be. (If you missed it, you can read it here.)

So …

The realisation of Mum’s legacy got me thinking …

About what legacy I’m leaving now, and what legacy I really want to leave.

Are they the same? Or do I need to make some serious adjustments in my life …

What about you?

If you died RIGHT NOW, what legacy would you leave behind?

Sobering thought, isn’t it. Think about it though …

Would you be remembered as a great parent, who spent heaps of time with the kids, sowing into them, creating memories, teaching them, and instilling great values?

Or would you be remembered as the “absent” parent? The one who put work, or pleasure, or addictions, or some other distraction – ahead of your kids. Perhaps you’re the parent who’s cranky and tired and grumpy with the kids.

How about as a friend? Would you be remembered as the friend who was always there, compassionate, generous, thoughtful, caring? Or are you the friend who is just too busy to catch up?

Do you really care about your parents? What would they say about you? Would they say you made them proud, you genuinely care about them, and that they can depend on you? Or would they say that you do things that make them squirm, that you are not readily available and that you take them for granted …

And what about your work? Are you diligent, on time, and do what you are paid to do? Do you go over and above and help others?

Or are you competitive, and treat work as if it’s an inconvenience? Do you consider it your right to be paid to surf the internet, facebook your friends and help yourself to stationery for your own personal use?

And then there’s your values … are you living honestly, with integrity, and honor? Or are you ripping people off, being rude, and blaming everyone else but yourself for where you are right now?

The question is … WHO ARE YOU?

However, I think the bigger question is … WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE?

Who you are is a CHOICE. It’s a choice you make every day, every minute.

So, if you don’t like the legacy you’d leave behind today … CHANGE YOUR CHOICES.

What legacy do you want to leave?

Start living it today … its your choice

Bless ya
Jen

PS I’d love to know what legacy you want to leave … let me know in the comments below.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about legacy.  It’s quite an unusual word, legacy.  Try saying it, or writing it, a few times and it becomes even more interesting.

Look it up in the Oxford Dictionary and it says …

• an amount of money or property left to someone in a will.
• something left or handed down by a predecessor

Money and property sound great!  But it’s really the second definition that I’ve been thinking about.

What really started me thinking about legacy was one of those slow realisations …

When I first started out in the seminar business a few years ago I used to write a regular “Gold Nugget”. 

And of course I had to write emails, sales letters, and all the normal things associated with running a business. 

Last year I was approached to write a chapter in a book, and then wrote my own book (it’s in draft form) … and I was being approached by magazines to write articles for them.

This year in particular I’ve been asked to write a LOT!  And I’ve been learning how to write better sales copy.  I’ll be honest with you, that one is not one of my favourites, in fact, it’s one of those things that I really need to practice!

My point is, I’m doing a lot of writing … which started me thinking … when and how did I learn to write?

And then I had another one of those realisations …

I talk about my Dad as my mentor.  He’s the one who started me in the property game … encouraged me to be entrepreneurial … opened the world for me … inspired me to be the best I can be …

But what about my Mum??  Where does she fit in all this …

Well, my legacy of writing is all about my Mum.

Let me explain …

Right from when I was born I had a book in my hands.  That was my Dad.  Long before I could read, he was buying me books.  I remember as a child, countless times, going to bed, and there would be a new book on my pillow.  This went on for years.  My Dad spent thousands of dollars buying me books.

But it was Mum who let me read them through the night, under the covers, with a torch.  Not until I was in my late teens did I realise that my mother was probably a more avid reader than my father.  In fact, even now, in her seventies, my Mum devours books.  She’s always reading something!

It was Mum who took us to the library day after day after day after day … after school, that’s where you’d find us.  Borrowing heaps of books.  Reading heaps of books.  Returning heaps of books.  Borrowing more books …

It was also Mum who taught me to write. 

My Dad had terrible handwriting – I was one of the few who could decipher it.  He wrote well though – if you could read it!

Mum, however, has beautiful handwriting.  As a small child, long before school, my Mum taught me to write.  We would be in Church every week, and she would write out the alphabet in her “running writing”. 

Yes, I know, you’re supposed to write “properly” before you do “running writing”, but I learnt the “proper” way in school much later!

I would sit quietly through Church, copying Mum’s script.  Don’t tell her, but I also learnt to copy her signature, which came in handy on an occasion or two during school when I forgot to get her to sign off my homework!

When I was nineteen, I went to live in the good old USA for a year, doing volunteer youth work.  Every Saturday afternoon my Mum would sit down and write me a letter.  Not a few words from my Mum.  Pages and pages of stories and news.  Reading it was just like being home.

And every Saturday, on the other side of the world, exactly one week later, I knew, without fail, that I would go to the letter box and there would be this letter from home.

So, today, I’d like to honour my Mum, and the legacy she’s given me. 

Being able to write …  Being able to tell stories …  Being able to string sentences and ideas together … Being able to inspire people …  Being able to move people through the written word …  What a legacy!

Who knows how much influence she will have, and how much she will change people’s lives – even YOURS – because of the legacy she has given me.

What legacy have you been given? 

Are you using yours to help others?  Are you inspiring people to bigger, better and greater things? 

Don’t waste your legacy … use it … make the world a better place … someone needs what you have TODAY!

You can start by leaving a comment below – share what legacy you have been left …

And stay tuned for part 2 … to whom much is given, much is expected, and it’s our responsibility to pass on a legacy …

Bless ya

Jen

Here is another great article that I contributed to recently. It was published in Your Investment Property on the 15th July 2011. There are some great insughts about investing overseas – take a look below:

The strong Aussie dollar is encouraging local investors to turn to the overseas property market - but do the risks involved outweigh the payoff?
 
Many Australian property investors have begun casting their eye over the US real estate market, where property values are still struggling in the wake of the GFC.

Due to the non-recourse nature of the American mortgage industry – which means borrowers can simply walk away from their home and their loan, without being pursued by the bank for any outstanding mortgage payments ¬– property values across the country have soured.

It’s possible to find good quality homes and apartments less than half of their asking price just four years ago, which is prompting Aussie investors to take a closer look.

However, those looking for opportunities abroad could be making an expensive miss-step, according to property investing expert and educator, Jennie Brown.

“There is a lot of talk about extremely low property prices in the United States due to the sub-prime crisis that caused a lot of mortgagee-in-possession sales, and it is understandable that local investors feel they should cash in on these markets, rather than invest locally,” she says.
 
“But the property market in every country is very different to the Australian market, with different laws and hidden fine print that could end up costing you heaps of money.”

In an effort to minimise the risk, some investors have taken the added precaution of using professional buyer’s agents and property managers, but Brown even cautions against doing this.
 
“Even if you work with a local professional who knows the laws and market inside out, if you have issues, you are depending on people on the ground to fix the problem for you,” she says.

“This can be extremely stressful, given different time zones and the fact that you are relying on someone you haven’t formed a relationship with to look after your interests. To go over there and meet with them face-to-face to build up that trust can be impractical and expensive.”

If you are set on spending your investing dollars in the overseas property market, however, Brown has the following advice:

Don’t buy sight unseen
Unless you go over there to examine the property yourself, it is difficult to understand what you are investing in, so don’t sign anything until you’ve physically viewed the property.

Do extensive research
Make sure you research the area inside out before you buy. “Many of these properties that are selling at unbelievably low prices are in areas that are run down and full of crime, and will therefore not attract quality tenants who will protect your investment for you,” Brown warns.

Learn who to trust
Be wary of the motives of people and companies selling property overseas, and they could be driven “by their ability to profit, rather than genuinely helping you find a great investment deal”, she says. “This is the reason many are actually going broke, so make sure you do your own research to be confident of their credentials.” 
 
Consider all of your options
Don’t be tempted by an overseas deal simply because it’s so cheap, when you could find excellent investment opportunities within Australia – where you are familiar with laws and the process, and there are measures in place to protect you interests. “Don’t restrict yourself to looking only in your backyard – often you will find great opportunities and deals in different towns and states that will provide a great return.”

Hi everyone, check out the July 2011 edition of the Australian Property Investor magazine. I get asked a pretty interesting question. Read below to find out the answer…

Southern Star newspaper published this article on June 1st 2011 quoting me and my thoughts on splitter blocks. I love this strategy and its great to see it back in vogue!