Lane Kawaoka on Building Wealth Without Wrecking Your Health
Most men spend their 40s and 50s chasing income and forget to ask what it's actually building. Real estate investor Lane Kawaoka joined Coach Brian to break down the real numbers behind building wealth, and why he says the discipline from the gym is the same discipline that built his portfolio.
Listen to Episode 124 of Driven For Health to hear the full conversation between Coach Brian and Lane Kawaoka.
(Is your business growing while your health falls apart? See what changes when you fix both at www.thecalltorise.com)
Lane is the author of The Wealth Elevator. He once ran two CrossFit gyms and coached a client named Betsy Finley to the CrossFit Games at age 60. She placed first once, second once and eighth once across three trips.
The Real Estate Math Lane Uses
Lane breaks down real estate math with a simple example. A $100,000 rental home in the Midwest might send $100 to repairs, $100 to capital expenses and $100 to a property manager. Another $400 to $500 covers the mortgage, insurance and taxes. What's left is a couple hundred dollars of passive cash flow. The tenant also pays down the mortgage while equity builds underneath it.
That math is why Lane moved away from a traditional 401k early on, even before he got good at investing.
How Lane Built His Portfolio
Lane bought rental properties while working full time as an engineer. By 2015 he owned 11 rentals producing a few thousand dollars a month in passive cash flow. He later moved into syndicating apartment buildings, put around fifty thousand dollars into each deal, and quit his engineering job in 2018 to do real estate full time.
What Lane Says About Investing In Yourself
Lane tells entrepreneurs under a million dollars a year in revenue to invest in their own skills first. His example: spend $20,000 on a training course that raises your close rate by 10 percent, and that can add $100,000 a year in revenue. He calls that a five times return, higher than most real estate or stock deals.
Lane also says you do not need to wait until you hit $5 million in net worth to start investing passively. He tells listeners to titrate into it as their skills and income grow, since staying a W-2 employee the whole time carries its own risk of losing that job.
Why CrossFit Matters to How Lane Builds Wealth
Brian and Lane connect this back to health. A man who lifts heavy and trains hard builds the same discipline he needs to handle a hard year in business. Lane says the CrossFit gym taught him to choose hard things on purpose, because life brings hard things either way.
This episode covers real estate and legacy. It also covers training, food and stress. Brian and Lane's point stays simple. Health and wealth both need a real plan.
This conversation is for education only. Talk with your own financial and medical professionals before making decisions about your health or money.
Build Your Body While You Build Your Wealth
The Call To Rise is a 100-day fat loss challenge for driven men ready to take their body back. It combines strength training, personalized nutrition, and real accountability. Most men drop 20 plus pounds and rebuild the confidence that comes with it.
This program also works if you are dealing with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or Type 2 diabetes. Many men see those numbers move in the right direction alongside their weight loss.
Inside the program you also join a Brotherhood of men doing the same work. You build a body you're proud of and start leading like the man you already are at work.
This is your wake-up call to rise. Learn more and apply at www.thecalltorise.com.
Read the companion article on podcast.brianparana.com for more on this episode.
Common Questions From This Episode
Who is Lane Kawaoka?
Lane Kawaoka is the author of The Wealth Elevator. He is a real estate investor who once owned two CrossFit gyms.
What is the real estate example Lane shares?
Lane breaks down a $100,000 rental home. About $100 covers repairs, $100 covers capital expenses and $100 covers a property manager. Another $400 to $500 covers the mortgage, insurance and taxes.
That leaves a couple hundred dollars of passive cash flow plus the equity building underneath it.
Why did Lane move away from a 401k?
Lane says the real estate math worked better for him early on, even before he got good at investing. The passive income and equity beat what he saw in a traditional retirement account.
What does CrossFit have to do with building wealth?
Lane coached a client to the CrossFit Games at age 60. He says choosing hard things in the gym builds the discipline you need for hard years in business.
What is "The Wealth Elevator"?
It is Lane's framework for building wealth with more strategy and less stress. Coach Brian and Lane connect it directly to men's health, focus and long-term freedom.
How did Lane build his rental property portfolio?
Lane bought rental properties while working full time as an engineer. By 2015 he owned 11 rentals producing a few thousand dollars a month in passive cash flow. He later moved into syndicating apartment buildings, put around fifty thousand dollars into each deal, and quit his engineering job in 2018 to do real estate full time.
What does Lane say about investing in yourself before investing in real estate?
Lane tells entrepreneurs under a million dollars a year in revenue to invest in their own skills first. His example: spend $20,000 on a training course that raises your close rate by 10 percent, and that can add $100,000 a year in revenue. He calls that a five times return, higher than most real estate or stock deals.
When does Lane say someone should start investing passively?
Lane says you do not need to wait until you hit $5 million in net worth to start investing passively. He tells listeners to titrate into it as their skills and income grow, since staying a W-2 employee the whole time carries its own risk of losing that job.
