Shu Matsuo Post, 38, has built a $2 million real estate portfolio, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It.
Photo provided by Shu Matsuo
The concept of financial independence means different things to different people, but one common definition is having enough money so that you don't have to rely on a job, a salary, or other people to survive.
The road to financial independence may seem daunting, but there's one proven way to succeed: live within your means and invest the money you save.
That's exactly what Shu Matsuo Post did to earn the freedom he has today: For about seven years, the 38-year-old consistently put more than 50% of what he and his wife earned into real estate investments.
Matsuo Post currently owns a real estate portfolio worth $2 million, including six rental properties in the US and three in Japan, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It.
“I'm very lucky to say that I don't have to work for money,” Matsuo Post told CNBC Make It. “Making money is fun, but it allows me to focus on what I want to do. It's the exact opposite.”
Currently, Post Matsuo lives in Japan with his wife and two children. In addition to managing his investments, he also creates online educational content on real estate investing and runs Post FI, a consulting firm that helps foreigners buy property in Japan.
The start of your real estate investment journey
Matsuo Post's road to financial independence was by no means an easy one. He has switched careers multiple times, working in journalism, retail and technology before joining real estate.
Born and raised in Japan, Post moved to the United States at the age of 15 and stayed there for eight years to study and begin his career. After his time in the United States, Post also worked in Hong Kong for a few years before returning to Japan with his wife, Christina, seven years ago.
After getting married in 2017, Matsuo Post and his wife decided to combine their assets. When they started investing, they focused mostly on index funds and ETFs, but eventually decided they wanted to be more proactive with their investments rather than waiting for stock market returns.
“We found a property and kept talking about it and decided we could live on one income,” Matsuo Post said. They chose to live on Christina's income as a teacher and saved all of Shu's salary towards their first property.
“We were very fortunate to have relatively high-paying jobs at the time and were able to save a fair amount of money,” said Matsuo Post, who said the couple eventually saved more than $250,000 before investing in their first property.
According to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It, Matsuo Post and his wife purchased their first property, a two-story home in Minnesota, for a total of $216,500 in 2018. Just a year later, he purchased three more rental properties in Minnesota and New York.
Get out of the corporate world
In September 2022, Matsuo Post was laid off when the division where she worked was closed. However, after evaluating her financial situation, she decided that there was no longer any need to look for another office job.
“After I got fired from my startup, I had the choice to go back to corporate or start something. [of my own]” Matsuo Post said he ultimately chose to leave the corporate world altogether because he wanted to spend more time with his family.
Soon after being fired, Matsuo Post opened a YouTube channel, which has since gained over 100,000 subscribers, and in 2023 launched a real estate consulting business called Post FI (Post Financial Independence).
“I'm not going back,” says Matsuo Post. “Achieving financial independence is absolutely important, but I realized that retiring and not having to work wasn't what I wanted. I wanted a fulfilling job that I wouldn't have to retire from.”
“If I can make money from it, great, and if I can't, it's OK because I have other sources of income to support myself,” he said.
3 Tips to Achieve Financial Independence
When asked about the guiding principles he used to achieve financial independence, Post replied:
- Invest in yourself first: read books, attend seminars, and learn from others who have already achieved similar goals to you.
- Increase your income potential. Saving money won't make you rich, but it will increase your chances of taking greater risks and earning higher rewards.
- Be frugal. Save at least 50% of your income.
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