“Money is a worry”, my mother would say, “you need to save every penny.” She would even drive to a different supermarket to save 10 cents on a loaf of bread.

Mum taught me a saver mindset. Every time I saved $1000 in my bank account, she told me to put it into a term investment so that I wouldn’t spend it. Save for a rainy day was her mantra.

Property wise, she drummed into me to buy my family home and spend the next 40 years working in a solid job to pay it off by the time I was 65.

“Don’t take any risks and work hard”, she would say. That’s what I learned from a young age. Worry about money, work hard, save and by the time I reached 65 I might be able to retire.

I had no idea there was any other type of money management other than a “saver mindset”. That’s why I started property in Q1 and Q2 of the Property Quadrants, because I didn’t know any different.

‘ANOTHER YEAR WISER’

But as I grew older and wiser, as my aunty Zita would always write in my birthday card “another year older and another year wiser”, I realised the saver mindset was holding me back. Millionaires didn’t have a saver mindset at all; they got their money to work for them.

The wealthy have an investor mindset which is all about multiple streams of income, passive returns, minimising tax and taking calculated risks. A “risk” as I soon discovered was practically negated completely when you have the knowledge and the means to achieve what you set out to do.

What I wish I knew from the beginning was how to use the investor mindset in Q3 and Q4 of Property Quadrants.

Making your money work for you by creating multiple streams of income, both passive (Q4) and active (Q3) so that it feeds into paying down your family home (Q1) and your cash negative investment property (Q2).

MAJOR KEYS

The five major keys to an investor mindset are:

1. Create passive income over time so you don’t have to do anything to keep the money rolling in.
2. Diversify your investments (vary your banks, areas and types of deals) so you control the narrative.
3. Make active income faster than you can in your job using property.
4. Always look for opportunities.
5. Build a network of investors who are more successful than you so you are always growing.

A very wise investor once told me the more you look for deals the more “luck” you will have in property.

If I’ve learned one vitally important lesson over the years it’s that the saver mindset holds you back and limits your thinking. The investor mindset grows your wealth, builds your legacy and gives you the freedom to live the lifestyle you choose. And it is only from a place of freedom you can help others and make a true impact on the world.