Real Life Investing With Jason & Rachel Wagner

Send us Fan Mail What does it actually take to walk away from a six-figure W-2 and bet on real estate full-time? We talk with Arthur Barkan, a former pharma professional with a chemistry background who turns hustle, relationships, and a repeatable value-add process into rapid multifamily growth and a portfolio that’s pushing toward 80 units. Along the way, we unpack how a simple personal brand can...

Send us Fan Mail Taxes can quietly decide whether a rental property feels like a win or a grind, and most investors never get a clear explanation of the rules that matter. We bring on CPA Ryan Bakke to translate real estate tax strategy into plain English and show how everyday W-2 earners can still benefit from rental income, deductions, and depreciation without needing to be a full-time investor....

Send us Fan Mail We share what surprised us most after a full year of homeschooling our oldest and why we decide to bring our second child home too. We break down Classical Conversations, our daily routine, and the deeper reasons we value faith, freedom, and protecting confidence during the early years.  • deciding to homeschool after seeing pressure and frustration build  • how homeschooling chan...

Send us Fan Mail Join Jason and Rachel Wagner on the Real Life Investing Podcast for an inspiring conversation with Victor So — a pharmacist turned powerhouse real estate investor & agent, content creator, and family man. From house hacking his way into multiple properties, mastering rent-by-room and midterm rentals, to using creative financing (including a zero-down partnership deal) and buil...

Send us Fan Mail You can do a lot with a steady W-2 paycheck if you’re willing to get a little uncomfortable. We sit down in The Nook with Grady Schmidt, a Chicago-based investor who starts with a garden-unit condo and turns it into a no-frills house hack, then scales into buying site unseen Indiana rentals while working in finance at Google. He shares the exact choices that helped him move fast,...

Send us Fan Mail Hart Turner joins us to tell the full story: 15 years as an actor in LA, a hard reset on money and career, and then an 18-month sprint that turns into three Chicago multifamily properties. Along the way, we connect the dots between endurance mindset (yes, he finished the Hawaii Ironman) and the day-to-day reality of underwriting, leasing, and staying calm when the deal goes sidewa...

Send us Fan Mail After a year-long hiatus raising their third child and stepping into homeschooling, Jason and Rachel Wagner are back with a raw, honest update on their unvaccinated son Wes. In this episode, they share what the first year of life has looked like for their completely unvaccinated son — including tracking every sick day, zero fevers, and how his health has compared to their vaccinat...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Rachel sits down with our close friend Kayla Heiar as she bravely shares the story of losing her baby girl, Skye Marie, at 15 weeks. Kayla walks us through her pregnancy journey—from early ultrasounds and hopeful milestones to the devastating appointment where no heartbeat was found. She opens up about the shock and disbelief that followed, the need to seek confir...

Send us Fan Mail Charlie Kirk's life was cut tragically short at just 31 years old, but his impact on American politics and conservative thought will endure for generations. We're still processing the shock of his assassination, which has rippled through communities worldwide and revealed deep fractures in our political landscape. Few figures have accomplished what Kirk did in such a sho...

Send us Fan Mail Our first eviction experience turned into a year-long saga of legal hurdles, thousands in lost revenue, and unexpected emotional challenges. We navigate the complex process of evicting non-paying tenants from our commercial property in Chicago while balancing business decisions with human impact. • Notice requirements for tenant termination in Chicago (120 days for tenants who&apo...

Send us Fan Mail In this captivating episode of Real Life Investing , Jason and Rachel Wagner sit down with powerhouse duo Jennie Berger and Tristan Lora for a conversation that blends real estate savvy, entrepreneurial resilience, lifestyle design, and some truly unforgettable stories. Jennie shares her inspiring journey from high-stakes condo development and house flipping to building a thriving...

Send us Fan Mail When veteran Dubois Toy received a check for $2,600 at his closing table after buying a $369,000 property, he knew he'd stumbled onto something extraordinary. With just $400 out-of-pocket, he'd unlocked the hidden potential of the VA loan that most veterans never discover. As a former ethical hacker, Toy brought his methodical approach to finding loopholes to the world o...

Send us Fan Mail We recently welcomed our son Wes Michael Wagner and share our deeply personal journey through childbirth in a rapidly changing healthcare landscape, where we declined nearly all standard hospital protocols for newborns. In this episode we discuss: • Detailed look at RhoGAM shots and our decision to decline despite significant pressure from medical staff • Analyzing the risk factor...

Send us Fan Mail In this heartwarming episode of The Real Life Investing Podcast , Jason and Rachel Wagner sit down with Sheila Henneman , the beloved owner of Berry Yo Frozen Yogurt in downtown Arlington Heights, IL. Sheila shares her remarkable journey from being a stay-at-home mom to becoming a thriving entrepreneur with one of the most cherished local businesses in the community. You'll h...

Send us Fan Mail What if the secret to building deep community in our disconnected world was hidden in plain sight? Matt and Katie Milford—known as the "connectors" of their Arlington Heights neighborhood—reveal their formula for transforming neighbors into friends and acquaintances into family. The Milfords share how their strategic decision to live near downtown, despite the higher cos...

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring episode, Jason and Rachel Wagner sit down with the multifaceted Wonderful Togbey—a successful Chicago real estate investor, 75 Hard enthusiast, and master of credit card hacking.  As an immigrant from Togo, West Africa, Wonderful Togbey shares his incredible journey of moving to the U.S. at 16, building a thriving real estate portfolio from scratch, and balancing...

Send us Fan Mail RFK Jr.'s appointment as HHS Secretary could signify a shift toward greater transparency and parental choices in public health and vaccination policies. Jason and Rachel Wagner discuss their own experiences with vaccination and the importance of informed consent, raising significant questions about the current understanding of vaccine safety and industry accountability. • RFK...

Send us Fan Mail Bible sales are reaching record highs, and across America, more people are reconnecting with their faith. This makes today’s episode especially timely as we sit down with the incredible Anita Pilalis, a devoted and passionate Christian. Anita shares the powerful moment she found God and how it became her life’s mission to serve Him.  Our conversation touches on how others can lean...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode, we discuss the arbitration case over earned real estate commissions we recently found ourselves in.  In a claim that was brought against brokerage, we walk through how we effectively defended our commission and ultimately prevailed as the unlikely victors.

Send us Fan Mail Join us for one of the most inspirational conversations you can hear as we sit down with Mike Bednarz.  It was just another day quoting a job for his commercial HVAC company, Bedco Mechanical, when Mike suddenly lost control of a ladder and fell 25 feet onto concrete.  Mike suffered a severe brain injury and shattered many bones from that accident.  He shares his story of how he h...

Send us Fan Mail Today's episode dives into our spiritual journey back to faith.  Our conversation explores that impact of the 2024 presidential election and how it offered the evidence Jason needed to rediscover his abandoned faith.  We hope that our story offers others an opportunity to become curious about God and encourages you to go explore.  A truly relatable episode. 

Send us Fan Mail Tune into our take on how Donald Trump and the Republicans won the 2024 election in a landslide.

Send us Fan Mail We voted. For Donald Trump.  Here's why.

Send us Fan Mail Join us on the Real Life Investing Podcast for a thought provoking conversation of shifting political landscapes with our  guest, Adriana. As a Hispanic raised in a middle-class neighborhood with strong Democratic values, Adriana shares her compelling journey from a lifelong Democrat to a passionate supporter of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. This transformation highlights...

Send us Fan Mail Jason and Rachel detail how they went from being worth more dead than alive, to surpassing $1M net worth in 5 years through real estate investing.