Tue Sep 17 06:33:00 UTC 2024: ## From Corporate Job to Financial Freedom: How Shu Matsuo Post Built a $2 Million Real Estate Portfolio and Escaped the 9-to-5
**Tokyo, Japan** – Shu Matsuo Post, a 38-year-old entrepreneur, has achieved financial independence by building a $2 million real estate portfolio, freeing him from the shackles of traditional employment. After a career spanning journalism, retail, and technology, Post discovered his path to freedom through consistent investment in real estate.
Over the past seven years, Post and his wife dedicated over 50% of their combined income to purchasing rental properties, ultimately accumulating six in the U.S. and three in Japan. This investment strategy allowed Post to achieve financial independence, allowing him to leave his corporate job and focus on his passions, which include creating online educational content about real estate investing and running his own consulting business, Post FI.
“I’m very fortunate to be able to say this, but I don’t have to work for money,” Post shared with CNBC Make It. “I enjoy earning money, but I can focus on what I want to do.”
Post’s journey wasn’t without its hurdles. He moved to the U.S. at 15, pursued various career paths, and ultimately settled in Japan with his wife, Christina, seven years ago. After marrying, the couple combined their finances and initially focused on index funds and ETFs. However, they realized they desired more active investment control.
“We found real estate and kept talking about it, and then we decided that we can live off of one income,” Post explained. They chose to live off Christina’s teaching salary and saved all of Shu’s income for their first property. By 2018, the couple had saved over $250,000 and purchased their first property, a duplex in Minnesota, for $216,500. Within a year, they expanded their portfolio to include three more rental properties in Minnesota and New York.
Post’s journey took an unexpected turn in September 2022 when he was laid off from his startup. However, his financial independence allowed him to confidently step away from the corporate world and pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. He launched his YouTube channel, which has garnered over 100,000 subscribers, and established Post FI, his real estate consulting business.
“I’m never going back,” Post stated. “Achieving that financial independence is absolutely important, but retirement and not having to work ever — I realized, it’s not something that I wanted. I wanted engaged work that I didn’t need to retire from.”
Post’s success story highlights the power of living below one’s means, investing consistently, and being open to new opportunities. By prioritizing financial freedom and finding fulfillment outside of traditional employment, Post has crafted a life that allows him to pursue his passions and spend more time with family.
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