What financial material do you read and how do you network?

Apart from reading the seriously invaluable information on PC and networking with folks on here,

1. What do you read? Magazines, blogs etc?

2. How do you establish a network with estate agents, builders, tradies, PMs?

Really keen to delve deeper into this very interesting world of investing. It's exhilarating, so far at least and has helped me have something else to do apart from the daily humdrum of my IT job.

 

1 this forum
2 chat with them, build rapport. Tradies are easy to crack - bring them a take away coffee when you first meet and you've won them over

Cheers

Jamie

 

Open homes - Build rapport with many RE Agents, include Builders/Architect/Accountant/solicitor in your network of regulars & I'm a long time subscriber to Aust Property Investor mag.
Oh, you start your network by simply doing a transaction, purchase, build or a sale.

 

All the info in the world is on line.

You can pick up the phone and talk to tradies and builders. Meet up with them on a job site. Just remember two things. Firstly, they have a vested interest, which is fair enough as they are in business and secondly, they absolutely love cash. They love cash more than a bogan loves to sleep in past mid day.

When you talk cash to tradies etc you can see their eyes light up and if you look closely you can actually see their dream fishing boat in their eyes.

 

And then ask them if they are interested in a franchise in Datto's Tackle World, which comes with a tax effective fishing boat...

Your commission cheque will be in the mail... which your can invest in your "world of investing"...

 

This forum.

Money magazine subscription- a gift to me

Talk to home loan lenders, financial planners, accountants, real estate agents & other investors that I know whenever I see them.

 

This forum period.

 

Great information folks. Given the API magazine has ceased trading, what others do you recommend?

 

I started with Money magazine, they cover the basic of all types of investing. Barefoot investors/Paul Clitheroe's finance book (making money?) is also worth a read. You need to have a strong foundation of the basics.

 

Thank you, will pick up the current Money mag and go through it. Totally agree on the foundation bit, I work in IT for a day job and clear concepts are critical.

 

I don't read much in the way of property or financial magazines.
I do however read all financial reports/statements of Companies that I am invested in.

These days I listen to many hours a week of both financial & property podcasts (based both here in Australia & abroad).
Some are free, some are subscription based.
It alllows me to bounce a lot of information around whilst I am working/driving etc.

 

The most useful info/contacts I ever made was networking with 2 types of people.

1. Network with people who are in the property game with some solid runs on the board.
2. Network with people who are utilising the approx. same strategy I am using to invest and are on the ground.
3. The forum is a good place to start the networking, but there are also so many great contacts who never even heard of the forum.

 

This website is my main resource but I also quite enjoy the Cuffelinks site: Cuffelinks - Connecting Investors with Ideas

 

To start with go to text books for the real meat. Eg older valuation books to build a foundation

 

Exactly what I did! They were all so appreciative of a decent coffee. We also asked the builder to stay for a beer at 5pm. Now he'll do anything for us.