Property Hub - Investment Insights & Inspiration - Get Invested: Best books and podcasts of 2019

Episode Date: December 28, 2019

Now this time of the year is a great time for reflection and a chance to recharge your batteries, so I’m going to challenge you to make the time to read and listen to podcasts as a way of filling your tank with inspiration and motivation. Just trade some time that you spend watching or listening to the news or scrolling through social media and replace it with some good book or podcast listening time – you will be amazed at how you start thinking and seeing things differently. As a constant reader I have a library of books, both in hard copy and on my kindle reader that goes everywhere with me. Because to me, to stop learning is to die on the inside. I’ve always got at least three to four books on the go at the same time, so I read to suit my mood. I generally start the day with self-development books and podcasts when I’m at the gym. I listen to something inspirational and motivational when I am in the shower, and I finish the day with fiction books so I can relax into sleep. And yes, I love to read in the ultimate man cave, which is code for the toilet. So to get you started and whet your appetite, in this episode is a quick list of my favourite books and podcasts. I’ve broken them into sections around the three cornerstones of success - being self, health and wealth - along with some specific property books and podcasts. Hopefully this episode has given you some good reading and listening material to get your grey matter working. But I’d also love to hear your favourite books and podcasts, so email me on [e-mail] if you have others that would be worth sharing. Get Invested is the podcast dedicated to time poor professionals who want to work less and live more. Join Bushy Martin, one of Australia’s top 10 property specialists, as he and his influential guests share know-how on the ways investing in property can unlock the life you always dreamed about and secure your financial future. Remember to subscribe on your favourite podcast player, and if you're enjoying the show please leave us a review. Find out more about Get Invested here https://bushymartin.com.au/get-invested-podcast/  Want to connect with Bushy? Get in touch here https://bushymartin.com.au/contact/  This show is produced by Apiro Media - http://apiropodcasts.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the Get Invested Podcast, where we share great conversations with experts from all walks of life to uncover their secret know-how on where they invest their time, their skills, and their money, and the benefits that this has created. You see, the truth is that everyone invests. Every minute of every day, we're investing our time, our skills, our energy, and our money in something. Some of us are investing consciously, some unconsciously, sometimes for good, sometimes for bad and sometimes for no impact. Get Invested will help you to start living by design,

not by default. I'm going to help you to make it happen, not let it happen. You'll hear the top tips on how you can live with conscious intent so that you can live more, work less, and leave a living legacy by investing now. Listen to the show to discover the top tips on how to get started, make the most of your investment journey, and ultimately to be living your dream, not someone else's. More episodes can be found on iTunes or at bussymartin.com.au forward slash getinvested. Thanks for listening. And now let's get invested. Hi, Fred and fighters. How many books or podcasts do you read or listen to in a year? do you know how many books the average person reads literally two or three for the entire year

and yet the average ceo is reading four or five books a month now that's a drastic difference studies show that active readers are likely to have annual incomes more than five times greater than those who spend little or no time reading and most successful people credit reading in some capacity as a factor in their success. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett, for example, spends 80% of his day reading. That's how knowledge works, he recently told an investment class at Columbia University. It builds up like compound interest. All of you can do it, but I guarantee not many of you will do it. And a young Elon Musk read for 10 hours each day before growing up to become Tesla's CEO.

He also reportedly read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica when he was nine years old. And these days, former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates reads a new book every week. And since 1996, the veteran talk show host Oprah has been advising her viewers' reading habits with Oprah's book club. She's called reading her personal path to freedom. So what if you could read a book a week?

Do you think that might improve your sustainable success in any area of your life? Now the medium average number of words per book is about 64,000 words. So let's say the average person reads about 200 words a minute. We're talking about 320 minutes to get through the book, which is about 45 minutes a day to read a book a week, which I think is quite realistic and achievable. 45 minutes spent reading a day is practically nothing that's a lunch break, a little bit of time at night

maybe reading a bit on the train on the way to work etc etc and audiobooks or similar audio apps like Blinkist that's B-L-I-N-K-I-S-T that give you audio and written book summaries so you get the juice if you then decide to go and read the full book also become an option when you don't have the ability to read like when you're on the go or at the gym Listening to audio books or podcasts when you're exercising or working out

is also good because it actually helps you absorb the material better It's been proven that when you're releasing certain hormones when you're working out you're actually able to learn faster And then you can also put the audio book or podcast on 1.5 times or 2 times the speed so you can move more rapidly through the material now this time of the year is a great time for reflection and a chance to recharge your batteries so i'm going to challenge you to make the time to read and listen to podcasts as a way of filling your tank with inspiration and motivation just trade some time that you spend watching or listening

to the news or tv or scrolling through social media and replace it with some good book or podcast listening time you'll be amazed at how you start thinking and seeing things differently now they say that when the student's ready the teacher arrives as a constant reader i've got an absolute library of books both in hard copy and on my kindle reader that pretty much goes everywhere with me because for me to stop learning is to die on the inside i've always got at least three to four books on the go at the same time so i read to suit my mood i generally start the day with self-development books and podcasts while I'm at the gym. I listen to something inspirational and motivational when I'm in the shower,

and I finish the day with fictional books so I can relax and to sleep. And yes, I love to read in the ultimate man cave, which is code for the toilet. So to get you started and whet your appetite, here's a quick list of my favourite books and podcasts. I've broken them into sections around the three cornerstones of success, being self, health and wealth, along with some specific property books and podcasts.

So starting with books, here's the books that contributed most to my own book, The Freedom Formula. The first of those is The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. This is an absolute cracking book that completely changes your outlook on what true sustainable success is all about. It's about playing the long game

and developing daily disciplines and happy habits. The second book that really inspired me was Life in Half a Second by Matthew Michalowicz. It puts the context of our own life in the context of how long the world's been around. So if the world's been around roughly, your man's been around roughly 40,000 years, our lifespan represents half a second if you put it into a day now it's a really good read got some really good goal setting

bits and pieces it's a step by step that really starts to help you to see differently and to move differently the third book that was really inspirational and foundational for the Freedom Formula was a book called The Simple Path to Wealth by J. L. Collins. Now this is written by an American for the American scene and America

is very different to Australia in terms of what to invest in but the principles are quite foundational and some really good principles in there that I know you'll get some really good info from. Now let's move on to some other book categories because I want to break down the best reads into self, health and wealth categories. If we start with self, a great book to read is Start With Why by Simon Sinek. It helps you get really clear on your beliefs and values and to use them as a compass for everything you do and everyone you do it with. That's a really good starting book. Complementing that is a great book called Living Forward by Michael Hyatt. It's a great life planning book that covers all areas of your

life and will take you through a step-by-step process to get really clear on how you want to live. Thirdly is the book Lynchpin by Seth Godin. Now this really positions your mindset for how to survive and thrive in the accelerating change that AI and technology is going to bring into our lives over the next decade. And then I suggest you have a read of Twelve Rules for Life, An Anecdote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson. This is a self-help style book, but it beautifully interweaves history, religion, science and philosophy into a highly pragmatic book on how to be fulfilled, successful and just become a better human being. This is a powerful book that can help you develop a higher sense of self-discipline and self-reliance.

And then there's the book The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday. It really helps you to see that what gets in the way is the way and that there are no such things as problems, just challenges. Because we don't control what happens to us, but we do control how we respond. it helps you to see that there's no such thing as a problem or an obstacle but an opportunity to do something different it's all based around the ancient philosophy of stoicism

in simple terms it's philosophy for entrepreneurs and self-made individuals and it helps you to see that adversity is the breeding ground of advantage the next book under the self category I suggest you have a read if you're looking for something a little bit different is Dying to be Me by Anita Mujani now a good friend of mine Josh Masters suggests I have a read of this and it actually blew me away it's a spiritual book that really got me thinking it's not airy-fairy but it really breaks down to some practical fundamentals on how to start looking at life so do yourself a favor and have a read and the last in the self-development list is a book called mindfulness and madness money food sex and the

sacred by ira retchafer that's r-e-c-h-t-s-h-a-f-f-e-r it's a book that explains how to get spiritually sober through the practice of meditation integrated with straightforward psychological processes it clarifies the fine line between presence and absence between direct contact with our immediate situation as opposed to the madness of being elsewhere distracted and confused by a multiplicity of choices it's a good straightforward read on meditation and a sea of other books on the subject that for me are just too airy-fairy now in the health area the only specific book i suggest reading is a book called the primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. That's S-I-S-S-O-N. It's a book that revolves around keto style

eating programs. Now Mark is the de facto leader of the primal paleo lifestyle movement and his practical suggestions on diet and exercise are easy to follow and just make good sense. Let's now move into the wealth area. And under this heading you can't afford to miss the The Old Great, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki. This was the first book that started my passive-aggressive journey over 20 years ago and it really covers off the critical importance of creating passive income and saleable assets, not just doing your job and then hoping that the pension's going to do it for you when you try to stop work.

That was a real lightbulb book for me. And then the other book that goes hand-in-hand with that one, and it's a bit old now but again was revelational to me at the time, was The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. That also helps you get clear on exactly how you want to live and it helps you create mechanisms that don't need us to fund our lifestyle. It teaches you the useful concept of access, not ownership, and the power of delegation to get your life back.

So some good reading there. now under the specific property area there's a couple of good reads as well that I think you should have a look at the first one is from zero to financial freedom by Steve McKnight again it's a little bit old now but it's a short sharp read and it helps you see that and get clear on what financial freedom means to you it outlines a two-part system for retiring richer and sooner. And it covers questions like which properties make the best growth and income investments, what strategies are best for you and how to buy more properties without working harder in your job. The next property book that's really a good foundational

book is called The Property Puzzle by Stuart Weymus. That's W-E-Y-M-S-S. Now Stuart's an Australian accountant, financial planner and mortgage broker. And his combined skills results and a great book on how to master property investment. Hand in hand with that, I suggest you have a read of Saving Tax on Your Investment Property by Noel Whittaker. Whittaker is W-H-I-T-T-A-K-E-R. He's written some fantastic books on the whole area of tax, property, investment, managing money. But this one is a really great book for tax structuring entities

and it's got lots of tips and tricks on how best to structure your investment portfolio. There's some absolute gold in that book. Now, if you're looking for a bit of escapism, for some fun, some fiction, here's a few of my favourite reads that I've gone through this year. The first was The City of Thieves by David Benioff. That's B-E-N-I-O-F-F. just a real bit of great escapism and a bit of life challenge work set back in Russia

but a really good read the second one, being a great Monty Python fan I had a good read and a great chuckle with Eric Idle's Always Look on the Bright Side of Life and if you're looking for a bit of mystery and intrigue a good read is The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

That's Z-A-F-O-N. I got hooked on his books. I read about six of them in a row. Really good reads and just really good escapism. And then, if you're looking for a bit of a laugh, anything by Ben Elton. I've read every one of his books from the historical Time and Time Again

to the hysterical Identity Crisis. He's absolutely written some crackers. And for something a little bit different, if you're into emotionally engaging poetry that captures situations in a really magic way, you can't go past The Wonder of Loving. It's The Best of the Thoughts of Nanushka by Nan Whitcomb. Now, this has just been published and privately released,

so if you want a copy of that, shoot me an email on bushy at khgroup.com.au and I'll put you in touch with Nan. Nan is now 92, would you believe? and it's still hard at it. So there's the starting list of 21 books to get you underway. But if listening is more your thing, then here are my podcast suggestions

to fill your ears with great info and inspiration. The first one under sort of a general category is the podcast Read to Lead by Jeff Brown. He provides really good book reviews and author interviews with a great many books and Jeff has the dulcet tones of a DJ to make it really good and easy listening. If we look at the self-development area,

a really good podcast to tap into is one called Dichotomy by Mike Reid. Now I know Mike personally and it's a really deep thinking podcast that covers the dichotomy of challenges that we all face in our lives and he's got some great guests that really share their experiences there.

The other self-development podcast that I really think is worth listening to is the Jordan B. Peterson podcast. Now, he's a real straight shooter who cuts through all of the politically correct BS and just says it how it is. Very refreshing in this current day and age. Under the health arena, an interesting listen is a podcast called The Breathing Edge by Angie and Shane Saunders. they help you to focus on your breathing as a simple yet foundational way to control our energy

and our stress levels now you're going to hear from both of them as special guests on get invested very soon and then under the health area if you're into fitness then i often have listened to muscle for life by mike matthews it's a down-to-earth fitness advice for anyone who's keen to stay in shape Now if we go into the wealth area the first podcast I suggest you have a listen to is the one called The Money Cafe by Alan Kohler Now Alan covers the general economy

on a macro to micro style It does have a bit of a shares bias but Alan's a very insightful economic analyst and you may have seen him on the ABC News Then there's the Dent Podcast by Glenn Carson Glenn interviews some awesome entrepreneurs and leaders who are really making a mark, so his episodes are full of inspiration and useful tips. And then for something a bit different, there's the Tropical MBA.

Now, this is a really relaxed pod that I've been listening to for years, and it focuses on location-independent businesses that give you your time back. There's always some great stuff on that pod. Then, Do Well and Do Good podcast by Dorothy Yilson. This podcast focuses on guests who are successful as a result of their giving approach to life and how they use their business to help others And finally, if you're a FIFO, because I know a lot of our listeners are FIFOs have a listen to Full Production by Peter Finney Finn

This is a must listen if you're in that area because it covers all subjects with some great guests Now, again, if you're looking for some fun fiction and freedom podcasts to turn off and escape you can't go past these three firstly conversations by richard feidler he's from the abc an ex-comedian and has some awesome guests with some great subjects then have a listen to malcolm gladwell's revisionist history this is where malcolm takes you on a journey through the overlooked and the misunderstood every episode re-examines something from the past an event a person an idea even a song he asked whether we got it right the

first time and i actually forgot to mention his books that are a must read outliers and blink are absolute ripping reads and then there's the tim ferris show it's often the number one business podcast on all of apple podcasts and it's been ranked number one out of 500 000 plus podcasts on many occasions. Each episode, Tim deconstructs world-class performers from eclectic areas that include investing, sports, business, art, and extracts the tactics, tools, and routines that you can use to improve all areas of your life.

And finally, for some specific property podcasts. For general property and finance information, you can't go past Kevin Turner's real estate talk. He's the go-to host for all things property, and he has some great guests and great topics to keep you up to date with what's happening across the nation. Then also tap into the Property Investory or Property Investor Stories by Tyrone Shum.

They're great interviews with a wide range of property investors. The Property Couch is also worth a listen with hosts Ben and Bryce covering some great topics on property and finance matters. And if you want to give a bit of a heads up on what might be happening around the place, have a listen to Hotspotting by Terry Ryder. He gives you his assessments

on some potential future growth zones. And then good old Stuart Weymouth again, who I mentioned in the book category, has a good podcast called Investopoly. He has some great insights on current matters relating to property and finance. So hopefully that's given you some good reading and listening material to get your grey matter working.

But I'd also love to hear your favourite books and podcasts. So if I haven't covered them, email me on bushy at khgroup.com.au if you have others it will be worth sharing in the meantime let me leave you with these thoughts a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies the man who never reads lives only once

and as Groucho Mask once said I find television very educating every time somebody turns on the set I go into the other room and read a book thanks Freedom Fighters enjoy your break and we'll talk to you next week