272 Jeff Higgins

Jeffrey Feldberg: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Deep Wealth Podcast where you learn how to extract your business and personal Deep Wealth.

I'm your host Jeffrey Feldberg.

This podcast is brought to you by Deep Wealth and the 90-day Deep Wealth Experience.

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Jeff Higgins is a 43 year old real estate investor living in Sarasota, Florida, who self-manages his portfolio of 90 units split between Massachusetts and Florida.

Jeff is also an angel investor and an active of trader having beat the market consistently year after year.

Jeff's biggest professional passion is the work he does as a co-owner in the private men's community, [00:02:00] The Fraternity Of Excellence where he helps men level up their marriages, fitness, parenting, and of course their finances.

Jeff is married to his wife, Rochelle, and they have their son Owen and daughter Juliana.

Welcome to the Deep Wealth Podcast, and wow. Do we have an episode lined up for you. You are gonna come out of this episode different in a better way than how you're coming in, because here's a rhetorical question for you. Your life is perhaps good, maybe it's even great. But are you achieving excellence not just in the business, but in the personal life?

And overall, are you happy? Are you fulfilled? Are you taking it to where you want to take? To put a pause on that because that's where we're gonna be going with our guests today. But Jeff, welcome to the Deep. Wealth Podcast. And by the way, absolutely love your name. Great name. Your parents are very smart and wise.

Even spell it the right way. All that said, Jeff, I'm curious because there's always a story behind the story. So what's your story, Jeff? What got you to where you are today?

Jeff Higgins: What an opening. I love that Jeffrey. It is about pursuing excellence[00:03:00] and actually that is my story. Like things were going pretty good, but I wanted a lot more. So I'm a 43 year old guy. I live in Sarasota, Florida. I moved here in 2019. I lived in Massachusetts previously, and I've spent most of my career as a real estate investor.

I worked a job briefly after college, but corporate life wasn't for me. I knew that I knew I needed to break out on my own, so I started investing in real estate and I've taken it. Seriously and went full-time and accumulated some rental properties. Moved down here in Florida. Thanks for going very well.

And moving to Florida was a gift to myself and my family and we love it here, but there were some things I was missing. So in 2018, right before I moved, I joined a group called the Fraternity Of Excellence. And through working with that group, I've improved a lot of aspects of my life. Internal aspects confidence, self-esteem, just feeling better.

And over the years I. Becoming deeply involved with that. I've now become a co-owner recently, and that's how I spend a lot of my time split between the real estate investment and working as the co-owner of the Fraternity Of [00:04:00] Excellence.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow. Lot to unpack there. So why don't we start with the Fraternity Of Excellence big picture wise, and then perhaps we can roll it back of what had you go in that direction. So the Fraternity Of Excellence, I love that. Name three words. It says so many things. So what is this all about? What's the story behind the story With the Fraternity Of Excellence?

Jeff Higgins: So the fraternity was founded in 2018 by a guy named Zack Small. And he had founded it because he was in the military for a long time, and once he left the military, he didn't have the male camaraderie. You know, He is a family man, very involved with his children and his wife, but he realized he needed an accountability group of men, keep you on track, talk about the right things and striving for more and better.

So he built this group. We have 160 members now, and we participate very actively. We have a Slack message board where we have different channels. Now. People join the group for different reasons. Some people join and they need financial help. Some people join and they need relationship help or parenting help.

And we have channels and discussions and we have [00:05:00] six Zooms a week on different topics. And then we also try to meet up in person as much as possible. So, I've seen so much tremendous growth by the people who use it. Properly and dedicate themselves to it. Myself, being one of them that I knew I wanted to get more involved and make it a big part of my life.

Jeffrey Feldberg: So you have this Fraternity Of Excellence. Let's go back to 2018. You're successful in what you're doing. You've crafted out a life and lifestyle. Jeff, if we're honest about it, most people would simply put the pause, look, I've got the lifestyle. I've achieved the dreams, the goals. Life is pretty good. I've put in my time.

I've earned my stripes. As a saying goes. And off the go with that, but not you. So what was going on that you said, Hey, let me explore this. Maybe I can shake things up, do something different?

Jeff Higgins: Yeah, I see that a lot. And I personally don't understand it. I've never been satisfied, really. I can be content and I'm happy with where I'm at, but if I'm in the same place that I am right this second, three years from now, I won't be satisfied because it's continual growth. So I was happy with my career.

I [00:06:00] focused on my finances. That was all going well. But I knew I was missing some things. I had some anxiety, I had some self-doubt, and I knew I needed to work through those things. I wasn't exactly sure how. But I needed to face my weaknesses really and address them. And by doing that, it has made all the difference in the world.

Like I sit here today and I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. I don't worry anymore. I addressed what I needed to address and I encourage anyone else to do the same.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Jeff, let me ask you this, because on the business side, and particularly here at Deep Wealth on the business side, we're always helping people in our community as they grow their business, as they use the Deep Wealth 9-step Roadmap roadmap to prepare to sell the business at one point in time, a year from now, 10 years from now.

But we're talking about skeletons, otherwise known as blind spots. And so on the business side, you can look for that. On the personal side though, for a lot of people, that's really a challenge because it's so personal. It's me. You don't see it oftentimes. So do you have a superpower where you're born with something that you can look within [00:07:00] and say, Hey, you know what, I'm really in this area where I shouldn't be or wanna be here and there's a gap and I'm not there.

How do we on the personal side, find those skeletons in the closet or the blind spots, whichever you'd like to call them. What can we do for that?

Jeff Higgins: I had to really listen to what's going on inside of myself, and you have to be honest. So you might hear these things that are gnawing at you, some fears, and you turn away from it. Maybe if you're really successful, you just dive all into that because that's your facade. I have this business and it's working, so I'm awesome.

Like you can't question me. But I did the opposite. There were some things that were lingering. Some things that I wanted to improve I'll get real personal. My marriage has been awesome. Me and my wife have always been strong, good friends, respect for each other. But it wasn't quite as hot as I wanted it.

Right? I realized that was a shortfall on my behalf and I didn't know how to do it. So I really did a lot of research in it, and I found out the things I was lacking. I was lacking some leadership ability. I was lacking some decisiveness. And once I [00:08:00] realized that these were my deficiencies, I addressed them.

I embraced the role of a leader more. It turns out my wife really admired that and appreciated that, and I took a lot of weight off of her shoulders that she didn't wanna have. So now life works a lot better because I took a look at myself. Where am I weak and where can I improve?

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Jeff, as you're talking through this, I don't wanna make any assumptions or put words in your mouth. What I would like to think though, and you can confirm it one way or another, so we're not believing, we're knowing, as we say here at Deep Wealth. When you began to find those blind spots on this case, on the personal side, the relationship with your wife or any of the other areas that you chose?

I would think that getting through those areas, mastering those, checking the box, okay, I've done this, I'm feeling a lot better. Did that spill over into your business life? Did it make business better for you and help you just even help that many more people and make that much more of a difference?

Or was a status quo? What was going on with that?

Jeff Higgins: So it's helped me enjoy business a lot more because I approach investing from. A very defensive state of mind. I'm always protecting my [00:09:00] downside and my risk, which is good, but anxiety and worry don't really help you. And they really take the fun out of a lot of it. So now I'm able to analyze my investments more logically and less emotional.

One of the things I've done is become less emotionally reactive. I can take bad news and know that I can overcome it. It's not a big deal. It's something I can handle, whereas, Previously before I did the work, I would get some bad news or a letter in the mail from a lawyer or something and I would freak out, and I just don't do that anymore and life is a lot better.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so let me ask you this. As you look within, and again, if we're being open and honest, which we are, that takes courage. That takes vulnerability because when we do that, we may not like what we see, and it may be somewhat of a surprise to us, but how do we do that? So for the listener who's listening in right now, Jeff, and saying, okay, you know what?

I wanna take stock of myself. I've always been too busy doing other things on the go, looking everywhere else. But within what would be some tools or strategies or even questions that we can start [00:10:00] looking at of where do we begin and how to start.

Jeff Higgins: Well, you mentioned being transparent and I've always naturally been pretty open. Like I'll tell you about everything and with. the transformation mentally I've undergone in the last number of years, I kind of feel like, wow, I discovered this thing and I wanna share it because it is so doable.

People have a mindset and they identify with what they are, and they can't really see themselves as something completely different. I'll give you an example. I used to be overweight a long time ago, and the thought in my head of not wearing a shirt sized xl. seemed impossible to me. Now, I've been wearing a large for the last 10 years.

It was a limiting belief and we have all these limiting beliefs that we accept as much stronger than they actually are, and they can be tackled as far as tools to overcome it, I mean, I really speak primarily to men and men benefit from dealing with other men in all male spaces because the dynamic is a little bit different.

We are brutally honest with each other. Now, not mean to each other, but we get to the honesty [00:11:00] of you're trying to get here, how are you gonna get here? Are your current behaviors serving you? If they're not, we will tell you directly where Working in other groups hasn't really had the same effectiveness for me, so that's why I'm, all in on the fraternity.

Jeffrey Feldberg: So with the fraternity, so what I'm hearing you say is it's primarily focused on men

and just like we have accountability groups or business KPIs, it sounds like the fraternity. On the personal side, that can become our community, that can become our accountability partners in our personal journey and helping us through.

Would that be correct?

Jeff Higgins: Yeah, that's exactly how it works. You come in and. You explain where you want to go or maybe what it, where are your pain points? Are you suffering because you don't have the communication with your children that you desire? Well, we can help you. We're gonna tell you to read some books and you're gonna have to do the work.

And then we're gonna ask you to share specific situations, and we might chip in on how we might have handled them differently. two people might even disagree and give you opposite advice, but you might take one thing from one person and the other thing from the other. [00:12:00] And you might be add, adding something to your skillset so that you develop a better relationship with your child.

I don't know what's more important than that. You know, We work on the important things improving your life skills. I.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Wow, what a, terrific way to go just in terms of having a brotherhood, if you will, people who care about you, that you can trust, you can trust them, they can trust you. And so Jeff, I'm wondering big picture wise, because at Deep Wealth, when we're working with the business owners, we're always looking for patterns in business of, okay, what's the 20% of actions that we're doing that are generating 80% of the results?

How do we do more of that? And less of the 80% that's generating smaller results. So in the fraternity, are there, I'm just gonna pick some numbers here. Good Ole Pre's law, the 80 20. Are there 20% of the same issues that you're seeing time and time again, that are creating 80% of the hassles or the issues, or quote-unquote problems for most of the members in the fraternity?

Jeff Higgins: There is a lot of overlap and issues that people come to the two biggest ones [00:13:00] that. Pop out to me are you really need to firmly believe that you're responsible for wherever you are in your life, cuz it's a beautiful thing. If you're responsible for where you are and you're not happy, that means you have the ability to change it.

So a lot of personal responsibility, that's the only echo chamber we have, is that you have the ability to change the circumstances of your life. And something I learned in the last number of years, and it's happened over and over too many times to be a coincidence. I've noticed that when men really start to take their strength training seriously, when you get in the gym, and I'm not talking about cardio.

I'm a huge cardio fan. I did a full Ironman, but when I started really lifting weights and prioritizing heavy lifting, that does something for your mentality. It, It's amazing. I would've never believed it until I went through it, but putting on some muscle really makes you believe in yourself a lot.

And I've seen it happen to so many guys that when they commit to that, It's the body leads the mind and then the mind follows because you've proven it to your own mind. So that's been an interesting 80 20. The people that take their strength training seriously progress.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Hey Jeff. What's interesting about that, and really circling back to an earlier [00:14:00] comment at Deep Wealth, we have many thesises, and one of them is that whoever said business isn't personal, was never in

business and never owned a business. That business is absolutely personal in every regard, and the personal starts with us.

So if it's all working with us internally, if we're happy, if we're fulfilled, if we're going in the right direction, personally, that spills over in a positive way. Into the business, and so it sounds like you're in your own words with your own experience and journey, you're really reinforcing that, that, Hey, you know Jeffrey, when I started getting things right personally within I was able to take my game to the next level on the business side, would I be on base, off base with that?

Jeff Higgins: hundred percent. Yeah. I mean, that's why I chose the business I chose too. I understand it and I relate to it and. If we made a left turn into talking specifics about my business, it is very personal. I operate in a very specific niche of real estate and it's one that I can relate to. I can understand my customer, what they're looking for, and I don't understand a lot of areas of real estate, but I do understand what I do, which is like section eight low income, affordable housing.

I.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Got it. And [00:15:00] so, Jeff, let me ask you this and I'll throw a few things out there and, and see where you are. Because when you look at the past, while the combination of social media and social programming and how that's changed society for both men and women, and there's no judgment here and there's absolutely no labels, these are simply observations.

What's been going on? And with any trends that you're seeing, are those trends helping us, hurting us? What are you seeing both from yourself as well as from the Fraternity Of Excellence?

Jeff Higgins: This is a big one and a heavy one, and I wanna make sure I don't, say anything inflammatory, but. I think there's been a negative messaging towards men over the past 10, 15, 20 years. Even the term toxic masculinity. I think that's a very damaging term because what I think it does is it subliminally messages young boys that something about them is wrong, something natural about them is wrong.

You know, the social media companies and the media, the propaganda's gotten extremely effective and people believe it and they digest it. So if a [00:16:00] little boy grows up suppressing their natural state, it's not a good thing. And I hope that they get the right messaging. I coach use sports in the community and I make a real effort to make sure I am putting out a very positive image.

Cuz I don't know who these kids have at home, but if they're gonna come across one guy, I wanna set a positive example of a male role model who's doing the right things, family involved trying to improve their lives. That's something I see.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And you know, everything that you're saying and for our female listeners in the community, really, it also spills over into that because on the family side, when you are a daughter who's growing up, the studies show that the father is a huge influence of self-esteem. And how that young girl who turns into a young woman and eventually into a young leader, how that can both impact negatively and positively.

So really, we're all tied together in, in this one ecosystem. And so for the men that are listening in, is there any one piece of advice on that front that we've been talking [00:17:00] about that you can give them or some reassurance or maybe a just a different way of, of looking at things?

Jeff Higgins: Yeah, the first thing I would say is, there's nothing wrong with positive masculine traits. Embrace your strength. Strength allows you to protect, strength allows you to take care of others. Embrace what you feel inside and don't suppress it. People don't speak authentically.

They're scared to share their opinions because of cancel culture or whatever, and you really need to. Look at yourself and keep a close eye on, are you being authentic? Because living authentic lives and speaking your truth is what? What really empowers you to live your best life. If you're suppressing yourself, that doesn't work out.

So if you're a long ways away from that, you need to take some deliberate action to get there. Zach Small, wrote a book called 31 Days to Masculinity, and I'll tell you one of the days he actually has you roar as loud as you can. Because men are scared. Like think about it, roar like as loud as you can.

When's the last time you did that? You know when you're a little kid, but you get in touch with yourself and it's a good process and you learn a lot about yourself.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And for [00:18:00] our listeners, we'll put all this in the show notes, including the 31 Days to Masculinity book. We'll get all that in there. And of course, the Fraternity Of Excellence will be in the show notes as well. And so, Jeff, walk me through this. I'm a listener. I'm liking what I'm hearing, and I want to become a member.

I. So what does that look like? And once I become a member, what can I expect in the first 30 to 90 days?

Jeff Higgins: Sure you would just go to Fraternity Of Excellence.com, click join now. It's $99 a month. you would have an onboarding call with one of our moderators. And you'd be right in and you would get a message from me encouraging you to be as active as possible, to share as transparently as possible.

Jump on the Zoom so we can get to know you, and then we're gonna take it from there. Based on your personal life situation, what do you wanna work on? We're gonna have you state some goals, what you're working towards, and then we're gonna follow up with you to make sure that you're on track. And then you're gonna reach out to us and say, you know what?

I need some help with this. I don't understand that. And we're gonna be there for you.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so as men are going through this personal transformation and they're having that go into really all the other areas of their lives, are there any success [00:19:00] stories that you can share? Obviously we'll keep it confidential. Not put names out there, but are there some stories that you can share of, okay, came in like this and x many days later, here's what happened.

Jeff Higgins: So many. The first one that comes to mind is I will name his name because he just wrote a book called Men of Grit, strongest Steel. His name's Jerry Adams, and he came in a few years ago. And his life was not where it is today. Another guy who was doing okay in his career wanted his relationships to be better, and, but he wanted to write a book.

That was his dream. Right? And I've seen him now get it done. He transformed his body. This guy's 56 years old and he looks like a professional bodybuilder now, but he wrote his book and it's got some Christian elements to it. He talks about. You know how the Bible is perceived and they kind of make Jesus be a little bit more weak than he actually was.

That he was actually a very strong man and that the Bible says to be strong hundreds of times. So he achieved his life dream of writing this book, and now he's on a book tour. He is speaking in front of people. I. And he credits the fraternity with giving [00:20:00] him the skills and the accountability and the backup to do that.

Many men have come in with bad relationships with their children. We have a fatherhood zoom every Thursday night, ran by Anthony Mino, and he professes peaceful parenting. Very anti punishment and hitting, but more communication on their level and encouragement. And I've seen transformations.

It's the most beautiful thing in the world. You see people getting closer to their children. I've seen people come in in tremendous personal consumer debt, and we work with them to make a plan. How are we gonna get out of this consumer debt? And then they get to even, and it's a very good day when that happens.

So success stories are in no shortage. It's why I'm so into it.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Jeff, as you're describing this, it sounds as though we're going back not too far back, but a short while back where there is a different North Star in terms of the moral compass. And different values than what we have today. There are more, I'll call 'em solid values that we've had throughout time.

Again, would I be on base or off base [00:21:00] with that in, in terms of what I could expect if I become a member of the fraternity?

Jeff Higgins: Yeah, people bring their own values and it's a little bit different. , It's tough to describe. I guess we are a little bit more traditional or old school. It's really good things like embracing your leadership, embracing your strength, doing the right thing, doing the right thing when nobody's looking.

That's how you build your self-esteem, right? You only feel good about yourself truly, if you're proud of the actions you're taking. So, as far as values are concerned it's really, we value, family a lot. Although there are single guys in there, there are single guys that have no desire to get married, and they're welcome too because they're striving for excellence in other areas.

So we're really pretty open about, it's your decision, it's your life, just hoping you pursue excellence in the areas that are important to you.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And speaking of values of excellence of life, I'm Jeff, I'm wondering what you've seen because as we record this episode, The pandemic is well behind us, but the dust is still settling. I think really it, it's been a short while, but people only now are looking back and starting to say, oh my goodness. [00:22:00] I never realized what kind of emotional state I was in or what was going around me.

It was happening so quickly. I got cut up in everything. So, Jeff, post pandemic as you look back now. How did the pandemic affect society community? And in your case, with the fraternity men in general, have you seen anything, or is it more or less the same?

What would be your thoughts on that?

Jeff Higgins: My thoughts were that the pandemic was a big test and we failed it as a people. We let the government get away with a lot of nonsense and. And we accepted it. And if men were stronger mentally, we would've rejected a lot on the nonsense. But I see that the government wants to control us a lot and I think that we failed to test.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so whether it's looking within striving for excellence, again, any strategies or insights that you can share with our community?

Jeff Higgins: You have to think for yourself and not just believe whatever you're hearing, especially from the media. And I don't care which side you're talking about. I can go on MSNBC right now, or I could go on Fox News right now, and both of 'em are, I'm not gonna believe either of 'em. Now, that doesn't mean I'm not gonna believe [00:23:00] anything.

Like I. If a real pandemic came around with a absolutely lethal virus that would kill a 40 year old, healthy male I would take that very seriously. But it was pretty easy to tell early on that there were massive exaggerations at what was going on. The hospitals were overflowing. I'll tell you what I personally did.

I drove around to the hospitals and saw the parking lots weren't even full. All right, so in March, 2020, my antenna was up and. It was very clear that this was something weird was going on. There was an agenda and people in the fraternity got it pretty early. It's a tough subject to talk about because so many people have emotionally based opinions and the media is not your friend.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so with all that said, again, your thoughts on where do we turn? What do we do with that? Because social media, the media is taking on a different chapter as of late, and it's different. We're not gonna put any labels on it. You'll, people can put their own labels on that. But what's one to do?

If we wanna lead, again, a life of excellence, not just for ourselves, but for the [00:24:00] people depending on us, in our family, in our personal life, in our business life.

Jeff Higgins: You focus on what you can control. You focus on your immediate community, starting with inside of your house. How can you raise your children? How can you communicate and lead your wife? You focus on those areas and then you expand it to your community. That's why I get involved in the community and I try to influence children to be healthier and to try hard and to learn some sports.

And you try to shine your light to the people who are in your proximity. You do the best you can. You speak the truth, you share what you know and turn off the news,

Jeffrey Feldberg: great advice at which I follow, much to the chagrin of many people around me, but at least for me that works. And Jeff, what's interesting is we've had women thought leaders on the podcast and basically from the female side of things, they're saying the exact same thing that you're saying, and what they're saying is, Hey, you know what?

The Women's Liberation was terrific. That movement. That said, though, they're saying it's really hurt women. It hasn't been. Helpful for us that we've lost some of that traditional values and outlook of how to be a female [00:25:00] and what that looks like.

The reason I'm asking that question, you made one very interesting comment when you're talking about the relationship with yourself and your wife. It was only when you did the work. That in your words, you stepped up to the plate and you changed some areas.

It was only then that your wife revealed to, you know what? A lot of pressure you've taken off of me. I'm glad that you've gone into that area. It means that I can relax and enjoy and not have to do that. And so my takeaway on hearing that was of you stepping into the more traditional role of, a male, of what we've had throughout history and the ages.

Felt more comfortable to your wife and to the household and to those around you. That's really where my question is coming from for this part of the conversation. So please continue.

Jeff Higgins: Now that's exactly what I want people to take away from it, is your wife isn't gonna verbally tell you that you want to, and she might actually say the opposite in many cases, it's back to propaganda. We've, talked, we've said things are supposed to be Super equal and, you know, there are no gender roles and stuff and I don't see things functioning as well that way.

I think, my wife appreciates when I act like a man and I certainly appreciate when she acts [00:26:00] like a woman. And that's not to say she isn't brilliant, she's a very competent woman and can get things done, but inside the home, if there's a loud noise at night, I don't want her to think she has to get up for one second.

I will be up and I will be out the door because that is my role. and she does some things that are more traditionally feminine roles for me. And when she cooks me a meal, I'm not a great cook. And I love that she does that for me and it makes me happy. and it's this feedback loop of love as we're taking care of each other.

It really, really works for me. And it might sound old fashioned, but I don't know. It works. That's all I could say. I've seen it work in a lot of others. after this podcast, I'm gonna host a relationship call from men. And I see that the people that embrace it they typically seem to be a lot happier.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And for our listeners, as you're listening in on this conversation with the two Jeffs or Jeffries here on, on the call, you may be asking, what the heck? This is the Deep Wealth Podcast business success. Why are we here? Well, it's the same answers when we bring on a scientist or a doctor or a health thought leader, because here, our mission at the Deep Wealth Podcast [00:27:00] is to help our listeners extract their own Deep Wealth in both the business as well as the personal area.

And again, when you've got it right on the inside, on the personal side, things are well on the family front or the home front, whatever that looks like for you. Things will be more than well on the business side and the two go hand in hand with each other. And Jeff, I'd even say that again. On the personal side, when we extract our Deep Wealth, we're feeling comfortable and confident of where we are and what our role is, that on the business side, we're able to take our game to the next level and achieve even more thoughts about that.

Jeff Higgins: That sums it up personally. I mean, life is just better when you're. When you're extracting your own Deep, Wealth, as you said, I could talk about the ins and outs of real estate. I'm kind of glad that we're not this is more important to me at this point in my life.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Fair enough on that I hear you on that. And so Jeff, we're gonna go into wrap up mode very shortly. But before we do that, with every episode of the Deep Wealth Podcast, we like to have one actionable item. So when this podcast is over, before a listener goes into the next [00:28:00] meeting, or phone call, or email or activity, whatever that is, that they can do one thing, and this may be putting you on the spot because there are so many gems that you've shared with us on our conversation together today.

If a listener could do one thing and one thing only, that would really move the dial for them, what would that be?

Jeff Higgins: Do 10 pushups and then do 10 air squats. No, I'm serious. Like if you're in great shape, do 'em. It'll get your blood flowing. And if you're not in great shape, maybe think about how hard that is and how in six weeks from now they're not gonna be so hard. it's the best thing you can do for yourself.

Jeffrey Feldberg: I love that. So 10 pushups, 10 air squats, get everything going, get the blood flowing, clear some things up, and get that movement. And let me ask you this, again, we're a little bit off the beaten path here, but in terms of movement, physical movement, you mentioned you're in the gym. What kinds of other physical movements are you doing throughout the day, Jeff?

Just to keep you fresh and alert and energized.

Jeff Higgins: I play men's league hockey. I'm 43 years old, but I'm still doing that. I did triathlon pretty seriously for a few years. I started out with. Short races and I [00:29:00] went all the way up to an Ironman. I don't run so much anymore, but that was a great experience. So triathlon's a big good thing.

But I do try to get to the gym, four times a week I'd say. I ride the Peloton, I take long walks with my wife, which is probably the best benefits of real estate as I got. I'm able to work from home and we take three mile walks in the afternoon together and bond and get out in the sun and stuff.

So, yeah, I try to stay moving a lot. It's very important.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And for our listeners, you've heard it from the scientists we've had on the show. You've heard it from the doctors we've had on the show. You're hearing it from Jeff now on the show movement, whether that's a gym for some people or it's a walk or walking every hour, two, three minutes. If that's all you can do, we'll take it.

Just that movement really changes things up. And Jeff, before we go into wrap up mode, is there anything on the real estate side, we've been focusing really on the Fraternity Of Excellence. Your background's been in real estate, you've been successful in real estate as an investor and in the industry.

Anything that you'd like to share or walk down that path, or are we good for now? What are your thoughts on that?

Jeff Higgins: I mean, if I was gonna say anything really quick, and especially to the younger [00:30:00] guys, I try to tell 'em the importance of long-term thinking there's so many people. You go on Twitter, you go on Instagram, and it's all about the short-term. How do I make a zillion dollars in the next five minutes?

But really think about Wealth in 10 year terms, 15 year terms, that's what really helped me when I aligned my short-term actions, my short-term real estate investments with my long-term visions for where I wanted it to be, not next year, but 10 years from now. That's really what got me where I am.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And so on that business strategy side, as it pertains to real estate, you're sharing some things to do not to do. Again, where would one start? So someone's saying, okay, Jeff, you know what? You've peaked my interest. You have my interest on the fraternity side. Now you've got my interest on the business side and real estate.

I always wanted to get involved. I don't really know what to do, so I just put my money. Into the stock market or into the market in general, because I don't really have the context or the connections or the wherewithal in real estate, but I'd love to start something on that side. Where do we begin, Jeff?

What should we be doing?

Jeff Higgins: So personally for me, I like to invest very close to where I live because even though I have 90 units, I manage them all, [00:31:00] although it's a long story, but half of 'em are in Massachusetts and I have a contractor that, I developed a relationship with over a long period of time. That does a great job.

Job looking after 'em up there. But my advice is to look in your local neighborhood. Now that advice might not be so great if you live in the Bay Area or if you live in Manhattan. there's no cash flow in those areas. I'm a cash flow investor. I am not investing for appreciation. I'm investing for the monthly cash flow.

So it really depends on your local market, if at all possible. Look close to where you live. I like being able to touch it, keep my eyes on it. I know which areas of the city are emerging, which are the next ones, likely for potential growth. It's no guarantee, but you can put yourself in front of good things that might happen.

So my advice is to look locally and or you could do what I did. You moved to the market you wanted to invest in.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Some terrific advice there. And let me ask you, we know what cash flow is, certainly from the business side, we know about that, but same word, different industry, so cash flow from a real estate investment side of things. What do you mean by that? Can you explain that for our listeners?

Jeff Higgins: Cash flow is if the rents will cover all of your [00:32:00] expenses. So, for example, if you were gonna buy a million dollar house, it's probably only gonna rent for five or $6,000 a month. You're gonna have negative cash flow. But if you're gonna buy a $200,000 house and it rents for 2000 a month, you've hit 1% rule is what they say.

2000 would be 1% or 200,000. That will likely be slight positive cash flow. You're offered more cash flow on less desirable properties than trophy properties. It's just not the game I play. I play the cash flow game. I buy lower end properties that will pay me every month, and then appreciation happens eventually.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And for the lower end properties I take it, you mean you're looking in areas perhaps that are, they've had better days. They're not where they should be or where you'd like them to be, but at one point in time, perhaps they will get there, but even if they don't, what I'm hearing you say is, Hey, I have enough cash flow if I have some kind of undertake back or mortgage.

I'm covering that and I still have money left over when all is said and done. Am I correct with that?

Jeff Higgins: A hundred percent. So it's putting money in your pocket every month and then you know it's paying [00:33:00] down your loan, which is amazing. Amortizing a loan is a phenomenal thing for so many people because we all know about lifestyle creep and if the money hits your bank account, you might spend it, but if you're paying off a loan, you can't spend that.

So, Real estate's a great tool for the regular guy. I always say, you know, if you're a tradesman, you're a middle manager and you buy one or two houses, that's gonna take care of you just because it's this thing you automatically pay every month. you got the potential appreciation, which we've seen a lot of it in many markets just because when inflation happens uh, that tends to happen too.

Rent rise. Cost of living rises and the asset rises underneath it, cuz it's providing more cash flow. So you have the appreciation, you have the monthly cash flow, you have the tax advantages, and you have the debt pay down. And they all work very well together in concert.

Jeffrey Feldberg: And Jeff, what I like about you're bringing to the table here, if we continue down this road for a short moment, you've created a system. You've mastered it over the years, it's created a lifestyle for you and someone who wants to get into this. Or maybe they're already into it, but they're new at it and they're still, it's early in the game.

They're making mistakes, they're doing the heavy lifting. You've [00:34:00] already done that. So short of someone being in Sarasota where they can pick up the phone, Hey Jeff, I want to get going. Can you help me? Someone who is in, we'll go back to, Massachusetts or Boston or Connecticut, wherever it's gonna be.

What should we be looking for in terms of the people around us? A system that, okay, I'm gonna rate the check, but who am I looking for to do what? And then what are my responsibilities in that scenario? What I'm looking at real estate investments.

Jeff Higgins: Well, you gotta learn at first, what are you looking for? And then once you know what you're looking for, you gotta analyze the market for quite a bit. Like right now is a difficult time to buy. Prices are very high. The gap between rents and purchase price is higher than it was a couple of years ago.

So cashflow offer is gonna be lower. So it is a difficult time. You really need to analyze the market so that. When prices become attractive or when you find a good deal, you're able to recognize it. So there's a lot of work upfront before you even make the buy. But once you make the buy, it's a lot of trial and error.

You hire people, you try 'em out, and you get rid of 'em quickly If they cross you or they don't do a good job, or [00:35:00] they're unreliable. But you know, you go through enough people and then when you see someone does a good job, you treat them extremely well and you value them and you respect them.

Like respect goes a long way with contractors and once they tell that you actually value them and they should be valued, is they have skills that I don't have. it's a people business. You develop relationships you're able to find out who the good people are. You hold onto 'em, you treat 'em well.

You take it step by step. And as far as finding people to talk to and stuff, there's real estate groups in all over the country you can join or there's a real estate channel in the Fraternity Of Excellence. And I've helped some people get started in there. I take a look at every single post in there and they hear from me.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Two things on that. So one for the listener who just wants to simply write the check and walk away, this is probably not the investment vehicle for them because it sounds like you're getting your feet in the trenches. You're rolling up your sleeves, you have to find the people, get the system set up and perhaps later on you can do that.

But there's some time and investment in the early stages with that. And the second thing is, Nice way to really bridge the two together in the fraternity, whether it's real estate and setting up your own investments or perhaps other [00:36:00] areas. The Fraternity Of Excellence is not just for yourself, but here you can reach out to other people who are further down that path on that journey, who've made the mistakes, who've had the successes that they can mentor and share, and help you along the way.

Jeff Higgins: 100%. And that's in every area, you know, marriage and, faith and. Everything you think of sobriety, we have people that have been sober a long time that help new guys that are trying to get sober. Anything you can think of really, we don't niche down. We're any aspect of a man where you're trying to improve.

We have a guy for that. That's one of our sayings.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Love that. Just like there's an app for that. We got a guy for

that. Terrific. And it sounds like through really the beauty of technology, We're saving time. We're not having to physically drive somewhere. We're not limiting our resources. I can have someone who's in San Francisco, someone who's in New York, and we're all still getting together and making things happen.

That really the benefactor of the technology, the people, the insights, the skills to create a beautiful harmony.

Jeff Higgins: Yeah, you think about it. I mean, people say you're the sum total of the five people you spend the most time with, but most guys make that decision not [00:37:00] deliberately. They do it based on proximity, Who's right around me it's a really important decision. So now with this technology today, you're actually able to seek out the people like the founder, Zach Small.

I said, this is the guy I want to be friends with, and now we're co-partners because I deliberately sought him out. And I think more people should do that.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Some terrific advice. Well, speaking of advice, let's go into wrap up mode. And Jeff, I have the privilege and honor for every guest on the podcast to ask this question. It's a fun question. Let me set this up for you. So think of the movie Back to the Future, and in the movie you have that magical DeLorean car that will take you to any point in time.

So here's the fun part, Jeff. It's tomorrow morning. You look outside your window. Not only is the DeLorean car curbside, the door is open, it's waiting for you to hop on in. So you hop in, you're now gonna go to Andy. Point in your life, Jeff, as a young child, a teenager, whatever point in time that would be.

What are you telling your younger self in terms of life wisdom or life lessons or, Hey Jeff, do this, but don't do that. What [00:38:00] would that sound like?

Jeff Higgins: It's a great question and it's one something I've thought about a lot as far as similar type questions because I used to look back a lot and I used to regret and I used to cringe at the bad moves I made. Whether investing or with relationships or anything. And I can say right now, honestly, that I finally got to the point where I have no regrets and that I appreciate all the mistakes I made because they led me here and they truly did.

And would not have the wisdom or the knowledge if I didn't make the mistakes. So I wouldn't try to. Change anything. There are, of course, some people I've lost in my life, my mother and my father, that I would love to go back. I would love to tell 'em how good I'm doing today, just cuz I knew that would make them so happy.

But I don't wish to change anything and I've made some mistakes, don't get me wrong. I've made plenty of big mistakes, but I've accepted them and it's a part of me.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Well, terrific life advice and wisdom and lessons for our listeners. And again, Jeff, all of this will be in the show notes. For a [00:39:00] listener who likes what they're hearing, they wanna find out more, even become a member of the fraternity. Heck, maybe they even have a real estate question. Where's the best place online for someone to reach out to you?

Jeff Higgins: You can find me on Twitter at Jeffrey Higgins on Instagram at Jeff Higg. If you DM me either of those places, I'll respond to you. Just mention you heard the Deep, Wealth Podcast,

Jeffrey Feldberg: Terrific. For our listeners, it can't get any easier. It'll be a point and click. We'll have all that there for you. Well, Jeff, it's official. This is a wrap. Thank you so much for your. Insights and your wisdom and your vulnerability being so open with us. And as we say here at Deep Wealth, may you continue to thrive and prosper while you stay healthy and safe.

Thank you so much.

Jeff Higgins: Thank you, Jeffrey.

Sharon S.: The Deep Wealth Experience was definitely a game-changer for me.

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Lyn M.: Compared to when we first began, today I feel better prepared, but in some respects, may be less prepared, not because of the course, but because the course brought to light so many things that I thought we were on top of that we need to fix.

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Deep Wealth is an accurate name for it. This program leads to deeper wealth and happier wealth, not just deeper [00:42:00] wealth. I don't think there's a dollar value that could be associated with such an experience and knowledge that could be applied today and forever.

Jeffrey Feldberg: Are you leaving millions on the table?

Please visit www.deepwealth.com/success to learn more.

If you're not on my email list, you'll want to be. Sign up at www.deepwealth.com/podcast. And if you enjoyed this episode, if it added value, if you walked away with some new insights and strategies, please leave a review on your favorite podcast channel. Reviews help us reach new listeners, grow the show. And continue to create content that you'll enjoy and as we wrap up this episode as always please stay healthy and safe.