E14 Mike Downey - From Family Farmer to Real Estate Investor

Farmers Capital Conversations

Mike is a self-proclaimed Iowa “wannabe” farmer. He has deep agricultural roots, and like many others, grew up on a family farm but the farm itself wasn’t large enough to support him joining full time. Dirt “runs through his veins” and he has a passion for farms and farm real estate. However, truth be told, he began investing in commercial real estate back in the late 2000’s due to its easier barrier of entry and positive cash flow. The passive income from assets such as apartments and self-storage facilities have afforded Mike and his wife Megan several opportunities. They left W2’s to start their own company which consults with family farms on their estate and legacy planning. They have self-directed every dollar from prior 401(k)’s into real estate. They own and operate a small farm in eastern Iowa and purchased part of Mike’s family farm, spanning 150 years and 5 generations.

Mike and Megan are also the founders of Farm Raised Capital, a real estate investment firm whose mission is to help everyday professionals like them, particularly in the Ag community, create their own passive income so they can live a life by design, not by default. Farm Raised Capital offers a platform to allow like-minded people to invest together in opportunities previously available to only high-net-worth individuals.

Show notes:

0:40 His Background (farming and crops story)

4:00 Investing Journey

7:50 Assets/classes when he started

14:59 How did he get over the mental hurdle of investing out of his backdoor/backyard/to other states

17:40 Biggest risks and tips to LPs

19:10 Conservative Underwriting

23:00 Good guidance and metrics to Farmers and AG’s to be comfortable with investing

29:00 Mike’s AHA moment - www.whatswealthmean.com

Connect with Mike:

Website: www.farmraisedcapital.com

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/mike-downey-2553008

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