Real Wealth with Brad Hovis

A busy business is not automatically a healthy business. In this Real Wealth Review, Brad Hovis works through Dr. Brian Arnold's multiple businesses, income streams, speaking projects, and competing priorities to identify the business fundamentals that need more visibility. The conversation covers revenue vs. profit, separating business and personal finances, simplifying priorities, delegating bookkeeping, testing demand before spending heavily, aligning complementary offers, building residual income through people, and eventually creating a business that can operate through management. Topics include: • revenue vs. profit • business financial visibility • separating business and personal expenses • simplification and prioritization • delegating bookkeeping • testing market demand before adding overhead • aligning offers around the same customer • building leverage through people • residual income • owner independence and management This episode is educational and reflects the specific situation discussed with Dr. Brian Arnold. Tax, accounting, legal, and financial decisions should be verified for your own circumstances. Ready to build a stronger business? Visit REIBIZ.com.

Most people think real estate investing starts with a retail property, a conventional loan, a down payment, and a rental strategy. In this episode, Brad Hovis explains why he looks at passive income and real estate acquisition more broadly. Brad begins with several passive-income approaches outside real estate, including dividend-producing stocks, mineral royalties, business distributions, and private lending. He then explains why real estate is the area he prefers because he believes investors can understand and influence more of the outcome. From there, Brad breaks down personally guaranteed versus non-personally guaranteed real estate financing and discusses several alternative deal structures, including Subject-To, sandwich lease options, owner financing, private financing, and buying properties free and clear. He closes with a case study from a 51-house Memphis opportunity. Brad explains how restrictive financing terms changed the original plan, why 13 houses were sold, how the remaining 38-house acquisition was structured, and how years of operating decisions eventually reduced the portfolio to 16 free-and-clear cash-flowing houses. Learn practical real estate investing at reischool.com

What does an experienced investor actually look at before bidding on a foreclosure deal? In this episode, Brad Hovis sits down with longtime Denver real estate investor Matt Sanchez to break down how he has approached foreclosure auctions, deal evaluation, risk, and cash flow over decades of investing. Matt explains how investors narrow an auction list, evaluate properties when interior access is limited, estimate repairs conservatively, understand lien position and encumbrances, prepare certified funds, and set a maximum bid before emotion takes over. They also discuss another way to access auction-sourced opportunities: building relationships with active auction buyers who may have more deals than capacity. Matt shares how those relationships became part of his deal flow, along with his own path from working in corporate America to building real estate on nights and weekends. The conversation closes with Matt's perspective on cash flow versus equity and why recurring income has remained central to his investing strategy. Parts of this episode discuss the Colorado foreclosure-auction process. Rules and procedures vary by jurisdiction, so verify the requirements in the market where you invest.   Learn practical real estate investing at reischool.com

Living paycheck to paycheck makes it difficult to create the margin needed to build assets and ownership. In this episode, Brad Hovis breaks down practical ways to increase active income before trying to build passive income. He explains why becoming more valuable at work can create leverage for better compensation, how to prepare for a raise conversation with measurable results, when changing jobs may make sense, and how side hustles, sales, and business can create additional income. Brad then shares the story of his first wholesale real estate deal in Colorado Springs, including the mistakes he made, how the deal eventually came together, and why that experience showed him he could create income on nights and weekends while still working another role. Ready to move from doing deals to building a real business? Visit reibiz.com

How do you actually acquire real estate at a discount? In this episode, Brad Hovis sits down with John Webb to discuss the process of finding and acquiring discounted real estate opportunities. They cover buy boxes, seller motivation, distressed properties, wholesalers and realtors, speed, upfront contracts, due diligence, and the importance of a margin of safety. Learn more about real estate investing with REI School.

In 2008, Brad Hovis was struggling financially. Paycheck advances, ATM loans, and not being able to afford a $50 dress for his wife became part of a much bigger turning point in his life. Instead of simply trying to work harder, Brad began learning how to think differently about money, income, assets, and wealth. In this episode, Brad breaks down the R.E.A.L. Wealth Formula: R | Reduce monthly expenses E | Enlarge active income A | Acquire passive income L | Live on passive income L | Leave a legacy He also shares why financial freedom is about more than simply having money. It's about creating freedom, finding purpose, building something meaningful, and eventually leaving a legacy. If you're trying to move from simply surviving to building real wealth, this episode gives you a framework to start with.   00:00 Introduction 01:58 What Is the Real Wealth Formula? 02:52 Step 1: Reduce Your Monthly Expenses 05:29 Step 2: Enlarge Your Active Income 08:40 Step 3: Acquire Passive Income 10:38 Step 4: Live on Your Passive Income 11:20 The Goal of Personal Finance 13:05 Retirement and Wealth Defined 14:31 Step 5: Leave a Legacy 15:15 Personal Story: Overcoming Financial Struggles 22:57 Conclusion   Follow the podcast and subscribe for more practical lessons on real estate, business, ownership, and wealth building.