3 Things We’re Doing in 2026 to Retire with Rentals (Faster)

Episode #1221 Get Tickets to the Cash Flow Roadshow: https://www.biggerpockets.com/texas?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Episode Show Notes: https://lnk.to/biggerpocketsYT Join BiggerPockets for FREE 👇 https://www.biggerpockets.com/signup?utm_source=owned_media Let Us Know What You Thought of the Show! https://www.BiggerPockets.com/Podcastfeedback Grab Kathy’s Book, _Scaling Smart_ : https://store.biggerpockets.com/products/scaling-smart?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Sign Up for the BiggerPockets Real Estate Newsletter: https://www.biggerpockets.com/email-subscribe?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Find an Investor-Friendly Agent in Your Area: http://biggerpockets.com/agentmatch Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early or Invest? https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/pay-off-mortgage?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Kathy: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/kfettke?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Henry: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/henryw22?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none Connect with Dave: https://www.biggerpockets.com/users/davem27?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=description&utm_campaign=none 2026 is finally here! And if you can still read this sentence without seeing double, you’ve made it! But this year, things are going to be a little… different. We usually talk about the best places or strategies for buying rentals, but we’re going on a bit of a detour to start the year by discussing our real estate resolutions, all of which will actively help us retire early. Want to retire with rentals, too? This is the episode for you, and we’re sharing the strategies we’re using in 2026 to get there. Kathy shares a new way she’s optimizing her real estate portfolio, with the goal to increase cash flow by 10% on her current portfolio (not buying more rentals!). Henry takes an opposite approach to most investors, opting not to scale his portfolio and instead doing something much safer. Dave details his “End Game”—the ultimate real estate portfolio for early retirement. You can copy these experts’ strategies in 2026 to retire with rentals, too! 00:00 Intro 02:36 1. Optimize Your Portfolio with AI 08:06 How to Actually Use AI 09:06 2. Pay Off Properties Instead 15:46 Don’t Grow, Optimize! 18:31 The Cash Flow Roadshow is Back! 19:09 3. Build Your “End Game” Portfolio 24:09 Our REAL (Not Real Estate) Goal