From 0-9 Properties in 3 Years: Karen Conrad Metcalfe’s Story

Karen Conrad Metcalfe is one of the speakers at our upcoming WealthBuilders Conference. Learn more and register here.

Do you ever feel stuck in the rat race, unsure how to break free and pursue your dreams? Sometimes, we need to hear other people’s success stories to expand our horizons of what we think is possible. If you have been around WealthBuilders for some time, you have probably heard of our Vice President, Karen Conrad Metcalfe. Just three short years ago, she and her husband, Dave, were where many of us start: ground zero. 

At one point, Karen’s biggest financial goal was getting a raise or finding a higher-paying job. As an executive at a bank for 20-plus years, she was used to the traditional path:

• Work hard.
• Climb the career ladder.
• Save what you can.
• Invest the rest into a 401k.

If you are lucky, when you retire, you will have enough to care for your needs and leave a little for your children, too. 

The Mindset Shift

Then, Billy and Becky Epperhart introduced her to a completely new way of thinking about money. Billy Epperhart’s trademarked wealth building strategy, The Triple X Factor, helped Karen assign a purpose to her paycheck. Instead of spending and saving everything, she used her excess capital to build wealth. She realized there was a profound difference between bad debt– borrowing money to buy liabilities– and good debt– strategically borrowing money to purchase assets.

Investing didn’t come easily at first. Not because it was difficult, but because it felt risky. Karen noted, “My biggest hurdle was getting rid of fear. You must gain the confidence to get in the game, even if you are later in life like I was.”

As Karen moved past fear, she realized she had an unlimited capacity to build wealth. So, she started a home staging business and decided to create multiple revenue streams. Now, she and her family focus on building generational wealth through real estate investing. They have acquired nine properties (and counting) that provide passive income as vacation rentals, buy-and-holds, and fix and flips. In addition, they own a property management company and a marketing agency. Karen is well on her way to replacing her earned income with passive income, and she wakes up excited for the creative potential every day holds.